March 23, 2021
Business model changes
Introducing the new Carlie Ballard pre-order model: . Making only what is ordered and loved by you, the women who wear the clothes I design. No waste, no sales, no guessing. A business model I know reflects a crucial time when EVERYTHING we create matters. Charles Darwin was coined saying ‘It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change’. Business decisions are holistic, and this change is encompassing me from every angle. It’s a paradigm shift.
My appreciation (obsession/passion) for artisan talent and the pure artistry of the hand-loom as a necessity in the cultures it originates from, is at the core of the decisions I make. The timelines needed, the co-operative nature of the handloom business model, the remote locations, weather disruptions to name merely a few. This is life, this is real. Meeting a deadline in the world of consumerism does not need to be our reality.
Creating pieces with purity, authenticity, diligence, care and honesty is what the world needs more of.
Less is so much more.
New data was released last year by Quantis, which for the first time has shown that 75% of fashion’s environmental footprint takes place at the fabric mills. This new data changes everything and is so incredibly valuable for the industry to change it’s methods. It must change. We are proud to know the fabric we produce doesn't require electricity in the dying and weaving stages. Hand-loom is powered by humans.
Innovation is a wonderful thing, yet sometimes history provides us with everything we need. Handloom dates back 2000 years. A requirement of humans to stay warm, clean and protected. It’s a basic human right. Cloth making is a generational skill, a necessity, an innovation that is arguably the most sustainable cloth making technique available to us today outside of upcycling.
The move to made-to-order allows me the opportunity and time to weave the artistic value that fashion injects into culture also into the pieces we offer. Pieces to care for, to share and to pass down to family, friends and lovers of cloth. To mend and to value closely. A true reflection of what is needed for the paradigm shift the fashion industry and the planet so desperately needs.
Fashion throughout history has provided us the opportunity to reflect the times. Clothing can signify wealth, poverty, royalty, culture, tradition, era, opinion, race. It is rich in symbolism, artistic expression and artisan craft. Our times are swiftly changing and I’m inviting you on this next slow chapter, this new frontier of experiencing fashion and honouring cloth making and clothing design.
Moving into making only what is ordered and loved by you.
No waste, no sales, no guessing.
It will go like this….
- I will design and make samples together with the hand weave artisans and conscious workshop in Southern India.
- Small capsule collections will be released online throughout the year for a short period of time for you to view and place your order. I will provide online walk through’s, question time and measurements to ensure you feel confident you have chosen the right size and style.
- Once your order is placed and paid for and the selling period (the launch collection will be 3 weeks) is finished, we send all of your orders across to our workshop to make them especially for you in the size and colour way you have chosen.
- For the first collection launch we are saying 6-9 weeks delivery. This takes in the selling period aswell especially if you ordered at the beginning.
EDITION PIECES
Each new clothing collection I will have one piece that has been chosen as an edition piece. I’ll share which piece is the edition piece at the beginning of each launch. I wanted a way to truly signify deep value. Every piece is special, but these ones represent very small batch and unique. Heirlooms to cherish a lifetime, to pass on and to live your extra special moments in.
These pieces will be just like purchasing an artwork. Numbered garments, handwritten by me.
"I just think people should invest in the world. Don't invest in fashion, but invest in the world." Vivienne Westwood
