For those of us up north it is time to tuck in our bikes for the winter and find a nice spot to work on our project bikes as we daydream about hopping on a plane south to enjoy some nice warm weather on two wheels…
Luckily I’m someone who loves winter and all the snow, so my motorcycle loving self will be doing all of the above, but at the same time I’ve already dusted off the old snow pony and all my snowboard gear as I’m itching to get out in the mountains to play in the fresh powder, if I can find some time for that :)
Remember all the times I’ve talked about how important back up plans are for a startup? And backup plans for backup plans? (I’ll give a free t-shirt to anyone who can count how many times I’ve said “backup plan” in our kickstarter updates)
So unfortunately, I have some bad news. Last week, the factory (the one we have invested the most time and money in during the development process) pulled out of the competition. Obviously this is really disappointing as we really liked them for their quality and the reputation their name carries, however the development process has been extremely slow and painful with weeks and sometimes months going by where they don’t answer our emails or phone calls. So, now that we’ve officially been rejected… it’s time to put all our effort into the backup plan!
I’m sure you remember this summer when we started working with an overseas backup option. We received two full samples from them in the beginning of October, the sewing quality was great but the fit was quite off. However, I was able to have an in-person meeting at their Toronto office at the end of October and believe we can get to the quality of riding gear that we expect for our Augusta & Adeline product from them!
In addition to that, we are working on more backup plans and still trying to find a North American manufacturer. One of our kickstarter supporters happens to be the founder of an amazing event in California, The Women’s Moto Market, and she has started reaching out to her contacts at other Women’s brands to see if she can connect us with any other American Manufacturers who will work with our products and small numbers!
At this stage we have our amazing patternmaker in Finland making all the updates to our original sewing patterns that we had gone through with Vanson over the last year and a half, and those patterns will get to the factory in a couple of weeks! Working with a larger factory who has dedicated sample makers means that our sample turnaround time will be much faster than it was with Vanson - who had to squeeze our samples in to the production floor when there was a break between larger production orders (hence waiting months for a sample).
I’m hopeful that the next samples from our overseas factory will look great after they receive our updated patterns, and in the meantime we are looking for any and all other North American Manufacturers. If you have any contacts or leads at all please pass them on to us, we’re not giving up and we’re still going to produce some amazing products that will blow you away when you get to put them on your body one day!
Most importantly, I really want to thank all of you! The kickstarter process has been a wild ride so far and although it was terrifying to launch a brand before the product was officially made, it has also been incredibly encouraging to know that we have the support of all of you as we go through the ups and downs! Knowing that all of you believe in our brand and see a place for it in the world has definitely kept me going when it feels like giving up would be a smart choice! Remembering you’re all there cheering for us keeps us all going and fuels some of my even bigger dreams for this brand and community!
So THANK YOU, for sticking with us, Thank you for believing in us and let’s plan a party this spring when our production is finally complete and it’s time to bring our bikes outside after their winter nap!
Other news and updates:
In the time it took for us to write about our experience at the Dream Roll, they have already put next year’s tickets on sale. We had an amazing time at the Dream Roll and would love to see you there in 2023. If you need some convincing to go, check out the blog by Molly and see why this is going to be the best weekend of your entire year.
We’re still growing!
We are a community at Augusta & Adeline and we love meeting new people who ride and growing our community - and on that topic we have a new friend in charge of our social media and she will be introducing herself soon so if you’re not following our Instagram or Facebook yet, click HERE to see the amazing work she’s been doing and meet the superstar behind the latest social media magic!
Please write me back here or at Brittany@augustaandadeline.com if you have any questions or concerns!
Best,
Brittany