Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Carol Miltimore. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Carol, thanks for joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.
I built Seek Collective by setting up a supply chain that went completely against the industry norm. It has made things at times a lot harder, more expensive, and more time consuming but ultimately I feel it’s worth it. When it comes to the fashion/apparel industry designers are either passing off their desires to a factory who sources everything for them and/or they are purchasing fabric from a mill, which usually has large minimums. This means there is a huge disconnect between how and where the textiles are actually being made with the designer. The industry places a lot of focus on where clothing is stitched but when it comes to sustainability, it is the textile manufacturing that causes the most damage to our planet. Lastly, big factories and manufacturing units are often set up in a large polluted urban area and many workers are forced to leave their homes and family to find work there. For Seek Collective, I work directly with the weavers, printers, dyers, and stitchers. I’ve been able to vet each group myself to make sure they are not only being responsible when it comes to their employees but also to the environment. It also means I’m able to be extremely transparent with how each Seek Collective piece is created. From the start I wanted to find the people doing extraordinary work and bring the work to them. This then supports an entire community. I make a point of not working with groups located in places that have such bad pollution that the locals health are affected. It matters to me a great deal that each person along the entire supply chain for Seek Collective is valued and considered in this way.
Carol, 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?
I have to admit that I am one of those more strange rare people who knew exactly what they wanted to do since childhood and was laser focused on it. I loved art, textiles and fashion design since I was young and that lead me to graduating from Parsons School of Design. Through the years of working as a designer for larger and more corporate companies I continued my education with textile courses as well as traveled the world where I was able to meet with inspiring artisan communities. The more I became aware of how exploitive and polluting the fashion industry has historically been (and continues to be) I became aware that if I were to stay in this industry I would need to do things differently. Ultimately I ended up in India with a one way ticket for an artist residency and I spent many months after the residency visiting with natural dyers, historic handloom weaving communities, and hand block printers all over the country. It’s now been eleven years since that journey where the seeds were planted for Seek Collective. I’m incredibly proud of how authentically sustainable, responsible, transparent, and slow my business is.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
I think funding a business is incredibly difficult, not in the getting started part but in the keeping it going part. At one point I started down the road to get investment. The lead investor who was in charge of the fundraising was problematic and said things to me such as “If I get this person on board then you owe me a kiss.” His behavior worsened as time went on so in the end I walked away from all of that money and that person. Around that same time I found someone to serve as a financial and business advisor and he helped me figure out business loans to help keep the business moving forward. I now am happy that I never took on big investors.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
I’m actually in the midst of a big pivot for the business. It’s no surprise that the last few years have been tough on small businesses and by the start of this year I was feeling uncertain about how to move forward. Around this same time I began consulting again for other businesses. One dear friend of mine helped encourage me to take on consulting work and another good friend opened my eyes to how I could shift the business to make it more manageable. So this is the last year Seek Collective will operate as a ready-to-wear brand focusing on womenswear that is somewhat seasonal. At some point in 2024 the business will evolve into smaller and more sporadic unisex luxury loungewear capsules as well as art pieces. This will allow me to maintain my production partnerships that mean so much to me as well as take on even more consulting work. I’m looking forward to see what the future holds for Seek Collective.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.seekcollective.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seekcollective/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carol-miltimore-0b190b20/
- Other: carolmiltimore.com https://wearemovingininfinitespace.substack.com/
Image Credits
Carol Miltimore and Naomi Phan-Quang