In The Beginning
Au Debut
Author: Kesi Gibson | Date: March 1, 2020
Category: Sustainable Fashion
In building my fashion company, KYU BY KESI, I came across a large cross-section of other fashion entrepreneurs all struggling in some way with manufacturing, supply chain logistics and various aspects of the creative process. On a consultative basis, I started solving some problems for a few. In time, I realized that through my experience and infrastructure investments, I could solve more problems for many.
My interest in fashion goes far beyond just designing clothes and accessories. In fact, the purpose of the Club Debut platform is to help shape the future of fashion, specifically as it relates to ethical manufacturing, workforce development and the establishment of sustainable economic infrastructures for artisans and other creative professionals in the sustainable fashion value chain. It has been a long journey to get here. As we enter the next chapter, we invite you to get to know us. Our business model is underpinned by strategic partnerships, appropriate investments, and continued focus on people, purpose, product, process, and profit. We are R&D driven and currently working on intellectual property to address supply chain transparency, customer education, and engagement.
As a solo founder and entrepreneur building a global business, I have come to deeply value the opportunities that have allowed me to connect with like-minded individuals. It has been especially gratifying to collaborate creatively on projects, and have the end-to-end ecosystem to actualize project goals. The most rewarding part has been to see how each of us become better, somehow, from our collective experience. The inspiration for Club Debut came to me in a very roundabout way, and I want to be honest about this. For every wonderful experience I reflect on, I also have a list of unseemly, devastating experiences to match. It is against this backdrop that Club Debut’s ecosystem was designed.
We work exclusively with fashion entrepreneurs who desire to create social impact by adhering to socially responsible practices. Our platform provides the opportunity for inclusive collaboration – which generates business activities and social innovation. It opens up channels to inspire, mentor and connect creative professionals from every walk of life. More importantly, it provides a place for independent creatives to reach each other and their audiences in compelling ways through both digital and physical channels including online retail, and global experiential events. By focusing on the aforementioned we are able to create a financially resilient and sustainable creative ecosystem with the right mix of tools, features, and talent.
My goal is that as our platform evolves, we are able to offer another perspective on sustainable fashion and the role of the creative professional. Even before the global health crisis, digital media and creative campaigns have been driving brand visibility and connection to consumers. Yet the economic stability and well being of creative professionals have not followed, for the most part. In fact, in the US, creative professionals have the highest rate of suicide for women and second-highest for men, compared to all professions, with continued year over year increases. Especially in these unprecedented times, we are thrilled to be in a position to offer hope and to help create possibilities for our members. Uncertainty notwithstanding, we remain grateful to still be in a position to support the next generation of designers and creative professionals, to whom we have given our unwavering commitment.
If you would like to learn more about Club Debut please do not hesitate to reach out to us. If you are a family office, foundation, angel investor, with an interest in investing in the creative industries please email us.
hello@clubdebut.com
#AuDebut