Notes from Chris

Episode 969

While attending The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Lydia Crespo took a class on natural dyes thinking it would add a skill to her portfolio. Little did she know, it would become her specialty. The first time Lydia experienced the dye process, her hands understood just how to use them. It felt like an extension of herself. Her interest increased even more when she learned the chemistry behind the art.

Lydia kept playing with dye formulas in her spare time and made many silk scarves in the process. Her school had a studio sale, so Lydia decided to try selling her scarves so she could make a little money to put back into her art. The scarves SOLD OUT! Lydia realized she might have something here and started a brand called Argaman&Defiance.

Why that name?

Well, it may have been destiny that Lydia works with dyes. Her name literally means "maker of purple cloth".

When she was learning about making dyes, she tended to produce purple, but purple is considered to be a difficult dye to formulate. This led her to the Hebrew word "argaman", which refers to the color range of crimson to purple. Defiance is the name of the town where she visited her grandparents and developed her love of nature.

Upon graduation, Lydia received a grant of $1,500 to help her continue in her artistic growth. She used the funds for her startup costs. She purchased a domain name, set up a website, continued her dye and textile education.

In order to grow Argaman&Defiance, Lydia applied to be in many pop-up markets. At first, she was rejected … but she kept applying. She was eventually accepted to the Dose Market in Chicago, where her scarves sold out again!

She then began selling wholesale to boutiques across the country. She traveled to sell at markets in cities where she thought people would buy her products and stayed an extra day to make contact with local boutiques. These efforts led to her first profitable year. Now Argaman&Defiance is in 60 boutiques around the US and Canada!

Being an introvert, Lydia originally thought working on her own was her ideal situation. But she started noticing after attending Chicago meet-ups with other artisan entrepreneurs she felt energized for the coming days. As she puts it, “There is so much failure, decision making, and isolation in entrepreneurship. It was nice to see other women and hear their stories of success and failure. It helped me understand that I am not alone and what I do is worthwhile.”

Two years ago, Lydia moved with her husband to St Louis, where Argaman&Defiance is housed in a local art centre. There she’s able to connect with the other artisans every day. She still gets plenty of alone time, but also finds that her mental health is much better working alongside friends.

One of the newer products Lydia is known for is a cozy sweatshirt with a modern tie dye effect. Lydia cuts, sews and dyes each piece by hand. In the winter of 2019, her cozy sweatshirts sold so well she couldn’t keep them in stock.

Last year Argaman&Defiance grossed $79,000 with a profit of $35,000. Lydia plans to continue making cozy apparel and sharing her art through local workshops. Because it’s now her full-time job, she started a new side hustle writing essays about the creative process.

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MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Argaman&Defiance: Check out Lydia's full, multi-hued lineup over on her website!
• Shopify: Lydia used Shopify to set up her site for Argaman&Defiance, and they're offering a 21-day trial and exclusive discount for all Side Hustle School listeners!

SEE ALSO:

• TV Producer Sells Monogrammed Scarves; Earns $1,000 Riding Subway: Trying to wrap the world in a little more love, a TV Producer starts a side hustle slinging personalized monogrammed scarves and giving a percent of her proceeds to charities benefiting education
• Clothing Boutique Burns Down, Rebuilds to 4 Locations: This contractor went from flipping refurbished clothes on the side to starting her own boutique. After the store burns down in a fire, she carefully reads her insurance policy to discover she’s entitled to an additional $30,000 payment
• Austinite Creates Radical Girl Clothing Line: After feeling burned out from a career at Nike, this merchandiser looks elsewhere for radical inspiration. She then moves her side hustle to Austin, Texas while relocating for a new job

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

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