Hannah Tiller, Media Editor
@hannahtcourant
In October 2019, I began a journey to create a business as a junior in high school. While I knew it wouldn’t be easy, it would eventually become a huge part of who I would become today.
As a creative person who’s gone through multiple art phases ever since I was little, it’s easy for me to fall back to my creative world in times of boredness or even stress. When the birthday of my very close friend Shannon Jordan rolled around in October, I knew I could use this creativity to create a super personal gift.
Upon going to Goodwill (I’ll get into why I did that later), I purchased a pair of jeans that I could paint on with Michael’s fabric paint. I ended up painting white stars on these jeans and eventually would gift them to her. I was really surprised by how much she appreciated this small gift!
“They were so different than anyone’s seen. They were so personal to me because they were one-of-a-kind.”
Junior Shannon Jordan on why she enjoyed the gift of hand-painted jeans.
Eventually, I soon gravitated back to painting jeans. I wanted to make pairs for other people and spread the joy. It’s shocking how a simple pair of jeans could bring Shannon so much confidence and show her personality so well. With that, I could help others do the same.
I quickly embarked on a journey to expand this hobby into a business. My parents were not fortunate in their youth, being raised in a small town called Springfield, Ohio. In this town, after you graduate from high school, you were bound to either join the military or waitress. But, my parents married young and further educated themselves to pursue their passions. My father’s interest in the stock market brought him to prestigious schools, and eventually, he made a name for himself.
I feel eternally grateful for my parents’ choice to take the risk of moving away in order to pursue their interests. I feel as if this desire to lean into your passions has been instilled in me. Art is my therapy to escape the real world often. When I can take my doodles off of the page and onto jeans for display, it really fulfills me and encourages me to further my hobby into a business.
As to how I transformed my hobby into a business, I was fortunate to have a lot of help from family and friends. My mother began posting on the “New Canaan Moms” Facebook group asking for jean donations that I could use to paint on. The reason for this (and why I went to Goodwill) was because I wanted this brand to be environmentally friendly.
Especially in 2020, our society has become one of highly consumer-focused attitudes, ultimately sacrificing our environmental integrity as a result. When we dispose of our clothes and purchase more to keep up with the trends, it is called “fast-fashion.” Ultimately this toxic process results in a carbon footprint when factories mass-produce and planes, cars, and boats must transport your clothes. This footprint contributes to global warming. However, when someone uses thrift stores or upcycles clothes like jeans, they give these items a new life and reduce environmental downfall.
I am very thankful for my community for being so supportive of this business. Without these jean donations, I would not have nearly as much stock as I have now, and would also not be nearly as environmentally friendly. My father created a nonprofit sustainably focused non-profit in 2012, called Sustainable America. Being raised in a sustainably focused household, it was really important for me to weave these values into the business into my business as well.
After getting jean donations, I used multiple sketches of mine, Pinterest inspiration, and feedback from my friends to paint my designs. While some paintings would take hours, others became easier the more I produced them. All the while of production, I began attempting to create a Wix site so I could sell my jeans more officially. Wix proved to be very challenging to work with, but I attempted to put together a site that looked playful and concise. Check out my website here!
I really wanted to make this brand official. The first step to make a website more official is to get a domain name, which would ultimately allow me to “brand” myself and name my website by that domain. Luckily, with a father well rounded in the world of business, he helped to teach me how to purchase a domain. We used Go Daddy to buy the name Giggle Denim. This name was picked among a list of many others, but it was the one that best exemplified who I am as a person, and well as the aesthetic of the jeans.
Getting a website and Instagram account up was only the start of creating awesome jeans. I sketched 24/7 and even looked back at old drawings for inspiration. The designs quickly began to flow onto jeans. I started only with white paint (it was the paint I had from making Shannon’s jeans) but expanded later into more colorful creations with more texture and flair. To this day, I think that my favorite pair are the ones that I spent the most time on. They have bandana print at the bottom.
Over time, I felt that I had enough stock to really get the business going. I began taking photos, color correcting them, and uploading them with information on the website.
I also started to regularly post and branch out to new followers on Instagram. Finally, on April 18th, I officially launched my business. I made it official on my Instagram story, spread it to friends, and helped it to get the attention it deserved.
This business means a lot to me. I wanted to create a business that would ultimately help others and decided upon donating half of my proceeds to two charities that I hold close to my heart. WIN Women in Need is one charity that I felt should have my support. They are an NYC based program that focuses on sheltering women and families to provide them opportunities even in the face of hardships. I also wanted to donate to the Susan G Komen for the Cure foundation, a breast cancer research foundation that focuses on providing women with treatment, resources, and support in their fight with breast cancer.
With this, I’ve worked very long and hard on this business and cannot wait to see what it blossoms into. I have gained a few new customers and hope to expand by spreading the word on Facebook. By sticking with this business, I am committing to something that I am really proud of; something that has the ability to greatly change myself and others.
In the future, I hope to work closely with the charities that I donate to. After quarantine, I hope to work events like charity auctions to display my jeans and continue my values of using my creativity to create change. Anyone can create change if they have the time and commitment to do so!
