Sometimes gratifying, sometimes humbling, always surprising.
The many faces of my new audience and what I'm learning along the way.
In recent weeks, as I have been creating display ads and talking with magazine sales reps and planning promotion calendars to promote my upcoming launch event, I have been surprised at my own reactions to having an audience. So far, my audience has mostly been people who want to see me succeed because it's how they make their money. So, they've all been over-the-top encouraging and complimentary, just swooning over the new kimonos and the fabulous photographs of the models wearing them in soft, perfect lighting. For me, it's kind of a shock because I work alone. For hours and hours I plug away trying to steer this slow boat to wherever it is that I'm going. I'm not used to all of the attention, and am somewhat skeptical of it all. I can't take all of this adulation too seriously.
A couple of weeks ago, IN Kansas City Magazine sent a writer over to my home studio to interview me for a feature article. Never mind that it was sponsored content that I paid dearly for. I soaked it all in, and pretended that they actually sought me out and that I had something to say that they thought their audience would want to hear. It was really gratifying to have such a captive listener who seemed so fascinated by everything I had to say. By the time the interview was over, she was trying on kimonos, and I have to say she was surprised at how good she looked wearing one. But I knew that would happen. Because it always does.
I always love to see someone react to how they look in the mirror when they try on one of my kimonos. Whether this writer was interested or not in what I had to say, she was certainly interested in how she looked and felt about herself when she saw herself in a new way. That is why I do what I do. I love to see the transformation, the surprise, the "Oh, wow!" moment when they look in the mirror. That's what this is all about: showing women how beautiful they are, by dressing them in something that brings out their best qualities.
This week the MC for my upcoming launch event came to my home studio to meet with me about the program content and event details. I don't know how it happened, but I think she is one of my biggest fans. I love how much she loves what I do, and everything I'm about. Who wouldn't love that kind of admiration? We really had a blast. Of course, she's a really fun person. She, being the good sport that she is, also succumbed to a kimono trying-on session. The same thing happened. She looked absolutely amazing in anything she put on.
We started playing with different ways to wear them, and pairing some of the new Obi belts with the kimonos, wearing them inside the kimono and letting the kimono hang free of being belted. That was a magical experience, even for me. Who knew that a somewhat illusive waist could be so defined? And who knew that particular Obi belt would go so well with that kimono? They shouldn't go together, but they do. We were like two school girls having a dress-up party.
If these two encounters were a preview of what's going to happen at my launch event, I will be thrilled. Seeing the transformations and sharing in the fun of putting a great outfit together is at the core of what makes me happy and feel fulfilled.
So, bring it on. I can take it. After almost three years of putting these designs together and envisioning women wearing them and loving them, I am getting a little taste of the frosting on the cake. Hours of work, hours of planning and replanning, tons of mistakes and steep learning curves have led me to this place. Not to mention the financial investment. But how lucky can a person be? I get to do what I love, and share my passion for design and fabric combinations and for dressing well. And, on top of that, Bill and I have committed to donate the J.Mullin Apparel Company's proceeds to non-profit organizations that give women a second chance on life.
All proceeds from our business -- not just the launch event -- but from the beginning and for as long as we can afford it, are being donated to ministries that help women reinvent their lives. Proceeds from the launch event will go to The Healing House in Kansas City, which provides housing, counseling and education to women who are recovering from substance abuse. We also support the House of Ruth in Bill's hometown of Connersville, Indiana, which provides a comprehensive recovery program for women overcoming Opioid addiction.
Both of these organizations are saving and transforming lives. For us to be able to have some part in the work that they do is humbling and gratifying. I have also been honored to be a part of the planning of the House of Ruth's resale shop, "Reinventions," The Healing House is also planning to open a similar shop, and has invited me to help them with the planning of their shop, as well. Can life get any more rewarding? We are truly blessed to be able to be involved in the work these organizations are doing.
Oh, and one more thing: Here is a link to the INKansas City Magazine Article that was published two weeks ago. I think the writer did a nice job. What do you think?
Updated: Mar 21, 2022
After two years of perfecting our product we are getting ready to have our official LAUNCH EVENT.
We are inviting all of our Kansas City friends and business associates and followers to come help us celebrate this milestone.
The event will be held at the 1900 Building, 1900 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Mission Woods, KS on Thursday, April 21, 2022.
The event will be held at the 1900 Building, 1900 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Mission Woods, KS on Thursday, April 21, 2022.
For those outside of the Kansas City area, we will be posting photos and a recap of the event.
Our guests will be able to try on our brand new line of kimonos that is still in production. Our event will be set up like a luxurious dressing room lounge with a wine & champagne bar and savory hors d'oeuvres.
Our two fabulous models shown in this display ad will be at our event in person, to give our guests some styling tips and show them different ways to wear the new pieces.
Our MC for the event will be Katie Van Luchene, who is well known in the Kansas City Fashion Community. We will also be welcoming Jennifer Lapka of Rightfully Sewn as one of our two Guests of Honor. Her not-for-profit company actually sews our kimonos to assure their professional quality. We will also be welcoming Bobbi Jo Reed as our second Guest of Honor. She is the founder of The Healing House for Women, a not-for-profit Christian-based ministry that provides services, housing and education to women in recovery from substance abuse disorders. We will be donating all proceeds from the event to her organization.
We also will be welcoming friends from other Kansas City businesses who have helped us with our photography, branding and promotion. The venue is a beautiful modern gallery-like space with a highly rated restaurant, which will be catering our event. We are very excited to see who comes out, and see how they like our new collection.
I can't believe this is finally going to happen. It's been over two years of building a team, a brand, creating three new patterns and working out a process to mass produce (50 pieces at a time) a one-of-a-kind product. We designed each kimono to incorporate vintage kimono fabric, which in strips only a few inches wide. We also use other repurposed fabrics, which we collect from a variety of sources. One of my favorite things to do is put the fabrics together. Some of the combinations are stunning.
Our new collection has three styles: A hip-length jacket style, a just-above-the-knee tunic style, and an ankle-length robe style. Each piece is fully lined and has roomy pockets. The two longer styles have deep side slits and detached sash belts. I am also making contrasting belts from vintage kimono fabric that can be mixed and matched with our kimonos. I have also been making some beautiful scarves and Obi belts from vintage kimono fabric. They'll be added to our website soon.
Our website home page has some of our first photos of the new collection. We will be adding the new pieces to our site as soon as we can. In the meantime, I'll try to get back on line with my Instagram posts and Facebook posts to keep you informed. It's been quite a journey, but I hope it is only the beginning.
Being able to do what I love, and meet the wonderful people I'm meeting, and be able to donate our proceeds to help organizations that work to give women a chance to reinvent their lives is so rewarding. I just know lives are going to be changed, and it is such a blessing to Bill and me to be a part of something that will make the world a better place. I appreciate all of your support and encouragement. Send your friends our way, keep us in your prayers and remember us when you need a special gift for yourself or someone that you love.
The art of waiting.
The quiet of winter can be the most distracting void. It's a lesson in how to live in a constant state of uncertainty. We just have to be ready to change course every other minute. Just when we think we have a plan, something happens that changes everything. What do we do? We constantly reschedule things. We cancel this, we postpone that. We try to adapt, but we feel off balance. We feel stuck in time. We can't focus. We feel as adrift as the blowing snow.
It's as if life is on hold; that we are suspended in time, stranded between seasons. It feels like we are in a Netflix series that suddenly took a turn we didn't see coming, leaving us hanging at the end of the last season, and here we are waiting on the edge of a cliff to see how it all turns out. We hate waiting. We try to fill the void. We get off the sofa and grab some popcorn. We make more "to do" lists. We surf Social Media for inspiration or just to see what other, more together, people are doing. But, we just can't get our footing. We get depressed and overwhelmed, and blame it all on winter.
Then, out of the blue, something happens that puts a whole new perspective on things. Coincidences and synchronicity and "What are the odds?" situations. We have a couple of full circle experiences, and it all begins to make sense. We begin to realize that the seemingly random chain of unfortunate events were all part of a Grand Plan. Time and time again, as we round a bend and suddenly see the larger view, we understand that all of those crazy twists and turns were leading to something better than we could have imagined. Maybe uncertainty isn't so bad after all.
If winter is teaching me anything, it's to learn to trust the process. Trust in God's plan. Turns out, all things, all situations and messes and dark days -- they're all leading to something better My life might seem chaotic and out of control at times, but only if I delude myself into thinking that everything is up to me, or even has to do with me. Winter is a lesson in learning to wait. Waiting is a skill, an art form, a test. Maybe it's really a gift. It's a time to reflect and understand; to re-order our priorities and to visualize how we want to alter our course. Spring is coming. But, for now, we'll just move forward day-by-day in the direction of our dreams and give ourselves permission to enjoy the journey along the way.
Here at J.Mullin Apparel, we are finally in the throws of planning our official Launch Event! It's been almost three years since we moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to Kansas City and I began making one-of-a-kind kimonos. We have created three new designs in two inclusive sizes, and have streamlined our production process to be able to produce a consistent high-quality product that is still one-of-a-kind and still features repurposed fabrics. It has been a huge learning experience for me, and I am finding ways to keep the artistic integrity and uniqueness of one-of-a-kind pieces while being able to scale.
Our Launch Event is being planned for Thursday, April 21st, from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm at the 1900 Building's Fountain Room, 1900 Shawnee Parkway, Mission Woods, KS. It is one of Kansas City's finest
gallery/event spaces, and we will be pulling the details together and doing some promotion and publicity in March and April. Tickets are available at Eventbrite.com. We just completed a new photo shoot with some of our new kimonos and two gorgeous models, and you will be seeing them over the coming weeks..
Personally, I cannot wait to share our new line with you! The journey has been long and a little treacherous at times. There is no GPS system or even a folded up map for what we're doing, and we've worked very hard to get this far. We've laid the groundwork for a new season that promises to take our little line of kimonos and scarves to a new level of exposure and visibility. We hope you come along with us on this new adventure!
More information on the Spring & Summer Line will be coming soon. We promise you'll be the first to know.
In the meantime, visit our website often:
