One of our core values at SEPTEMBER is trust and trust requires transparency. We perceive our customers and online community as our friends, and between friends, there can hardly ever be any secrets.
So, dear friend, we’re sharing with you a few challenges we faced over the past 2021 year and letting you in on some things to look forward to in 2022. We’re taking you behind the scenes of our brand so we can both grow and evolve together.
The challenges we faced and how we overcame them.
Life is full of highs and lows, without the lows, there would not be any highs.
Our founder goes full circle.
Our founder, Erika was nomadic for much of 2021, making it challenging to run a full-time business. Due to unplanned (but very positive) events, Erika and her partner left Bali with the intention of moving to Costa Rica. However, as life tends to go, reality doesn't always equal expectations. After 8 months of the unknown and trying to 'find a new home and HQ' she realized the answer had never changed - it's always been Bali! Back to her original lifestyle of splitting time between New York and Bali, she's finally feeling grounded after the wild last two years.
Riding the seasonal highs and lows.
SEPTEMBER experienced such great sales and exposure during the Spring/Summertime in 2021. Coming out of a tough 2020, sales and customer growth were exponential...until they were not. As with most seasonal products, as soon as the month of September hit (no pun intended) with it came a significant drop in sales and engagement. Understandably so, people are thinking of all things warm and cozy and not their next swimsuit purchase. We talk about the highs and lows of being a female small business owner, but this has to be one of the hardest, when all the negative thoughts take a heavy toll on our mental health. But picking ourselves up from our boot-straps and not one to wallow too long in our self-doubt, we are making some big changes regarding how we care for ourselves personally, mentally, and professionally. Exciting things happening in 2022!
It takes a whole team to design our swimwear.
We can’t take all the credit ourselves. We source our sustainable fabric from Italy and work very closely with a female-owned and majority-operated factory in Bali to produce SEPTEMBER suits. As with most businesses, large and small, we were greatly affected by the infamous SUPPLY CHAIN CRISIS. AGH! This year we dealt with long delays in fabric deliveries, therefore leaving us unable to restock some of your favorite products. We’ve made sure to account for these delays going forward and fingers crossed we're back to smooth sailing in 2022.
We are SEPTEMBER 2022.
SEPTEMBER believes life is full of endless possibilities and opportunities, we have so much we want to achieve!
Some things to look forward to in 2022
We’re heading in the direction of being more than just a surf and swimwear brand. We want SEPTEMBER to be part of your everyday active lifestyle. The friend you're excited to take with you on every new adventure.
Thank you for letting us share this with you.
X Erika + SEPTEMBER
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