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Moving On

After a frustrating start to 2012, I have made a major decision.  I am now on the hunt for new factories to make our jeans.   This year has been a complete bust!   The disappointment from the jeans factory that I have been working with for over two years has led me to look elsewhere. 

It’s now the end of March and I still don’t have any jeans produced.   The children’s jeans have been in production since the end of last of year so I was told.  And they are still not done!  This is unbelievable to say the least.  Excuse after excuse why they are not finished is more than I can take.  Of course, they had the Spring Festival which closes down the whole country for weeks, but after that they should have been completed.  I only ordered 500 pair. 

I think I waited too long to make this decision.  I should have made this decision months ago. Now I’m going to take what I’ve learned and move on.  I’ve already been communicating with several jeans factories and Jillian has been preparing new samples to send to them.  Once they get our sample, they will follow our instructions and make a denim pair according to our pattern.  Once we see how they turn out, we can make a decision about starting to manufacture. 

I have learned a lot about this industry from my friend Andy, but since he opened his own jeans factory, he has let me down.  I think the pressure of being a new business owner has been a bit too much and he is overwhelmed with work.  My little order of 500 pieces just doesn’t seem to be important enough to complete in a timely manner. 

Our waistbands have been a problem for him because they must be put on one by one.  If they were made of denim, they could use a special machine to sew on the waistbands, but our soft ribbed material is too delicate for this method.  I asked him how many people were working on them and he told me two.   No wonder they are not finished.

So, with a sad heart I decided that I must look for other factories.  With what I have learned about manufacturing, I am more confident and experienced and not afraid to venture out into this industry.  I have chosen factories that are in the same area so when I visit China in May, I can go to these factories myself and check them out.  Now I'm looking for factories that are much bigger with more years of experience. 

I would never abandon my friend Andy either.  He has been an enormous part of Downs Designs.  He has taught me so much about this industry and the way of Chinese manufacturers and I value our relationship.  But, I think I must, for the sake of my business, find other factories to help with our development.  I’m ready to take what I’ve learned and start negotiations elsewhere.

The true test will be when I get the samples back from these various other factories.  I can’t wait to see how they look.  Our pants are so unusual that we just won’t know until they get here.  So again, I wait.  It will be about a month before I actually have them.  By the time I mail the package to them, they pretest the fabric, make the sample, then ship it back to me, it takes about a month.  There’s just no faster way.  The year is speeding by and I still have nothing new to sell.

Our ladies jeans are selling slowly and so far everyone who buys them is very happy and excited to have found something that fits their daughter or family member.  Most everyone reorders a few more pairs, but they are really waiting for more styles.  One customer bought 8 pairs of the same pants.  She asked Jill if she could make 4 of them into capris and she did.  They turned out fine but our jeans were not made or styled to be capris.  One day we will offer that style as well but probably in other fabrics.

I started learning Chinese this year and I find I really enjoy the language.  I think it’s important for me learn some basic Chinese if I am going to work with the Chinese people.  When I go there, I’m like a fish out of water.  No one speaks English accept my friend Andy and if he’s not with me, I’m lost.  I can’t walk down the street or go to a store because not one person speaks English.   So making the decision to learn their language (in some small way) was a good one I think. 

As with any foreign language, their sentence structure is completely different and that’s one thing I find complicating.  But the words themselves are not that hard.  They use the same words for many different meanings, but by changing the tone of the word, the meaning changes.  So that part of the language can be a bit confusing.  I might easily say that the meal tasted very “newspaper” because I didn’t use the correct tone. 

I’m sure once I get there I will feel completely lost.  My vocabulary will be limited and they talk very fast.  But my hopes are to at least have some sense of the language and be able to have small, simple conversations.    Even now as I communicate with representatives from these new factories through Skype, I am able to share a few words of Chinese.  Communication with the factory representative is usually done through typed conversation and I have learned to write the language in Pinyin.  Pinyin is writing Chinese with letters from our alphabet, not their drawings.  Once I learned the letter combinations and sounds of the letters, it has gotten fairly easy to type the words.  I just need to build my vocabulary and that will take time and practice.

I have hopes that my next writing will be good news.  I hope our children’s jeans will be finished soon and on their way to our shop.  I hope that these new factories will successfully duplicate our patterns.  And I hope I continue to stay focused and positive.  Sometimes it’s not easy, but my strong belief in what I am doing keeps me going through the disappointments that I have experienced over these months.  I look forward to the future and the new direction that I am headed.

It’s March Already!

I haven’t posted since the end of last year.  You know why?  THERE’S BEEN NOTHING TO POST!!!!  I am so frustrated and disappointed in the progress made in China I could just scream.

I was supposed to have the children’s jeans completed by mid-January before they closed down for an entire month to celebrate their Chinese New Year’s.  The samples of the teen and youth sizes were also supposed to be completed by that time as well.  IT DIDN’T HAPPEN!!!  I got nothing.  They were so busy with all the year-end orders, that they didn’t complete ours.

So the country closed down about the middle of January, they didn’t complete my order and now I have nothing to start the New Year 2012.  They didn’t actually get back to working full force until near the end of February.  Even though their holiday was over, all the workers didn’t return for almost two weeks.  So because I didn’t get the children’s jeans in January, I hope to get them sometime in March…so 3 months have been lost already and the year has just begun.

It’s now the beginning of March and they are still working on our children’s jeans.  The waistbands apparently are much more difficult to manufacture because they cannot use their waistband machines.  They must be done carefully one by one.  So I’m still waiting for their completion.  I probably won’t have the children’s jeans till the end of March if I’m lucky.

The samples of the youth and teen sizes arrived last week and we were expecting them to be as we ordered.  THEY WEREN’T.  We managed to get all the fittings completed the week they arrived but the samples were a disaster.  Why can’t they make our jeans correctly?  This company is an excellent manufacturing company and they make beautiful jeans for typical people, but their sample makers did a terrible job with this first round of samples for the youth and teen sizes.  It’s not because they are inexperienced, because they are not; but making these unusually shaped jeans must be very difficult for them.  They are certainly unlike anything they have every made before.

So working with the owner of the jeans factory, we’ve made some decisions of how to proceed.  Instead of them trying to make all the styles at once, they’re going to start with just one style at a time, get it right, then start manufacturing that one style, then make another style and so on.  I’m hoping that this will solve the problem and we can perfect these samples.  I started my third year in business this year and feel I have made very little progress although I’m told that something of this magnitude cannot be done quickly.   

I know Jillian and I have learned so much since we began and have improved so many things since our first order.   So I don’t want to complain about how slow this process has been.  But frustration builds and so does the debt.  I need to start having some significant sales soon.  Once I have product to sell and start showing sales, I can qualify for a small business loan.  I will feel so much better when I can borrow money for working capital against the business.  As it is now, I have used our home and our medical practice as collateral.   

The DSAIA conference was last week and I had to attend it with nothing but a sample of our children’s jeans.  I thought I would have the youth and teen size samples with me as well, but I just couldn’t display them.  But it was a good conference nonetheless.  I met lots of nice people from all over the United States from many different Down syndrome organizations.  I enjoyed seeing familiar faces too.  Many of the same exhibitors attend these conferences as well and we have become acquaintances.

So for the start of 2012, so far, not so good!

The End to a Frustrating Year

Well, today is January 1, 2012, and I look back on this whole last year with some regrets and some joy.  An entire year passed by and I had nothing new produced.  The disappointment I feel about this fruitless year runs very deep.  BUT, the experience I have gained brings me back to the joy I am feeling now.

After struggling with the pattern designs of everything we worked on, most would say we wasted a lot of time, but what I take from this is how much we gained.  Jillian has blossomed in her pant designing.  She has figured out the secret to make these pants fit properly. 

The children’s jeans are in production now and I can’t wait to see them.  Jillian has finished all the samples for the youth and teen sizes and they have been sent off to the factory to have the denim samples made so we can test the sizing on our models.  She is currently redesigning the men’s jeans with great success and then she will remake the ladies jeans with our newly designed waistbands.

So, 2012 will be the year of our pants.  Once we know they are a successful fit, we will start adding different fabrics and styles.  Hopefully, we will have even dress pants by year end.  The fearful part is finding a new factory to manufacture the non-denim fabric pants.  My trusted friend, Andy Yen, only manufactures jeans and khakis, so any other material will have to be made by another garment factory.  That will create a new issue to be solved.

Jillian feels that she will be able to design T shirts, blouses and dress shirts this year as well.  We will see how that goes.  This also involves finding another factory to manufacture them.  I return to China again in May and that project will be at the top of my list.

Some really exciting news happened in December as well.  CNN wrote a story about Downs Designs and published it on the front page of their website.  It ran the whole day on Sunday, December 11, 2011.  The story is actually still showing on their blog page called In America.  I am overwhelmed with the response.

On their blog page, In America, people have a place to comment on the stories.  Well, in the reporter’s writing she mentioned that she spoke with me while I was in China visiting the jeans factory.  Oh boy, it caused quite a stir.  There were over one hundred comments from some grateful people and some not so kind comments from pro “made in America” people.  It took every ounce of restraint not to respond to their cutting words.  But if the “naysayers” knew anything about my journey, they would not have been so cruel.  What was so amazing were the many people that came to my defense.  It was very emotional for me.

These “naysayer” have no idea the struggle it was to find someone to work with me.  When I first began to look for a manufacturer, I thought it would be easy to make my jeans here in the US.  But when I searched for a factory, I was told jeans weren’t made in the US and one women even hung up on me when I told her what I was trying to do.

The one place I spoke to about manufacturing my jeans, was in Allentown, Pennsylvania.  They were very nice, but when we discussed the cost, I was blown away.  A pair of small children’s jeans would cost about $20.00 to manufacture.  How could I sell them with a reasonable markup to sustain a business when the cost was more than I could charge?

So after hearing from the naysayers, I again revisited the idea of getting them manufactured here in the US.  I looked at all jeans factory’s websites to see what they manufactured.  The places that make affordable jeans looked like work clothes; no style or fashion at all.  The manufacturers who make stylish jeans sold for over $250.00 a pair.  Can you see my options here?  I don’t want to be forced to make jeans that aren’t in fashion for my customers just to keep them affordable.   After all, isn’t this point of what I’m doing? 

But, because of the media coverage, I actually started to get orders for our ladies jeans.  Since the ladies jeans are really all I have to sell, and some ladies Tee shirts, I am very excited.  I am finally starting to sell something. I have all the software necessary for my shipping department,but haven’t really had a chance to use it.  So I made a few mistakes along the way, but I think I have finally got the hang of it.

The best news of all is that they are a very success fit.  That’s what I needed to hear.  Until I actually had customers wearing our jeans, I really didn’t know if they were designed properly.  But when the repeat orders started to come in, I knew Jillian had done her job.  One young lady now owns five pairs of our jeans, even though we only have one style.  There is one thing I would change on them and that is the waistband.  I love our newly designed waistbands and I think it will add a new dimension.  The current ladies jeans are marked down because of the pocket size on the larger sizes, so that is something else that will be redesigned as well. 

But I’m sure of this, everything we design the first time will probably need improved upon once our customers let us know what they like and don’t like about our clothes.  Our sizes, being the first of their kind, are blazing the trail in fashion.  Jillian has an opportunity to create something that has never been done before and she has taken the “bull by the horns” and is doing a fantastic job.  I couldn’t be more proud of her.

December Turns Out to be a Great Month!

It’s almost Christmas and I must say that December has been an incredible month for Downs Designs.  I couldn’t be happier these days.  It seems like it’s been awhile since I have felt so good.  We’ve had so many setbacks this year, but I think we’re about to forge ahead now.  Reflecting back on 2011, I feel that it was a year of learning what NOT to do.

December began with a change in our office staff.  Jillian is my only designer again and it will probably remain that way for quite some time.  I want to say that I couldn’t be more proud of her either.  She has blossomed over these last two years and her work has been amazing.   She is truly the creator of our clothing line and I look forward to seeing everything she designs in the future.

Here’s where we stand so far:

Jillian finished designing the little boy and little girl basic jean patterns.  They are both at the factory now in production and I hope to have them in our shop by mid-January if all goes well.  My first order will be a small one, only 35 pairs of each size and there are seven sizes of each (at total of only 490 pairs).  I want to be sure that these are a good fit before I order any larger quantities.  (That’s one mistake I won’t make again.)

I made a major decision about the waistbands.  The waistbands have been our major problem all year.  There is no doubt that all our jeans (and all casual wear) will need to have an elastic waistband, but I want them to look fashionable as well.  I originally started out with the ribbed waistband in our first samples.  They fit well and looked good but I tried to have them designed in denim and it just doesn’t work.  There is too much gathering when you get into the larger sizes for older children and adults and they are not as comfortable.  But when we use a soft, ribbed material instead of the denim, they look and feel SO MUCH better.  This is a picture of how the waistband looks, but the finished product will have belt loops and rivets with a Downs Designs button for looks only.  For the youth boy, teen boy and men pants we will offer two styles; one as pictured and described and the other with a partial elastic waistband which will have a working zipper and button fastener.  

Our clothes are being designed for people with Down syndrome, so we have to make them special.   I have spoken with hundreds of mothers and even teachers who work with children with special needs, and they almost all have requested an elastic waistband.   It’s been a struggle but I’m now at peace with my decision.   Our ribbed waistbands will be standard on all our casual wear.  In this picture you see a sample pair of our "dip downs".  Remember we make our samples in muslin, not denim.

Jillian also finished designing the jeans patterns for our youth and teen sizes and she is now redesigning the men’s jeans pattern.  She made all the muslin samples for both boys and girls in the youth and teen sizes and last week I sent them all off to the factory to have them made into denim prototypes.  We should have them by the end of this year. 

Then the factory will be closed for about three weeks and we have to be patient.  While they are shut down, we will be testing the youth and teen denim samples on our models and hope for a good fit.  Once the factory is back to work, then we can begin again.  I’m hoping that our first denim samples will be good, but there is a big probability that we will need to make a few changes.  If we do, that will mean more samples would have to be made which would take about 3 weeks. So realistically, we probably won’t have the youth and teen sizes until late spring, but I can’t say for sure at this point.  I have learned that things take time and I want to get them right.

Another wonderful thing happened this month.  CNN posted a story on their website about Downs Designs.  I am writing another chapter about that story but the response was amazing.  So I can say with joy in my heart that the year 2011 has ended on a very positive note and I look forward to 2012.  I feel that we are making big strides now and I am confident that there are many more good things to come.

Ending November 2011

November is almost over and I must admit that we are finally making some progress now.  I’m excited to say that we've completed the little boy’s jeans pattern and the factory is ready to begin manufacturing.  The fabric has been ordered and they are preparing for production.  The little girl’s final sample is being made now (and I hope it’s the last) and we should have it in the shop by late next week.  If this last sample is good, we can also begin production on the little girl’s jeans as well.  I’m hoping to have the small children’s jeans completed and available for sale by the end of this year.

So here is what we’ve decided to do:  This first batch of the little boy’s jeans will have a denim elastic waistband.  We’ve decided not to make the adjustable waist just now, we’ve had too many problems with the design and I don’t want to hold up production any longer.  But we’ve since decided to use the ribbed waistband again, so the little girl’s jeans will have a different waistband.  And when  we make our next round of little boy’s jeans, we will use the ribbed waistband on them as well.

Most of our problems with our samples have been trying to have a denim elastic waistband that looks good.  But,  it’s just about impossible, especially in the larger sizes.  As the sizes get larger, the amount of gathering is just too much when using the denim in the waistband.  When we use the ribbing material, they look so much better with much less gathering and they are also more comfortable.

The decision to use the ribbing has been a struggle for me because I want our jeans to look like every other pair of jeans, but the bottom line is that our pants will have elastic waistbands and most jeans and pants do not.  But it’s what makes the most sense.  It’s just too important for our jeans and pants to be comfortable and easy to get on and off.  The whole point of Downs Designs is to accommodate those with Down syndrome.  So by using the ribbing for the waistband rather than the denim, this solves so many problems for the look of our jeans.  The ribbing allows the waists to lay much flatter and they are certainly more comfortable.   

Jillian is finishing the patterns for the rest of the sizes.  We are hoping to get samples made of the youth and teen size jeans before the end of the year as well.  If they are good, we hope to begin production on those sizes in the spring of next year.  I won’t promise that we will, but that is our goal at this point.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been a whole year since anything has been in production.  I feel that 2011 has been a year of learning experiences for me.  As the owner of this business, there are things I should have done differently, but I chose not to listen to my instincts.  That’s the most important thing I have learned and I won’t make that mistake again. 

All the years I have owned my own business, my natural instincts have usually been good decisions, but this year I somehow lost my way.  But I never dwell on negativity and I won’t look back.  I’m moving only in one direction now…forward!  


Life is nothing but a series of lessons and what we do with those lessons is what’s important.  If we learn from them, then they are good lessons, if we choose not to learn from them, then we stunt our growth. 

Jillian and I have been a great team for almost two years and she has grown so much since we first began.  Her designing skills have come so far and watching her work is awesome.  She has evolved into an amazing designer and I couldn’t be more proud.

Cara is not with us anymore and I wish her well.  I hope she finds what truly makes her happy.

So we’re wrapping up November on a good note.  I couldn’t feel better than I do these days.  I am keeping my fingers crossed to see what December brings us and looking forward to the New Year.  My excitement and enthusiasm for what we are doing has never faded and I will continue with our quest until we reach our goal…to have a line of clothing for people with Down syndrome.  I want to eliminate the clothing challenges that they must face every day and make rolling up pant legs and sleeves a thing of the past.

China Trips May and Oct 2011 at OneTrueMedia.com

Both trips to China in 2011

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