THE NEXT SEASON
Group shot yesterday with some of our interns. Sophia, Zhao, myself, Gianna, Brianna.
Sophia and I are each wearing a top coming in at the next launch.
Sophia and I are each wearing a top coming in at the next launch.
A STRONG FINISH
The spring internships are coming to a close, and most students have completed their hours. It's been a lovely week of doing final shoots and having outings. My life has been enriched. I recently looked back at the hopes I had in August when I was fundraising for the office lease. I'll share more at the end, since it's a longer sentiment.
FOR THIS SUMMER
Just a few days left in the semester now, and the next chapter is approaching!
Three capable interns are staying with us. These ladies will do a lot of photo shoots and social media things. They say it doesn't feel like “work” because they love doing it so much, but still, they could have chosen something else to make more money and all. Yet, they are giving this a shot for the summer. I am filled with a lot of gratitude for them.
Because these ladies are so capable, I am going to focus on things I've always wanted to. I get the chance to focus on making Elegantees thrive. Part of this will be the connections we'll make in Nepal to see more rescued women find a place with us, leading fundraisers, and showing up as a CEO with more focus.
And of course our trip to Nepal is happening this summer!
SUPPORT UPDATE
We are blown away by your kindness to help get us to Nepal!
- We hosted a huge sale, and lots of orders came in! I haven't done the math yet, but it's covered our flights at least. Click here if you missed the sale.
- We just added a 'tip' option at checkout, and they are adding up. The tip is set to $0 by default, but you can edit it to be any amount. The tip is a one-click method to give extra on top of your order. All these tips will be used for the Nepal trip.
- If you'd like to make a donation instead of get new clothes, I'll share the link to do so: DONATE
INTERNSHIP SUMMARY
Even though I'm looking forward to a little more time alone, I'll miss all the interns at the office. These young adults are dear to me, and we'll stay connected.
A year ago, I was desiring this. My heart was/is for the younger generation in the fashion industry in New York City. Every day last Spring, I was thinking about how I'd love to train and mentor them. I knew this would need to be in an office because physical collaboration is better than electronic supervision. Because of the office, I could effectively train them in design, production, photography, and marketing.
It was personal for me. When I was in their shoes 20 years ago, I also dreamed of working in fashion, but much of the fashion industry conflicts with morals. I didn't have a mentor to walk me through the darkness, and sometimes I walked the wrong way.
For our interns, I tried my best to be a person who is supportive that they could talk to about anything. There wasn't deep conversations with everyone, but for sure the internship was empowering for all.
WILL I DO IT AGAIN?
I assumed that having all of them and their combined hours going into Elegantees would increase our success, opening up more job opportunities in Nepal. I didn't account for the fact that most interns were entry-level. My expectations could have been unrealistic.
I'm glad that financial success wasn't the top of my hopes, or it wouldn't have been enjoyable to try to force that. Thankfully, God reinforced into my heart that this is ministry more than a business.
With this practice round, I figured out a formula to actually increase revenue. I learned about how to delegate projects to them that can involve less supervision from me and also bear fruit for Elegantees. It wasn't until the weather started to get nicer out though! For most of April, interns were location scouting and being sent out in teams to do shoots. It was fun for everyone, and I wasn't overwhelmed anymore.
Around here, the weather is lovely at the start of the Fall semester for outdoor shoots, and it is warm enough through the end of it in early December. I'd love to have Fall 2026 interns and copy the same format we had in April. They could even shoot things for next Spring way ahead of the game! Knowing that the winter is a bit rough though, I would probably skip taking on interns for Spring 2027.
I have until August to decide to renew the lease on the office or not. If we don't do the Spring semester next year, we'd only need the loft until the end of this year. I'll likely ask for the option to go month-to-month to make the most of the fall semester.
Thankful, Katie
Link to: DONATE
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