CHALLENGES ONLY MAKE US STRONGER, RIGHT?

 And just like that, half of the year 2022 is behind us so I thought I will share some deeper thoughts on how this year has gone so far.

Considering what’s happening in the world (war in Ukraine, unstable political situation in Europe, new Covid-19 wave etc), those last 6-7 months have been emotional for all of us and I am a bit anxious about what the next half of the year will bring us. I’m not even sure if having a plan B, C, and D up your sleeve is enough in those circumstances anymore but this year has taught me to be even more thankful for everything I have and to be even more adaptable than before although when being honest, it’s pretty challenging and exhausting to be constantly ready for new turbulence in the world.

I’ve felt down several times and so has the whole Marimo team. We’ve been sad and anxious because of what’s going on in Ukraine so at some point I just decided to focus on our brand to keep my own and our team’s spirit up. It has been hard to focus on fashion at certain moments because it’s not the most important thing in our lives but on the other hand, as they say, beauty saves the world! I have to be strong for our people and for keeping the business running, and I think beauty helps us all to just disappear into our own little world from time to time. I also have to mention that when the war started, I really felt the strong community around us. I got several kind messages from our dear clients and fans overseas that if it’s needed, we have places to go. I was amazed and it really meant a lot to me! But luckily we are all fine here in Estonia and hopefully, it stays that way!

BEING AN INSPIRATION

This year, more than ever, I’ve received kind messages from the community around me about how I have inspired them. Some feel inspired by my work, for others, it’s how I have found the perfect balance between my work and my personal life. Being an entrepreneur in the fashion business is definitely a rocky road and this busy lifestyle has to be balanced by healthy living and sports activities to be happy and efficient. I strongly believe that beauty starts from inside so it’s super important to not only focus on work but also do other things to feel complete. I’ve heard women say that they are unsure how to fit children into their busy schedules or don’t know how to start their own businesses. What I have seen during my career is that there is no right time which we all tend to wait for. If you want to do something, just take that step and start doing it. You can’t do everything right anyway and there will always be things you didn’t know about or which you have to figure out along the way.

To inspire young people to get into the fashion business, once again this year I was chosen as one of the successful graduates of TalTech University. It’s not very common that a graduate of TalTech University will establish a fashion brand but I’m glad to inspire future students to think outside the box and create the future they dream of! Sadly, the video is in Estonian but I will share it anyway because TalTech University has definitely influenced me to get where I am today (you can read the full story of Marimo’s history here) and given me the tools to make my dreams come true.

TalTech University video

CREATING VALUABLE CONTENT

I hope you have already seen that this year we have focused on our YouTube channel to help women all over the world create their dream capsule wardrobes and look beautiful and stylish every day. I’ve never considered myself a YouTuber but an entrepreneur. I like to challenge myself every now and then and I wanted to spread the word and knowledge I have that would help women feel beautiful and confident just the way they are. I really hope I’m getting better with every video and you have enjoyed the content we have created so far. We have found the best video producers to only create high-quality videos and we aim to find topics that matter and educate more and more women to consume less but better quality garments. It’s not the easiest job in today’s world for sure but I believe that it's an invaluable contribution to helping Mother Nature. We actually don’t need much when it comes to our wardrobe - we just need better quality that would last for years and some useful tips on how to style and combine our garments in more ways. So if you haven’t subscribed to our YouTube channel yet, please do that now. We create only valuable slow fashion content I’m sure you don’t want to miss out on. 😉

Behind the scenes of Marimo YouTube videoshoot / screenshot of Marimo's YouTube channel

RESHAPING THE TRADITIONAL FASHION WORLD

More than ever I feel that we are moving in the right direction with Marimo. Traditionally, fashion brands launch seasonal collections but more and more I find myself thinking of complementing our selection with pieces I see are missing from our main product line and what women really need to create their perfect timeless wardrobes. This is the starting point for all the new collections I design and it’s refreshing. I’m currently working on our first-ever knitwear line and we are launching a collection of jackets and coats this fall. We are trying to reach the point where you could get everything from Marimo. We see that it is a rising trend that you would like to get the whole wardrobe from us and it only makes me happy to see so many people value the quality we offer!

 The last collection was inspired by the idea of garments that would not be defined by a season and rather go beyond those limits. Although it’s essentially a spring-summer collection, the design is well thought-through and offers an endless variety of styling and layering to withstand the cooler weather as well as hot climate. It’s a part of the versatile Marimo wardrobe.

Wearing: Aria dress in rose pattern, Linaria coatdress in ivory, Patterned crystal belt, Silene skirt in rose pattern and Lamium bodysuit in black

FUTURE PLANS

Although times are hectic, we continue to work at full speed. We've done a lot of work and two months ago we got the new export grant to help us grow. I'm so happy that people in the export grant decision-making committee believed in us and in our future plans. 👏🏻 Our main goal is to launch the new knitwear line, spread the word and knowledge I have through Marimo's Youtube channel to help women feel beautiful and confident, and we are also planning to organize a pop-up boutique event in the US next year to finally meet our lovely overseas clients in person and find new influential women who would appreciate Marimo's timeless elegant fashion. We don't know the exact venue for the event yet but as soon as we have all the information, I assure you are the first ones to know about it! 😉

Marimo pop-up event in Tallinn

I hope the second half of the year brings us joy and happiness and we don’t need to constantly worry about things that are going on in the world and can focus on just being happy, looking beautiful, and enjoying life! I would like to see more peace in the world and I’m pretty sure you all wish for it too!

With love and gratitude,