Sent to newsletter subscribers on 7/22/24

I moved to New York this summer with two missions. First, I'd intern at an environmental sustainability startup trying to revolutionize the fashion industry. 

Second, I was going to work on my sweater company. I was thrilled because I had the chance to learn from a founder with strong morals while living my dream of starting my own business.

I didn't realize that things were about to go south.

When I arrived in the city, my boss said they weren’t quite ready for me, but they’d get back to me soon. When I didn’t hear anything for 7 days, I started to get worried. 

Eventually, they reached out to set up a phone call. Anyone who’s ever been dumped knows that’s usually not a good sign, but I thought maybe they were just calling to schedule my summer of work.

They were not.

They had decided to terminate my internship, telling me they didn’t have enough projects or bandwidth to accommodate an intern. Just like that, the summer I’d looked forward to for the last 6 months had been thrown out the window.

I walked slowly back to my apartment and watched a flood of stylish young professionals walk past me in the opposite direction.

I had observed how well people dressed in New York, but in my low spirits, my awe transformed into a point of comparison. Even the blandly-dressed finance workers had shinier dress shoes than mine.

I suddenly felt unoriginal, unprofessional, and unfashionable in New York. 

In the month since my internship was terminated, I redesigned the website, started this newsletter, and I’ve spent each day crafting a brand image, networking, and searching for the ideal with factory to bring my dream product line – a collection of colorful sweaters – to life. I don’t know how I would’ve made any progress doing two things at once.

I have a wonderful mentor named Katlyn who owns a fashion company. We meet every Friday at our favorite coffee shop in Cambridge, and Katlyn teaches me how to run a brand. It’s my favorite part of the week. 

Recently, Katlyn taught me to make a “tech pack,” (pictured above) which is a document that supplements your sketches with important details like measurements, materials, and design specs so that factories know exactly how you want your piece to look and feel. 

It's an overwhelming process. 

For example, if you have the choice between 15 types of yarn, 3 collar styles, 5 degrees of stretch, 3 weaving techniques, and 6 ways to place your design, that’s 4,050 options before you even get to the color.  And there are a lot more than 15 types of yarn.

This week, I sent the spec for my next product off to my factory. The first sample is on its way. Over the next couple months, I’m going to refine it until the fit and feel are perfect.

So what's it going to look like?

This year, my art history professor showed a work by Matisse: Interior with Aubergines. I immediately took out my phone to take a picture.

What caught my eye was the floral wallpaper. The contrast of brilliant blue over gray made the flowers feel electric, adding circular movement to each petal as if Matisse was painting in real time. It’s happy but simple. 

Aubergines is one element in Matisse’s series of paintings trying to manifest the experience of idyllic joy, most overtly depicted in Le Bonheur de Vivre (The Joy of Life). 

Matisse seemed to derive joy from whimsical antics; famously, Matisse’s Harmony in Red (pictured below) was commissioned by a Russian collector whose only request was that the work be blue. Clearly, Matisse ignored the request.

Matisse's ingredients – simplicity, joy, and a dash of mischief, are exactly what I want to communicate with Commodore Scott. It’s part of the reason I’m using Aubergines to influence my next product, the Matisse Jacquard Sweater. 

Of all my sketches, this is the one I feel the most excited to wear in real life.  

I find most colorful menswear to be disgustingly maximalist, whereas this pattern is abstract but restrained. 

The sweater is designed for an autumn walk with your dog or a winter evening watching TV when the heater hasn’t kicked in yet. It’s a sweater that’s designed to be hugged and make you smile.

Thanks for sharing these few minutes with me and feel free to share the newsletter with your friends :).

By the next newsletter, the sample will have arrived!

Finn