2024 in review
I remember sitting down this time last year to write my reflections on the year that passed. 2023 was tough, but I wrote, "if we keep our heads down and do everything we can to make it, next year will be better." Well... now that the year is making its way to the rearview mirror, I can honestly say 2024 was even tougher. Let's spill the tea.
2024 was a hard market to have a small business in. Folks aren't spending like they used to, it's hard to reach new potential customers, and the cost of living and doing business has been at an all time high. This compresses our already small margins, and is one of the big reasons 2024 saw so many slow fashion brands close. Because of this market shift, I had to make the most difficult decisions I've ever been faced with. I decided to forgo maternity leave and come back to downsize the business in my postpartum haze. We said painful goodbyes to valuable and beloved team members, swiftly moved to a more affordable office, gave up our warehouse lease, and cut all spending significantly. This gave Free Label a fighting chance, but it was incredibly emotional and difficult, and there were more than a few times that I wondered whether we should go on at all.
2024 was also plagued with weirdly bad luck. The first month we moved, our new fulfilment partners were robbed and $10,000 of Free Label inventory was stolen (we are still waiting to hear back from insurance...). Fedex also lost a box containing hundreds of pre-order Thompson Bras the day before they were meant to ship, forcing us to remake them as quickly as possible so we could make good on our pre-order promise. To be honest, most of the year it felt like we were drowning, and every time we fought to the surface for a gasp of air, we were pummelled under a wave again. But...
There were so many moments of pure joy. Our small team came together and refocused on what Free Label is and why we do this work. I had the immense privilege of navigating entrepreneurship while settling into parenthood. Renee crafted a fun community event called the Closet Reset Challenge to help others create a wardrobe they love. Tags and I went on a whirlwind trip to LA to find fabric for our Deadstock Collection. Tags also flew to Peru to learn about the knitwear industry for a future potential design. We gave away nearly $15k to BIPOC entrepreneurs through the Empowerful Incubator. We collaborated with other brands, made new friends, tried new things, and we even found those f*cking Thompson Bras. And most importantly... we survived.
But we aren't quite out of the woods yet. We need a fresh start, so we're clearing out our catalogue... It's time for our Archive Sale!
If you’re new-ish to the Free Label Community, you may have noticed we RARELY do promotions. In fact, our annual Archive Sale is our only true sale of the year. While most brands have the goal to move inventory as fast as possible and often accomplish this with constant discounting, we like to take the scenic route. We make a conscious effort to price our garments authentically without inflating to make room for discounts. Over the years, we set aside bits and bobs of inventory left over from various launches in order to build a large catalogue of fun historical garments to put on discount. Normally we launch our Archive Sale at the end of the year, but that means we work through the holidays. After a couple trying years, we are BURNT OUT. We are taking most of December off (yay!) which means we’re moving our Archive Sale up to this week!
This year's Archive Sale will be a little different. We want to thank you for sticking with us through the ups and downs the last few years. So for the first time ever, our email subscribers will get 24 HOURS OF EARLY ACCESS to the Archive Sale on November 28th. And then the sale will open up the public on November 29th.
Not on the list yet? JOIN HERE!