Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Anna Cleveland. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Anna, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

I was able to land an internship in the Netherlands where I got to work alongside artisans and designers focused on sustainability. While there, I asked them about their background, schooling, and got their advice on what has helped them get to where they are today. It was incredibly inspiring to see these people supporting themselves and often their families as well with what’s widely considered an unstable career. Working in the arts is no joke. As I got to know these people, each one advised in their own way that the best business practices are learned as you go–you don’t have to know everything before starting.

As my husband and I have started our own clothing company, we’ve adopted this same philosophy of treating everything as a learning experience. This can be so difficult–especially when we are bootstrapping and funding everything ourselves as two young, newly-married college kids. But there is something so fulfilling about figuring out a process from start to finish. We’ve cold emailed manufactures, created designs, launched a website and social media, gone through dozens of rounds of sampling and revising, “fired” manufacturers, learned SEO practices, and so much more just because we’ve wanted to stretch ourselves. I can’t say we are the epitome of success quite yet, but I have been so humbled to learn everything that goes into small businesses centered on environmental sustainability and ethical practices. We are still learning things everyday and know that this whole process is meant to be a marathon, not a sprint.

Anna, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hi, we are Anna and Cole Lutkin, a young couple from Salt Lake City, Utah. We have been interested in fashion our whole lives, but found that this shared interest of ours peaked as we began dating and sharing a wardrobe more and more. We love the world of upcycling, thrifting, renewable textiles, and sustainable engineering, and we wanted to incorporate this into a clothing brand as the fashion industry remains one of the most polluting industries in the world.

Our goal is to make sustainable clothing pieces made from natural materials by workers who are paid fair, living wages. Sounds reasonable enough, right? Interestingly enough, this is not the norm in today’s world obsessed with trends, fast fashion, synthetic fibers, and international labor exploitation. Although our efforts are small compared to larger corporations, we are proud to support small artisans throughout the world who work to maintain the lost art of of creating pieces by hand. By supporting “slow” fashion, we believe we are creating a chance to appreciate and nurture our surroundings while bringing new life into existence.

We started Tea Time as a way to build community. The name “Tea Time” refers to a British slang for dinner, where family and friends gather together to socialize and share their time with one another. We hope to create a space where anyone feels welcome as we all have unique contributions to offer.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

We have worked to showcase our process of what needs to get done when creating a clothing line on our social media. This has given us a chance to get feedback in real time, which has made all the difference for our creation process. Our clothing takes around 6-12 months from start to finish, and while we have only been in business for just around 9 months, we have been able to build a brand image for ourselves online to connect with new customers. As far as advice goes, I would say to post the things that feel true to you, not just what’s trending. I would also recommend video content! People regularly active online are really just looking for human connection. Videos are a great way to hear someone’s voice, see a product’s scale, and overall get to know someone and their brand in a way photos can’t always capture.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

We host in-person events, and post regularly to our social media! It’s a great way to get face-to-face contact with people we want to meet. We have been lucky enough to meet so many friends who are in this space of figuring out how to start a business at a young age and try to collaborate with them to expand our audience.

Currently, we are working on getting more community photos of people wearing our pieces from our first launch. We want people to be able to see themselves in our brand. Our pieces are meant to be for everyday, not just for special occasions! We’re excited to get more content to share in the coming months of Tea Time products being worn around the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://shopteatime.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/shoptea.time

Image Credits

Sophia Valentino Photo