I'm a stickler when it comes to quality. You'll often hear me saying, "Things aren't made the way they used to be!" Just within the 49 years of my life, I've witnessed how quality — and maybe even the honor that goes into making quality products — has deteriorated. And it's really sad . . .
As a designer and brand owner, I feel like it's my responsibility to be impeccable when it comes to quality. From fabric to sewing, all the way to the final quality protocol we give to each and every style.
Over the years, we've worked with a few different factories (I always say it's like dating), and I can finally and honestly say — we recently found one that I feel like we'll be in a long-term relationship with for years to come! Their standards meet ours, and quality control has been so much smoother. They're really good at catching imperfections in the fabric before it even makes it to the sewing machines, which minimizes how much clothing gets made with a defect and reduces the number of finished styles we can't sell.
The fact of the matter is — we still have to pay for these garments. And with our previous factories, we've held onto a good amount of "damages." These slight imperfections are small things to most people, but they're big things to our brand. It can be anything from a small flaw in the fabric, a tiny pinhole, or a weave line that's a slightly different color. Or it can be a sewing imperfection — too much tension on a neckline or seam that makes it pucker and not lay flat.
As a business owner, holding onto these garments is difficult for two reasons: it takes up space in our small warehouse, and it's clothing that can be worn. My team and I take some damages — they make up about 80% of my wardrobe lol. We give pieces to friends and family, and we're still left with a sizable amount.
So I thought: why don't we put together a mystery bag at a really good discount and give our customers the opportunity to grab some Allison Izu styles at over 70% off? It's craziness — and it's a huge help to us. It lets us recoup some of the cost it took to make the garment, and it keeps clothing out of the landfill. That's a WIN/WIN to me.
We used to do in-person sales to unload these imperfect pieces, and our customers always loved it — they would talk about how small the "damage" was, and sometimes needed help finding it!
So if you're interested: we'll be launching a small batch of mystery bags tomorrow. Each bag will include 2 tops — most likely one Hannah Top and one "other" — all with small imperfections.
Thank you in advance for helping us make room, recoup some revenue, and save the earth! We are so grateful for your support!
