Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mikelison Womack. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Mikelison , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?
I am happier as a business owner! My main reason for starting my fashion brand (Dumé) and my Non-profit (The Earth’s Tomorrow Foundation) is that I don’t like being told what to do. Not only this, but I found myself having to build my opportunities as my endeavors are very niche. I don’t think about having a regular because I decided to keep my 9 AM -5 PM while taking charge of my endeavors. Starting a business and maintaining one, especially as a start-up, can be expensive, and the start-up capital has to come from somewhere. As you know, money doesn’t just grow on trees. Money is a resource that makes things shake, and using my 9-5 to support my business financially helps it expand and grow.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My start in the fashion industry started with me wanting to expand my non-profit curriculum at the Earth’s Tomorrow Foundation from just environmental science topics such as water conservation, greenhouses, and pollution to also taking an interest in sustainable fashion initiatives. The Earth’s Tomorrow Foundation caters to K-12 students becoming more environmentally conscious through hands-on sustainability projects. The sustainable fashion curriculum covers using old textiles and garments to create new garmets and bags, and it looks into different initiatives that can be done on the corporate side to create a more sustainable industry. From this curriculum, we partnered with organizations such as Goodwill to help host sustainable fashion shows to disrupt consumer behavior and show that old clothes and deadstock fabrics can be used to fit everyday trends. The ultimate goal of The Earth’s Tomorrow Foundation is to bring environmental education to students for free to help shift consumer behavior and to get sustainability embedded in the minds of our youth to create a healthier environment for the future as we seek to fight against the current climate crisis.
Moreover, through hosting fashion shows, I fell in love with the design process that went into preparing for these shows we would host in May every year. With this, I started learning how to sew more and more seriously and started designing with the perspective of the earth and natural processes in mind. After years of learning more about designing and honing in on what I wanted my voice and perspective to be in the fashion industry as a designer, I finally landed on Dumé. Dumé is a sustainable fashion brand that prides itself on artistry in design and sustainability in practice. Dumé is the middle name that my father gave me: Swahili for Bull. We want to be like a bull in the Chinese shop when disrupting the fashion industry by embedding sustainability in our DNA rather than a second thought. This means we ultimately work with the community and the environment to create a positive impact. We are very proud to have launched our first collection on February 1st, 2025. this collection sought to reimagin traditional office wear by reimagining old garments and utilizing deadstock fabrics. We recently had the opportunity to do our first custom piece for a music artist for their live performances, which not only means our custom look is currently being worn on his tour but has also been featured on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
A time I had to pivot was when I was first starting my nonprofit, the Earths Tomorrow Foundation (ETF). My original goal was to go into public schools and teach K-12 curricula, which I built centered around environmental education and practical ways to implement sustainability into students’ lives. However, I hit a roadblock when pitching to public schools because of the political climate surrounding climate change and sustainability. Not only this, but the Department of Education curates curricula for K-12, making it a bit harder to bring in the outside curriculum. We overcame this challenge by changing the stakeholders we were engaging. Instead of Public schools, we focused on local learning centers, libraries, and community centers, which bared more fruit and allowed ETF to grow.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
What helped build my reputation in the nonprofit world and the fashion industry came from my education, my ability to network, and my ability to put my best foot forward at my places of employment. My Bachelor’s (B.A. in Environmental and Urban Studies) from Bard College and a Master’s (MPA for Environmental Science and Policy) from Columbia University allowed me to establish my credibility in my fields. Education is a powerful tool that helped me become a thought leader! Furthermore, I learned that networking can be just as important as receiving a degree or two because, more often than not, it’s about who you know rather than what you know. However, possessing the talent and ability to deliver above and beyond is essential as it takes being amongst the best for companies and organizations to utilize or partner with my brands and organizations. My credibility has been built off my hard work and resilience, propelling me forward in my career.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dumethebrand.com/
- Instagram: @Dumethebrand
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikelisonwomack
Image Credits
Picture Credits: IG @viewsfrom.mik3