This is a story of Art, Love and Business. Many of you know me but behind every successful woman is a Man. See how I turned that around? LOL
I always wanted to be a Fashion Designer. I was making Barbie her wardrobe at a pretty young age. My Mother taught me how to knit and sew. She even made some of our clothing but I don't think it was a passion for her. More like a necessity with 3 Girls. In high school I fell in love with Textiles and although I did not know it at the time, that would play a big part in my future.
So, long story short, I met a friend of my Fathers who was a Head Designer in a company and he said, learn the technical. If you got it you got it. So that lead me to Philadelphia Collage of Textiles and Science where I got a BS in Textile Design.
I had decided that by the time I hit 30, I had to have my own business. Of course I decided that before I was even out of High School so as you can imagine that it was not well thought out. After a few jobs that were not great, I landed a job with a preppy company just outside of Philadelphia. It was a great job, I traveled the world and honed my skills but at age 29 I quit because as I said I had a plan. Well sort if.
I started a business with a few other people I had worked with and we were doing Private Label Programs for big retailers like American Eagle Outfitters. But, having partners is not always a winning combo. At the time, I never really analysed it but life has a way of moving you in the right direction.
This is where Dennis comes into the picture. A very talented artist who was doing anything but his art. My current business was struggling under the weight of partners who all had different agendas and I was introduced to Dennis because he was looking for a way to make a living at his art.
We fell in love and Steel Pony was born. Neither of us would say it was easy. Our first year we did every bad Craft Show that was out there and I was not really designing clothing at that point. We were screening our images on T-shirts. We quickly ran out of money and with the encouragement of other Craft Artists we met along the way we pivoted to creating Collections and selling to Stores across the country. If anyone ever tells you it is easy build a business, they are not telling the truth. It is the hardship that separates the men from the boys. Staying in business in spite of everything that is thrown your way is not an easy task.
It is a labor of love, passion and determination. In the last 28 years we have gone thru way to much to put in a blog post so I will end here by saying....if you want to know more......let me know and I will maybe make it a series.
