"Sustainability." 

It's quite the buzzword within the fashion space. And it should be.

Fashion history has been riddled with bleak stories of abuse and waste. Wise work hours, healthy workspaces, and production methods that don't destroy the environment are all crucial shifts needed in the fashion climate.

However, when building the Kait & Crowne business model, we wanted to add an often-overlooked element - sustainability that honors the complexity of womanhood and motherhood. Why?

All of our team members are women.

Most are mothers of incredibly young children and are in peak child-bearing years. In our tight economy, they are often torn between needing to work part time, having to take time off due to challenging pregnancies (often reducing chances of being hired at all), and desiring to be home full time with their families. Ideal family-work-life balance is not achievable for many.

It's why we wanted to build a business model designed to complement the complexities of motherhood.

How We Approach Sustainability

Sustainable for Homemaking

First, we work independently out of our own houses and not a central office. Kitchen tables, beds turned into cutting spaces, and spare rooms are where our creations come to life. Most of our team members are business owners with whom we contract. We meet deadlines but organize project completion around our own schedules and not a clock. Patternmaking, testing, designing, and tailoring are all completed in tandem with home management. This enables us greater flexibility to serve the people and spaces to which we have been called - whether we are single, married, or parenting. Not only does each woman contribute meaningfully to Kait & Crowne, but we in turn have the privilege of supporting their business dreams. 

Sustainable for Motherhood

We have a large enough team to navigate production, even if multiple women are on leave due to difficult pregnancies (we've had up to half our team expectant and almost the other half having just delivered babies at one time - it was certainly a wild ride!). Even so, many projects can still be completed in small steps from home, even with pregnancy illness. Employment is not conditional upon the ability to work part time. Admittedly, running a business is much more difficult using this approach, but we firmly believe it is worth the challenge.

Sustainable for Production

Waste in fashion is a reality. Over-consumption, over-production, and over-spending characterize much of the clothing landscape. After considering many methods, we decided Kait & Crowne would utilize the "made-to-order" model. Namely, only garments that are wanted are created. 

Sustainable for Size Inclusivity

Spending less money on inventory gives us more financial flexibility to develop a wider size range. Since each woman's curves are created differently, size and body inclusivity are important for our brand! We may not be able to offer the low prices of mass production, but we think the personal touch of hand-tailoring and customization cannot be matched. Every woman is a unique human being, and we love to honor that reality.

The Elephant in the Room

Naturally, in any conversation celebrating womanhood in terms of motherhood and homemaking, a concern understandably arises:

By building such a specific business model, are we claiming that a woman's primary purpose is for childbearing and homemaking?

The answer is unequivocally no.

In fact, our desire at Kait & Crowne is to celebrate the beauty of women as whole human beings, not as objects to produce, be contained, or be consumed.

However, we believe that in general, women are more naturally designed to be nurturers. One of the most common places for this strength to be expressed is within her home and local community. And in our broken world, nurturing in the home to foster honor, integrity, and goodness could not be more vital. It is something at Kait & Crowne we cherish.

Naturally, this strength can be exercised in a myriad of spaces, from corporate offices to university classrooms to local charities. Yet, there are reasons why conversations around workplace "masculine energy" and "feminine energy" are on the rise. Health and nutrition spaces have increased chatter related to female hormonal rhythms, how they differ from masculine hormonal rhythms, and the effect they have on work life.

They are realities with which each of the women on our team have grappled personally. Specifically:

- The hormonal health battles and overwork, done out of fear of layoff, that resulted in emergency hospitalization 

- The doctor's warning that continued work stress might result in the inability to have children

- The hesitation to mention pregnancy during a job interview for fear of not being hired

- The internal struggle over how to care for a new baby, heal from the trauma of delivery, and find a part time job to pay the bills

It's why we chose to build Kait & Crowne differently.

Healthy womanhood and the ability to nurture within the home are of profound importance. For ourselves. For our families. And for our culture. We believe it is worthy of honor, including how we do business.