Dear Jenny Pennywood Community,
It’s Sunday night, and I’m on the couch with a tequila + Squirt (iiykyk), and I feel like writing an unfiltered Mind Vacation about the new Studio Tee and the pay-what-you-want situation. So here we are.
OK, so the Studio Tee. Here’s what it was supposed to be: a broader step toward “patterned basics,” and a tee that felt inclusive across size and gender (we were calling it the Everybody Tee.) We significantly upped our usual production quantities so we could offer the shirt for wholesale, which was a big thing for us. I worked with a production manager in LA who came highly recommended and positioned himself as an expert. The samples looked great; we were excited, and I let myself take my eye off the ball for a sec. Production moved forward and was completed, and the box arrived for the photoshoot. Mistake #1: It was clear a shrink test hadn’t been done before it went to cut-and-sew, which was his job to do and that made the shirts boxier and less unisex than intended. I figured I could live with that, because who doesn’t love a boxy fit? But it went sideways when we realized that the single-needle stitch at the neckline, which worked perfectly in the sample, broke on many of the production shirts, and that was the moment our entire plan shifted. Fuck fuck fuck. I couldn’t roll these out for wholesale, nor would I try to sneak this broken thread thing by my customers. That would have been stressful and not in line with my standards. So we scrapped wholesale, and our solution was to be super transparent, do a pay-what-you-want thing, and move forward.
Pay-what-you-want feels good, and the shirts are selling, but still, fuck, you know. I love the tees and wear mine all the time. I took that broken stitch out with a pair of tweezers, washed it, and it’s perfectly imperfect, just like I like it. And really, the Jenny Pennywood vibe carries a certain amount of imperfectness, and so one could say that this batch of production is on brand, but I’m disappointed nonetheless. Plans freaking change, and it gets under my skin. Whhhyyyyy!!!!! Why can’t things just go as planned? I’ve realized that I have had to be fairly flexible in the work I do, but sometimes I just don’t want to bend. Does anyone else feel that way?
I have a feeling I’m not alone in my frustration, so let’s chat. Tell us all about how you had to bend, but didn’t want to, and how you dealt with it, felt about it, and what changed because of it. Drop it in the comments section. I’ll read through them and will pick a winner and a runner-up and send you a tee.
I want to hear all about it.
XO
JEN
43 comments
I came across your brand while in SF at the Bridge Building last year while visiting family before going on to LA for a music and sustainability conference. I immediately subscribed and have made multiple purchases.
I’m sorry for the frustration with this wholesale issue, but appreciate your transparency.
I guess my story of how I had to bend was, leaving my full-time job in sustainability (my dream field) to focus my efforts on helping my fiancé recover from a long term illness where he had a major health setback (boo, ticks!) It’s not that I didn’t want to, it was about time I made his recovery my focus 100%, but he had already not been working for 2 years during his illness, and I was about to really lessen our income stream. Thankfully, I had been frugal with my spending, and was still doing a Poshmark side hustle that got us through. What changed? Well, a long 11 months of recovery, in and out of wheelchairs, but time to focus on what’s important. It also gave me time to continue pursuing opportunities to connect with people in sustainability and really figure out my dream career path. <3
im a city planner and sometimes feel disappointed when projects don’t go as planned. there are times other planners miss something or the applicant doesn’t provide thorough or accurate information and that can be frustrating. i once asked a coworker for advice on what to do on days when i feel overwhelmed and feel like i’ve just about had it. they told me to step away, go on a walk and spend time outside. that has been incredibly helpful. love the studio shirts and ordered two! thanks for sharing. <3
After many great years working in the non-profit space I moved back to my hometown to be close to family and serve that community. It turned out that the only place in the state that I could continue the work I’d been doing turned out to be really problematic—toxic personalities and a blind eye to really dangerous risks. I was angry all the time at everyone and everything. But also angry at the idea of having to give up the work I’d been doing for a decade, and which I loved. But which was now beating me down. . It took a friend pointing out that in all the times she’d asked how work was, I’d never once replied positively, to realise I had to bend.
Eventually I left, moved to working for government. I was still so mad I’d wake up at 2am for months, raging about the injustice of having to leave something I loved and was good at.
But over time I settled and softened. The people I worked with at the new place were brilliant. It was good for me to get out of my bubble and work with a greater diversity of views. And it forced me to take a good hard look at my values and how I live them: if I don’t draw a paycheck from purpose-led work, how do I spend my own time to achieve the same goals?
Over time, I’ve been given opportunities in my new work that will improve people’s lives in different ways to the non-profit, but no less important. I am carving out work that feels good and connected. And I can sleep at night now. Which is, um, pretty awesome.
Sorry you had such a frustrating experience, but appreciate your honesty about it! Love the patterns of the tees :)
Your tees look fab but that is so damn frustrating…I’m trying to help raise money for my son’s nonprofit preschool and thought designing/printing tees would be a good idea. I designed the tees, got parents to pay for them, and worked with a local screenprinter to make them. I go to pick up my order and luckily most items are great. However, the kids tees (most of the order) were so ridiculously sheer that I couldn’t stand the idea of sending these out…. I sat with them and tried to talk myself into liking these strange see through preschool tees but couldn’t. I paid out of pocket to have the reprinted and distributed to families. It was my first fundraiser and I want people to be happy with the quality and buy in the future… alas, I am trying to sell some of the first run as “super, super samples” to recoup some cost. Lesson learned- first order a sample shirt because tee shirt ounces means nothing to my brain.
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