Dear Reader; A BIG THANK YOU to you! Because of you, we're celebrating our 6th anniversary! I still remember sitting in Jackson Heights, NY, in 2011, scratching out some thoughts about launching a site. Initially, I came up with the name "All Things Design," but I only managed to create one "Hello World" post before setting aside the idea. Six years later, this vision became a reality when Inside Fashion Design was launched in 2017, allowing me to combine my love for designing, mentoring, and sharing stories that inspire and spread goodness.
Appreciations of the Past 6 years
Over the past six years, IFD has grown from a simple blog site to a much grander platform, organically evolving into an educational and resource site, while simultaneously creating a community. We connected with wonderfully talented people in the industry, and hosted hands-on workshops in our studio and more significant events for Design Week Portland and Portland Textile Month, leading up to our dreams for an Annual Ethical Fashion Festival.
We've hosted teams from Nike, European designers, and students from the University of Oregon, Portland State University, and Oregon State. We've participated in the NW Materials Show, been backstage at FashioNXT and NYFW, and moderated for Zoom events such as the Digital Materials Show, Textile Month, and Fashion Mingle. We've conducted live interviews with designers, career coaches, and those striving for more ethical and sustainable fashion. We’ve built relationships with Fashion Revolution, Global Fashion Marketplace, Ethical Fashion Initiative, and International Women’s Day to name a few, and most recently, have partnered with the World Collective
One of our biggest highlights was an event we hosted during the pandemic. What would have been our 1-night 2020 Design Week Portland event turned into a global virtual 3-day event called the Ethical Fashion Festival, which was so rewarding that we officially became a Non-Profit event this year. We are partnering with World Collective and are very excited about what this has the potential to become.
This is all wonderful and I am so grateful, but as with all businesses, comes with many challenges. Many lessons have been learned along the way, and we'll continue to learn as we go. There have been many stressful moments, trying to meet significant deadlines, heartbreak from loss of money, and loss of articles with website crashes. We have been through 4-5 website designers—some leaving us hanging, some charging us for an unheard-of amount of time and fees. We have hosted events where no one showed up, been interviewed for magazines that never got published, reached out to dozens of businesses in hopes of getting sponsors for our events, and put in hours and hours talking to people about ideas and ways to expand our community—all with the vision to offer value and opportunities helpful to our readers.
As we know, anything worthwhile takes effort, and pursuing your dreams isn't necessarily easy. However, the reward comes from knowing you put your heart and soul into your work. I work towards goals and intentions, but most importantly, I believe in having a big purpose in mind: YOUR BIG PURPOSE or YBP. This grand vision drives me and keeps me focused on setting a clear idea in my mind of what I want to build, where I want to go, and who I want to be.
Looking to the Future: YBP
Do you know Your Big Purpose? I know it's not always clear and we can get overwhelmed with ideas and things we want to pursue and achieve- it is a good idea to think on this for a moment- perhaps you need to define YBP yet, or maybe you know it but have gotten sidetracked. If so, take a peek at Finding Your Big Purpose, with some pointers and tips to refresh and get back on track!
Peace, Love & Blessings, Britta
Want to share Your Big Purpose? Let us know what you are dreaming of!! Who knows, maybe we can help support you to get you there! Working together is always better than working alone!
Creative Capital Design (our design studio) along with IFD has worked with many clients, and interns, done many informational interviews, and provided guidance and mentoring to students and young professionals- it's part of what we love to do- reach out anytime to inquire!
Love it!