Crafting Connection: Community Impact Through Apparel Design
During the pandemic, Mara Ezekiel and I took a chance on ourselves. Being two entrepreneurial designers, we experimented with the idea of creating a brand of our own. How would we approach product development, production, marketing, and apparel design if it was all up to us? We were energized by finding out, building connections, and growing our brand in San Francisco.
We operated Turkey & Reuben from 2021-2022. In a time of deep isolation, we forged lasting community connections with local organizations and found mutually beneficial partnerships that would serve their philanthropic efforts and grow our brand. Our hats, bags, sweatshirts, art prints, postcards, and sticker collections surprised and delighted hundreds of customers both online and in-person at craft markets. We found much so fulfillment in designing a world of our own creation.
Role
Being a business co-owner means doing a little bit of everything. My main areas of responsibility were:
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UX/UI designer for online shop, website, and e-mail
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Head of operations & inventory management
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Bookkeeping and financial management
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Product development of new apparel
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Sales planning and scheduling craft fairs
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Content creation and social media campaigns
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Supporting Mara in partnership development and community outreach
Impact
After one year of operations, we had:
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Produced and sold 650+ custom design hats
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Donated over $700 to 5 different organizations
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Partnered with 4 businesses and local organizations
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Shipped to over 6 countries
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Sold at over 10 pop-ups and markets
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Retailed at Green Apple Books' brick and mortar store
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Learned a lot about running a small buisness
Pet portrait hats: our bread and butter
The brand is best known for our flagship product – custom pet portrait hats. Our customers loved memorializing pets (especially dogs but also cats & rabbits) on hats of all colors and styles.
Why? They're cute. They're functional. They make great gifts.
Mara illustrated the pets from photographs sent in with the order.
At-home batch production
We produced all our products in our home studio using Cricut machines and heat-transfer materials. This manual process was perfect for our small-batch operation and allowed us to create 1 of 1 products at a reasonable cost.
In-home production also enabled fast prototyping and experimentation for new products as we developed and iterated on designs.
We controlled the entire process from design to delivery.
Shipping to all corners of the world
Through online sales and word of mouth, Turkey & Reuben orders came in from unexpected places. We sold to customers all over the world, fulfilling orders as far as Singapore.
E-commerce as our primary sales channel
We started the brand in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic which meant that most sales, like everything else, took place online. The online shop was specifically designed and built to accommodate custom ordering, product reviews, browsing, checkout, and payment for all orders that we needed to fulfill.
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Over 250 product SKUs available on our website
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Over 3,200 unique visitors
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Visitors from 37 countries
Refining the brand through direct customer feedback at market pop-ups
Our strategy to hone in on the right product-market fit was through in-person sales at local craft markets in San Francisco. Seeing people's reactions and enthusiasm fueled our innovation of the products, designs, pricing, and messaging.
We sold regularly at the Inner Sunset Flea Market, Outer Sunset Farmer's Market, in store pop-ups in The Mission, and independent sales. By showing up consistently, we grew our local footprint in the indie apparel scene.
Setting up our booth at a Valencia Street pop-up
Design for good: community fundraising for local organizations
Donations of sale proceeds and strategic partnerships was at the backbone of our business plan. We fostered close relationships with organizations that focused on historic preservation of the Sunset neighborhoods, park cleanups, and mental health support for girls. In a mutually beneficial engagement, we supplied custom hats and merchandise which they sold at fundraising events.
Local Partnerships:
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Run with Errol
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Ceres
Donations from sales proceeds:
Keeping it local & neighborhood retail
We had a goal of representing Turkey & Reuben at a retail location and we had a target in mind. After walking over to and pitching to Green Apple Books, a beloved neighborhood bookstore, we secured shelf space for our products.
We produced batches of our strongest sellers and were delighted to see them merchandised at the front of the store.
The retail location provided exposure to a new audience of tourists and book-lovers who frequented the store.
Leveraging creative campaigns to cross-promote product lines
Along with some of the classic hats we designed and offered, Turkey & Reuben had a line of postcards, stickers, and paper products for sale. We offered mystery bundles of products, where the customer would receive a "dealer's choice" from a themed set of options.
Why not take a chance? Whimsy, freshness, and a smidge of nostalgia is how we did everything from design to promotions. This campaign drew lots of interaction and excitement on Instagram.
@turkeyandreuben
We used Instagram as another outlet for brand extension and experimentation.
It became a testing ground for new campaigns, product ideas, sales promotions, and pop-up announcements.
Why Turkey & Reuben?
Mara and I have known each over for a very long time. Our close friendship and compatible working relationship made it natural to run this partnership. We also both love a good sandwich. When we noticed that we consistently ordered a turkey and a reuben sandwich, it became a playful and memorable way to represent our new venture.
The name sparked conversations with customers and helped establish a recognizable brand. Beyond our logo – which Mara designed with a carved rubber stamp– we developed merchandise, thoughtfully designed pop-up booths, and a “Deli Tunes” playlist.
We leaned into the nostalgia of the paper bag lunch.
Reflecting on our achievements
We closed Turkey & Reuben at the peak of our success, when I decided to make the move back to the East Coast. Our operations demanded in-person sales and hands-on production which would be impossible given the new distance.
I am so proud of our brand, our partnership and the personal growth I found in this endeavor.
We loved the brand we had designed and seeing the enthusiasm of our customers. How would I rate the experience? 10/10, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, 10000%, absolute win.
🩷 Thanks for reading!
This is a detailed project, drop me a line if you'd like to hear more about it.