What You Wear Matters: A Startup Success Story

What You Wear Matters

What we wear matters—it presents us to the world, it gives us confidence, it provides us a shield, it prepares us for our day and it absolutely has the power to help make our dreams come true. That’s why I created Lidgett, a clothing line designed for women and inspired by their ambitions.

I have always believed in the power of clothing. I didn’t fully understand that power as a child, but I knew it existed when I would watch my mother command a room based on what she was wearing or be at complete peace while she was wearing her navy and white stripes on a boat at the lake.

As an adult, I can now see that she was mirroring her emotions and her state of mind with what she was wearing. Her clothing was speaking for her before she even said a word. It can welcome people or turn people away. It can show respect or disdain. It can exude confidence or fear. And during times in my life where I have felt out of control or struggling to figure out who I was, clothing has always allowed me to be whoever I wanted to be, even if I was just faking it until I made it. It gave me courage when I walked into my first job. It gave me strength when I felt powerless. It told a story when I didn't have a voice. All of these reasons are why I believe to my core that clothing should be used as a tool to help you achieve your dreams.

Making Clothes to Represent

I got to a point where I wasn’t finding the clothing that represented me, and I knew I couldn’t be the only one that felt that way. I started researching how to start a clothing line and quickly lined up a manufacturer that was willing to work with a new designer. I then received a small business loan from the Iowa Center to help get me started. If I’m being honest, I will admit that I had no idea what I was doing or what I was getting myself into when I started. I had no formal training in apparel design, but I knew that I was passionate about the problems I was trying to solve and willing to work hard, show up, be coachable, have a positive attitude - and all of these things require zero talent but play a large role in a startup company.   

After a year of hard work, I am so proud and in love with the first Lidgett summer line. I worked directly with a local artist, Jenna Brownlee, to add some her of stunning prints to the clothing that will appear in the summer collection. Jenna and I collaborated extensively on all of these prints and you won't find them anywhere else in the world. They are charming, exquisite, and one of a kind, just like the women that will be wearing them.

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