2022 goals by Saba Kamaras, Spoonie Threads President
Happy New Year to all you Spoonies! Now is the time for committing to new goals, and we want to share some of ours with you!
I'll start by outlining some internal goals. We want to tell you who we are, and why we do what we do, so you can get to know the people behind our tiny (but mighty!) Spoonie Threads team. Each team member has a unique connection to the Spoonie community but we're all limited by our experience, so continuous learning is a huge part of our work at Spoonie Threads. We have already started (and will continue) internal resource sharing and learning within the team of books, movies, podcasts, and articles to expand our knowledge of disabilities and chronic illnesses. One recent example was our required reading of "Demystifying Disability" by Emily Ladau.
We also want peel back the curtain on our product design process: how we develop ideas, who we work with from the disability community to refine and test prototypes, and how you can get involved! All our products have been designed with actual users, and we want to share that process with you. Speaking of products, we have fun NEW products coming down the pipeline! Keep an eye out for refreshed versions of our bestselling insulin pump belts and waistbands, new accessible tees, fleece, and bodysuits in both kids and adult sizes, new seasonal items in limited runs, and STICKERS to dress up your spoonie swag. Get excited!!
In tandem with new products are new sustainability goals. We are reviewing all the elements of our packaging to improve the use of recycled materials and recyclability of the packaging itself. We know that very few people manage to haul plastic mailers to a recycling facility, meaning if it's not curbside recyclable, it's pretty certain to land in your trash. It's our job to make that process easier for you and reduce our footprint on this planet. We're also seeking out more sustainable and recycled fabrics wherever possible, without compromising product functionality. The hardest aspect of our sustainability goal is reviewing our product life cycle and improving circularity. It's quite difficult for items that are used with medical devices and therefore have no capacity for multiple users like traditional apparel or accessories, but that doesn't mean circularity in another way isn't possible. If anyone has thoughts around this - let us know!
Lastly, we want to continue to share YOUR stories. Amplifying the voices of our ambassadors and product testers and sharing their stories in hopes of removing stigma around disability and chronic illness while working towards our goal of making adaptive fashion just… fashion. We know that your time is precious and we are so grateful for the opportunity to make products for you!