A couple of weeks ago, I brought together the founders of three small textile companies for an online panel discussion at the Textile Society of America’s 2024 Symposium. The theme of the symposium encouraged participants to reflect on textile histories and “envision and create collective, equitable, sustainable, and emancipatory futures.”
The symposium is one that appeals to academics, museum curators, artists, or anyone working in textiles. When I read the symposium’s call for proposals, I felt strongly the importance of hearing from the founders of small textile companies who established their businesses with the symposium’s theme as their foundation. I was thrilled when the organization accepted my proposal.
On the panel were company founders Sy Belohlavek of June Cashmere; Preston Theissen of Dinadi, and Theresa VanderMeer of Work+Shelter. After each founder presented who they are and what they do, we discussed what it is like to build small textile businesss to be sustainable, ethical, and transparent. These are terms that are thrown around a lot in marketing. Quick web searches yield definitions for the terms, but there are no business standards for what these concepts mean. We discussed what the terms mean to businesses like theirs.
In this Part I post on our panel discussion, I’ll share the founders’ short presentations of why their companies exist. What strikes me in watching these videos is the motivating factor for each of these founders in establishing their businesses: so that they can improve the lives of people. It also impacts me how long it takes to establish businesses like these – the time spent living in-country, assessing need, establishing foundations. I recognize the investment of time, energy, and money just to get a business going, let alone what it takes to get the business marketed and income established so that the businesses can pay off debt and become self-supporting. These truly are remarkable individuals doing good work in this world. Thank you from me to each of them – and to all business founders like them.
Sy Belohlavek, June Cashmere: Works directly with shepherds in Kyrgyzstan paying them fair market value and above for their cashmere fiber, all toward economic development in Kyrgyzstan to help the country realize the full value of their natural resource of cashmere.
Preston Theissen, Dinadi: Works in Nepal providing flexible knitting jobs for women to offer income out of poverty, community, and safety.
Theresa VanderMeer of Work+Shelter: Works in India to provide women with income out of poverty, community, and safety for sewing work.
In Part II, I’ll share the discussion portion of this panel so we can learn how each company incorporates sustainability, ethics, and transparency into the core of their businesses.
Until then, may you find joy in making with our yarn - and if you are able, please support these businesses and others like them! -Amy
p.s. We'd love for you to join our community of makers! Find out more: Join the June Cashmere Community