Hello from Ana + Zac

 
Our birthday is coming up. I can't believe it's been four years since we started Ana + Zac. It's been a very wild ride. From our travels, to a major store build, to a pandemic and a recession we have been through what feels like a lifetime in such a short period of time.

We felt that this was a good time to start our journal as we have so many stories to tell. We hope that this will be inspiring for you and inspiring for us to write more and include you, giving you insight into our journey. This is a place where we can share more meaningful content and insightful information like our product development and manufacturing processes, important events and trips abroad. We will be featuring interesting people in our community, as well as new collection drops and style edits to inspire you.

Plus, I'll jump on here and write a bit more freely about the trials and tribulations of being a small business owner of a slow fashion company. The fashion business is one of the hardest industries to work in and stay in.

 Anna Gilkerson + Zac Barkhouse ~ Photo by Anna Gilkerson 

This last year has been particularly full, what we could call a complete 360. We went from working out of a large retail, warehouse and studio building with a full team to closing that store, minimizing our business to e-com, cutting major costs and downsizing our team for an economic downturn we knew was coming and has now hit our industry very hard.

Personally, I am surprised we are still standing. I always wonder why we have had such tenacity for this small clothing brand. I guess it comes down to this, what would we do without our clothing? We think of all of our repeat customers (our family) who we have slowly and steadily grown these past four years. How much we love our product and how it helps people. We think of our team in Peru and the beautiful product they make. A product with such quality of hand and stitch detail that it rivals most. Simply put, we love the product we make and that's hard to walk away from.

This spring, we have officially moved into our new studio and warehouse in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. Our roomy yet manageable 800 sq. foot space is located in a heritage building that has a significant history in this designated UNESCO coastal town. We are feeling inspired in this space and are excited to make memories here, sharing with you, the behind the scenes.

This past month we have been traveling mostly all over British Columbia and will share our adventures traveling through the Rockies, tiny towns, big cities and a breathtaking wilderness much under smoke filled skies.

We are looking forward to connecting with you on a deeper and more personal  level. We hope you will follow along.

  Photo by Anna Gilkerson