Happy New Year!
I wanted to provide you with an update on what's been going on behind the scenes in both business and life. So much has been out of my control and it's felt like a free fall.
As you may know, I was recently diagnosed with cancer and will be undergoing surgery as a form of treatment. I am looking forward to a smooth recovery and have faith that everything will be alright. When I received the news, it felt like my world had flipped upside down and simultaneously frozen. My mental health took a hit, and it was difficult to transition back to work, especially right at peak holiday time, because of the fear of the unknown. Now we're moving forward with a positive prognosis after my latest biopsy. I'm looking forward to many more years of creating ahead of me and can now look forward to 2023 with hope! I am overwhelmingly grateful for the love and grace that has been extended to my family and I during this super scary time.
We had some great accomplishments in 2022 but have also hit some major setbacks that we've had to come back from and that we're still trying to recover from. We initially experienced a delay with the vegan leather, which has now been further delayed due to Covid-19 shutdowns causing a backlog on the production line that our NM handbags got caught in. As a result, I made a hard decision to find a new manufacturer that has a timeline we can get on board with! I waited to send an update because I wanted to be able to also share the solution and how the delay is being handled. We've been forced to hit the reset button with production of our newest styles and it's been a disappointment to everyone but with a clear resolution, their new ETA is March 2023.
Nicole Malia was invited to be featured in a runway show during New York Fashion Week and unfortunately, due to my diagnosis, our plans for NYFW have been put on hold. The NYFW event I was invited to in September was postponed until February 2023, and I will have to miss it again due to my treatment timeline. We are getting on track and feeling very hopeful to attend the September 2023 NYFW.
In order to keep the (literal) doors open, continue developing and designing functional handbags, and keep Nicole Malia afloat, I humbly ask for your continued support through this time. We're brainstorming ways to improve the overall customer experience and a way to get ahead so when life happens, we don't get hit so hard. Transparent moment- I'm looking into starting a separate campaign to ask for and receive financial support since qualifying for business funding is getting increasingly difficult for small businesses everywhere. I truly believe that the world deserves to experience the vision I have for Nicole Malia and that what I want to bring to the fashion industry (but more importantly your closet) is revolutionary.
My 2023 goals for Nicole Malia include warehouse events, exploring new art styles, becoming more involved with the community, producing a few new handbag lines, and bringing back some graphic tees! On a personal note, a month ago there was a very real fear of not surviving this year which made it incredibly hard to even think about anything other than being alive. I'm the type of person who likes to look for the "lesson" in things, but personally I'm ready for life lessons to not be as triggering and terrifying.
Thank you for your understanding and patience as we go through this journey. As always, I am committed to ensuring we reach our business goals and look forward to making 2023 a successful year! I hope your year has started off on a high note and I wish you good health and all the happiness you deserve.
All my best,
Nicole Malia