GENETIC THREADS

Tell us a little bit about the gals behind the business?

We are a mother-daughter duo who loves to spend time together, so building a small business seemed like the perfect adventure. Genetic Threads is about as family-owned and operated as you can get we involve our family in all aspects of the business from creating our market displays to helping us choose colour combinations for our creations.
 
Genetic Threads was created when we found out a close family friend was expecting a baby. I suggested that with mom’s years of sewing experience and her sewing talent, we should try to make an outfit for the new baby. Making the outfit together gave us such joy we knew we wanted to make more. We then set out to find unique, quality, and Canadian fabric suppliers to create simple, versatile, and affordable baby clothing. Now mom takes care of the sewing and I manage our social media platforms, website and prep the material for sewing.

What is your creative process?

A lot of the time we draw on past clothing that we had as children or things we like to wear now as adults and try to mimic that in children’s clothing. Our brand is not focused on fast fashion or trendy items; instead, we prioritize making sustainable choices by selecting high-quality fabrics, creating unique clothing designs and choosing staple colours that can easily transition from one season to the next or from child to child. We always say, if it’s not something we would wear (or would have worn as children), we don’t want to sell it.

If you could tell anyone starting out in business the best piece of business advice, what would you share?

Not everything is going to be a hit, but keep trying. There’s nothing more satisfying than looking back at what you used to sell and seeing how far you’ve come. Find a way to make yourselves unique and connect with your customers; tell your story – no one else has the same one, and your customers will connect with that. Above all else, have fun with it! Try not to take it too seriously; there will always be someone else doing something similar, or someone who doesn’t like your product or says your prices are too high. But if you believe in your business and products and you stand behind them, your customers will see and respect that, and they will patronize you.

"Find a way to make yourselves unique and connect with your customers; tell your story – no one else has the same one, and your customers will connect with that."

How do you deal with creative burnout? 

Creative burnout luckily hits mom and I at different times (usually), allowing us to support each other when we run out of ideas. Surprisingly, some of our best hits and cutest combinations/designs emerge out of these creative burnout moments. It can be daunting to face the mountain of material, or the calendar full of commitments, wondering how we’ll manage to create unique items year after year. However, we help keep each other grounded and motivated, taking it one item at a time. One of the benefits of the collaboration is that Mom and I have different styles, which encourages us to step out of our comfort zones and try new things and combinations. This exchange of ideas often sparks new inspiration, leading to the creation of great products. Working together as a team, supporting and challenging each other, has been instrumental in our ability to navigate the challenges and maintain a fresh and innovative approach to our business. 

How do you tackle the busiest time in order to meet demand?

We prepare early for these busy times by starting preparation months in advance. For the spring and summer items we begin cutting the material as early as January and continue through spring and summer. This allows us to seamlessly integrate the cutting and sewing of these new items into our regular workflow during the busy times. Similarly, we start preparing for the Christmas markets as early as July. By ordering material well in advance we ensure we have everything we need to meet the high demand. We cut the materials ahead of time allowing us to focus on sewing when we have extra time in the summer. To manage the increased workload during these peak seasons we make adjustments to our custom orders. During the summer months we either close custom orders temporarily or extend turnaround times. This enables us to dedicate more time and attention to preparing for the fall and Christmas rush. Our early preparation ensures that we can deliver the same level of quality and service to our customers during these busy times of the year and continue to provide the unique and handcrafted items they’ve come to love.
 

August 27, 2023

Genetic Threads officially began in the spring of 2021, but it really took off that fall when we had our first in-person market. We make handmade, affordable and quality baby and toddler clothing. Our clothing is made to last, giving our customers more time with the products they purchase. Our target audience includes anyone with a baby in their lives. When we started the business we wanted to ensure our clothing was affordable. We aimed to make sure that new moms and dads, grandparents, aunts, uncles and everyone in-between would be able to purchase an item of clothing for the new little one in their life without breaking the bank.

How long does it take to make each piece by hand? and what is your favourite material to work with?

Each item varies in production time depending on the complexity of the design. Typically, each piece takes between 15-45 minutes to sew and roughly 10-15 minutes to cut. The time can vary significantly, with some items taking less time and other requiring more meticulous work, resulting in longer production hours. Our favourite material to work with is Luxe French Terry. The fabric is buttery soft and versatile, making it suitable for almost every clothing item we sell.