The Journey To Molly: How The F*** Did My Manufacturers Go Out Of Business?!!

Talk about pulling the rug from underneath you.

As if things weren't already all over the place, losing my trusted partners—people I'd built a great working relationship with—was the last thing I'd expected.

You'd think they'd go about it in a professional and honourable manner, right? But nooo. I had to find out through someone that I had put in business with them!
Crazyyyy. 

It completely disoriented me because this was happening around the same time I was battling with the decision to move out of my studio or stay, and pulling my products out of showrooms to cut down on monthly costs, so it felt like I just couldn’t catch a break!

Because I was already dealing with so many emotions—concerning the alarming amount of money I had exhausted, and the harsh reality of moving out from my studio—I became completely avoidant about my creativity. I ignored the idea of producing new designs altogether because I hated that feeling. Like my own passion had packed up and left...
Every time I thought about designing again, it felt like trying to start a fire in the rain.

To be fair, I would randomly do my research for new suppliers here and there.
A few stuck out to me. But honestly? I just wasn’t motivated enough to take on a whole new journey and start all over again. I was scarred.

During this time, I found manufacturers who produce for some of the biggest names you can think of—brands that dominate the footwear industry—and I quietly kept those notes tucked away.
I'd randomly visit their websites to see what they were up to, peep the brand sites to check out their footwear lines, and quietly envision how well these new manufacturers could execute my designs.

Well... long story short, I finally reached out to them this year.
I figured it’s time. Time to move forward, time to stop holding myself back.
At the very least, finish off The GR Collection the way I intended to in the first place—as a 6-piece collection.

Funny enough, now that I really think about it, The GR Collection—aka The Gemini Rebirth Collection—was always meant to be symbolic.
It represents my biggest chapter of growth as an individual, and a reflection of my "star sign" and the duality it’s known for. (Not that I’m into astrology like that, but you know—Gemini is the twin sign.)
I found the title fitting because my style really is dual: either sweet and soft, or edgy and bad-ass.

And now, it’s funny... because the first half of this collection was produced by a factory that taught me so much about the workings of this industry, and about myself along the way.
And the second half is about to be completed by a factory that’s way more established, way more connected.
Another little nod to this concept of duality.

Maybe I'm thinking too deep.
Or maybe that’s the beauty of this journey—the deeper I go, the more layers I find in myself. Layers that prove it’s possible to exist in a world where I "fail" and still win.


Until next time,
Molly