My friends and I have a tradition that we’ve built together. Every year around the end of December, we all sit down at our favorite brunch spot and pick our own word that will help guide us in the year to come.
My word for 2022 was “renewal”. As the pandemic wound down, I was looking to move forward, refreshed and newly energized.
Life can be beautiful, and life can be hard. Some people’s lives are more difficult than other people’s. Overall, my life has been incredibly blessed. But, as someone once said, the most difficult thing that has happened to you is the most difficult thing that has happened to you. Well, 2022 was, so far, my hardest year of life. But I do think that “renewal” was an apt word for my year. Between fertility struggles, an uncertain but eventually positive job change for my husband, a new puppy, a family health scare, and an ever-evolving business, my year was full of transformation and change. I believe I am entering into 2023 as a stronger person, but also a person more aware of both how exquisite and how painful life can sometimes be.
The shining light through 2022 was Pamut, our customers, and our employees. It was a joy coming into work every day to the humming of sewing machines, the hiss of the iron, the sound of order confirmations printing (which inevitably meant the barking of my puppy, as she evolved to hate the printer… or loved to bark at the printer, I’m not sure which one). The business, along with a spontaneous hiking trip to Scotland in Summer, kept me going through the year. I’m relieved to say that I’m in a much better mental state at the moment! I’m so proud of what we accomplished in 2022. Revenue was up 15%, and our overall profit was up 18%. I give all credit for our increased profits to Mackenzie, who is the speediest sewer I’ve ever seen! In 2022, we designed a very fitting 22 new styles. We began sourcing beautiful handwoven fabrics from India. We went back to popups again. We more than tripled our wholesale volume. And, in my opinion, we kept our quality and customer service tip-top! During a year of a shrinking economy, I consider this a huge success.
Here is my word for 2023: Accept.
Accept the good, accept the bad. Accept what I can’t change and change what I can. Accept that this world is messy and I’m just trying my best! With an uncertain economic environment, an unclear journey to try and grow my family, and some questions about next steps for Pamut that I may disclose soon, I’m setting realistic goals for 2023. Our 2023 financial goal is to maintain our current profits and revenue while continuing to increase pay for our employees. With the rising costs of fabrics, supplies, and shipping, it’s likely that we’ll be increasing some of our prices or shipping rates marginally. However, we’ll give plenty of advance notice if this is the case.
While we’ll be playing it safe financially in 2023, we’re looking at some really exciting concepts and designs for the new year. Nothing boring coming out of this studio! The next few weeks are all about big ideas, as we entertain options like a home goods line, outsourcing some of our manufacturing, more elevated fabrics (washable silk, anyone?!) and, of course, the upcoming SS23 collection. We’re listening closely to feedback from all of you, both on Instagram and through email correspondence. We’d love to hear about some things you’d be excited for us to make, so please do reach out!
From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you for your loyalty to Pamut. Mackenzie, Anne and I are so grateful that you’re sticking around.
Wishing you the very best 2023,
-Kat + The Pamut Team
