Custom couture: Island couple builds clothing business
'Women are super-excited to have these options in front of them'
Island women don't have to travel to Milan or New York to treat themselves to made-to-measure fashions — they can buy them right here at home, from a couple who's been quietly crafting custom clothing in their Summerside, P.E.I., home studio for years.
Amanda Dawe, 42, and Emily McBride, 39, want women to be comfortable while still looking professional and fashionable, the mantra behind Ureshii Designs — pronounced oo-RESH-ee — which means "I am glad" in Japanese, McBride said.
"I've been obsessed with making clothes since five years old," McBride confessed.
People love it. They didn't know we were here. We were very under the radar.— Amanda Dawe, Ureshii
McBride began Ureshii in B.C. about eight years ago, selling her clothes in a local boutique as a ready-made, off-the-rack retail line with traditional sizing.
She met Dawe, a single mother with three children, and the two became partners in life.
"Combined, we were working 5 part-time jobs," McBride shared. Eager to work for themselves, the two joined forces and also became partners in growing Ureshii, offering custom designs.
'Excellent timing'
At the same time, the online craft marketplace Etsy was born, and Ureshii flourished there.
"It was excellent timing," McBride said. "Etsy was just taking off and it was still relatively small. If you had a business on Etsy, you got quite good exposure, especially if you were in clothing."
Ureshii offers a line of clothing designs — tops, skirts, dresses, slacks and even bathing suits and underwear — that can be sewn to fit, featuring pretty colours and feminine designs in natural, stretchy fabrics including bamboo jersey.
It combines the comfort of lounge wear with designs that still look professional, noting many of their clients are teachers, librarians and administrators.
'Decided to swap coastlines'
The two moved to P.E.I. in 2012 for personal reasons.
"We wanted to make a big change for our family and we didn't want to give up the ocean," shared Dawe. "We decided to swap coastlines!"
They were delighted at the relatively inexpensive real estate on P.E.I. and found a century home in Summerside, where their children can walk to school.
"We never thought that we could ever own anything out there, it was always about renting," Dawe said.
'There isn't this huge risk'
Ureshii now creates and mails about 1,500 custom garments a year and caters mostly to U.S. customers, who make up 80 per cent of their orders.
A business doesn't have to be groundbreaking and make million dollars to be a business that's worthwhile.— Emily McBride, Ureshii
McBride herself does all the modelling and photography for the website, which keeps overhead low.
"The reason our business works is we make to order," explains Dawe. "We don't carry stock, we don't make something unless we've already been paid. So there isn't this huge risk."
A dress from Ureshii typically costs $120 to $150 and takes two weeks to make.
Direct marketing
Canada Post repeatedly threatened a strike this summer and fall, and even though it did not materialize it threw a pall over Ureshii's mail-order business.
"It was a rough summer," admited Dawe. But, she added, "It was a push in the right direction."
A month ago, they set up a booth and began selling some ready-made designs at the Summerside Farmers' Market, and say it's been a success.
"People love it," said Dawe. "They didn't know we were here. We were very under the radar."
Now, the two self-professed introverts talk to customers face to face and get instant feedback.
"We're learning a lot about local style preferences," Dawe said.
Meeting women and talking to them about their bodies and how they want to dress can be tricky but rewarding, Dawe said.
"Women are super-excited to have these options in front of them," Dawe said, and excited to have direct contact with someone who makes clothing.
Making a living
The two aren't sure what they want to happen with the business in the future, they said, often debating whether they should take on employees or a bigger studio space.
They say they work seven days a week, but are happy to have been able to create a stable home and happily raise their kids, now 16, 17 and 18.
"A business doesn't have to be groundbreaking and make million dollars to be a business that's worthwhile," concluded McBride. "We needed the business to be better than five part-time jobs put together, and we did that."
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