The Sweet Core of a Sweet Business

 If you are reading this article, chances are you reside somewhere in Canada, the United States, Western Europe, or Australia.

And if that's true, we both happen to live in a society that spoils us with an abundance—if not an outright infinity—of choices.

We are fortunate enough to have large supermarkets stocked with the freshest produce, reliable access to electricity and clean water, and, most importantly for the context of this article, countless options when it comes to clothing.

But do we really have a choice?

Not to accidentally quote a gazillion internet memes about the illusion of choice and differently-colored pills, but there is some truth hidden in those jokes.

The reality behind many contemporary business models is pretty grim.

The pursuit of ever-increasing profit often becomes the ultimate goal of a business, and maximizing it can quickly become the highest priority of even the most well-intentioned company. It allows and normalizes practices such as selling cheap polyester garments at luxury prices, planned obsolescence—an intentional reduction in quality that eventually forces customers to replace items sooner—or dropshipping products without properly disclosing that they are, in fact, dropshipped.

All of these things sound terrible.

And they are.

But unfortunately, they are only the tip of the iceberg.

Because if we go deeper, we encounter even uglier realities.

The intentional use of exploitative labor, including child labor, still exists in order to shave a few extra cents off production costs.

And before we continue, there is something important worth remembering:

There is no such thing as machine-made clothing.

Every item of clothing you have ever worn—and likely every item you ever will wear—was made by human hands.

Unfortunately, more often than not, those hands belong to underprivileged women and children working in unsafe and poorly regulated environments for mere pennies.

So before purchasing a seven-dollar T-shirt, consider how that price became possible.

Someone made that garment for a tiny fraction of what you paid. The lion's share of the price went toward materials, shipping, advertising, storage, distribution, and, of course, profit margins.

And this is precisely where Red Velvet comes into the picture.

But before we explain why we think supporting our brand is a wonderful idea and you should definitely do it , we need to become slightly more

... personal.

Hello. ♡

My name is Kristina, and I am a co-founder and the primary art director of Red Velvet.

I am also the person behind the scenes who writes all of these letters and sincerely hopes that someone out there actually reads them.

I am your fellow Gen Z!

I love painting, beach walks, pet bunnies, and sugary treats.

Our brand is named after a cake after all.

Although, if you ask me personally, carrot cake is superior to red velvet cake.

Unfortunately, "Carrot Cake" does not have the same ring to it, so Red Velvet it was.

But all jokes aside, I also happen to be a very opinionated person when it comes to greed and social injustice.

It genuinely infuriates me when people insist that there is no better way of doing things. People love to say:

"Yes, things are bad, but we have no alternative, so we might as well continue participating in harmful practices."

No, we are not.

If everyone around you behaves like a pig, that does not mean you have to start oinking.

In many ways, this business is my attempt to prove that things can be different.

We want to give people the opportunity to choose better options at a reasonable price.

And we want to encourage other businesses to do better too, because it is possible.

So how exactly are we managing it?

We design and develop all of our garments in-house at a small family-owned facility in Kharkiv, Ukraine.

I am incredibly fortunate to come from a family that has worked in garment production for decades. Because that infrastructure already existed, we were able to begin this project without purchasing entirely new equipment, which would have dramatically increased costs.

It does sound like a nepotism at its finest, and of course it is, but I try my very best to use the privilege I was lucky enough to receive for something that benefits a larger community.

Because we are family-owned, we maintain direct control over every stage of production.

We can ensure quality, thoughtfully develop every piece, test garments on people with different proportions and body types, and, most importantly, make sure that everyone involved is compensated fairly.

Currently, our team consists of five wonderful people: two exceptionally talented seamstresses, one garment constructor, one logistics and operations specialist, and yours truly.

Because our production is so small, we are able to maintain close personal relationships with everyone involved. We try our best to operate more like a cooperative than a corporation, where everyone contributes, everyone matters, and everyone receives a fair share of the success we build together.

And now, you are part of that equation too!

We intentionally remove as many unnecessary middlemen as possible.

We do not have shareholders.

We do not have investors.

There is no anonymous intermediary collecting a commission while contributing nothing to the process.

Every person involved in Red Velvet plays an essential role in creation, production, and delivery.

Every item is made to order, which means we eliminate overproduction and reduce the amount of perfectly good clothing that would otherwise sit unsold or eventually end up in a landfill.

Every dress, every skirt, and every top exists because somebody chose it.

Not the other way around.

We also do not maintain large storage facilities or move inventory from warehouse to warehouse before it reaches its final destination.

In fact, every item purchased through our website comes directly from our production facility in Ukraine.

This helps us reduce costs associated with storage while also minimizing unnecessary transportation.

It is better financially and It is better environmentally.

Our garments do not spend months making pit stops on their journey. They are born, carefully made by human hands, and then sent directly to their new home.

Hopefully, that home is yours.

All of these choices contribute to a final price that remains comparable to many higher-end fast fashion retailers while still being relatively accessible to the everyday customer.

Of course, we are not perfect.

We are a tiny business run by a handful of people, armed with big dreams, strong opinions, and probably an unhealthy enthusiasm for dresses.

We are still learning.

We are still growing.

And we still have a very long way to go.

But every order placed through our website helps us move one step closer to the kind of future we would like to see.

A future where clothing is made thoughtfully rather than carelessly.

A future where the people making our clothing are treated with dignity and compensated fairly.

A future where quality matters more than quantity.

And a future where people buy clothing because they genuinely love it, not because an algorithm convinced them they needed another trend of the week.

When you support Red Velvet, you are not simply purchasing a dress, a skirt, or a blouse.

You are supporting five real people who genuinely care about what they do.

With love, yours truly

The Red Velvet Editorial Desk ♡