@volantedesign / blog.volantedesign.us
Our company has grown leaps and bounds over the years through recessions and pandemics and we’re still going strong and growing!
To Celebrate our birthday make sure to take advantage of our Birthday Sale and save 10% with the code HAPPY10TH at checkout.
Today marks the 10 year anniversary of two kids filing some paperwork at Western New England Law School. David and I were younger than the graduate students who were learning how to file for a business license, and I remember thinking that their suits didn’t fit them that well. They asked us to think about how we were going to split the shares. I don’t think we really understood what shares were. They tried to explain that if we were going to sell the business or one of us left then the shares would be really important. We didn’t think too highly of either of those options. So we split them 67% to David and 33% to me. Neither of us had any money or any idea how to run a business, so it didn’t seem that important. Most of the rest of the process was stacks of pages that needed to be approved and signed. I did my best to read them through — a practice I still do with all our legal paperwork.
In the beginning, every idea and every design felt like our best thing yet. We stayed up until 3 and 4 in the morning working on the next design so that we could bring the sample to NYCC and show it off. I distinctly remember that I lost weight before the company’s first time trip to NYCC, because I was working so much and would forget to eat. For a hobbit like me, this is a big deal. The following year we only stayed up until 2am the night before NYCC. I think the year after that maybe it was midnight. Little by little we became better at planning our time, and we became realists. Sometimes I miss the days of headlong enthusiasm, although I don’t think I could live through them now. That’s the sort of thing that is made for a 22 year old.
I’ve written a lot of retrospectives in the 10 years that Volante Design has been around. I’ve referred to this business as my kid, as my obsession, as a passion, as a calling, as a community. What really stands out to me now is the difference from one year to the next. It feels a little like watching a tree grow. If you walk by it everyday on your way out the door it changes with the seasons, but you barely perceive the changes that happen year over year. When you look back at a photo of your house 10 years ago, that tree looks totally different. Only with that perspective can you really appreciate what has passed.
This year the collective team stands out to me. Maybe it’s because I’ve had kids since last year, and maybe it’s because I’ve stepped down as Marketing Director so that I can be a better CEO. It’s no longer just David and me making the big choices. I find myself teaching more, doing less, trying to help others with the doing. I think this is how we grow. I think this is how we evolve. Maybe it took David and me being completely overrun with having twins to let other people help run our company. We’re trying to be an organization that can scale. One that has directors and leaders who can handle the key areas that David and I used to spend most of our time working on. It’s not easy to try and articulate why you would do it a certain way, and why these new leaders need to find a way to do it that’s right for them and still fits with the Volante Design we’ve spent all these years building. They need to find their own way to sit at the table. We are growing new muscles as a team. If you’d asked me five years ago if I thought we could share the management of certain aspects of Volante Design, I’d have said hypothetically yes, but I can’t imagine how we would get there.
It’s a new perspective to be removed a little from the day to day work of keeping things running. I am still helping to shape the company, less by writing individual posts and more by working on the future, the products, the big questions: how do we scale up, what’s missing, and what’s next? I hope I can do what this team needs from me. I hope I can grow to be the CEO that they need.
Maybe because the anniversary of Volante Design happens in the spring when the world is starting to blossom again, but it feels like an exciting time is right around the corner. We have made it through the winter and now we get to kick ass. -Willow Volante CEO Volante Design, Inc.
The N7 Special Ops jacket comes in two different cuts and 2 different fabric choices so you can get a jacket for the whole team. The Defender is a stretch denim material for maximum comfort and mobility and the Spectre is a fully waterproof material for extra protection from the elements.
Introducing Volante Design's first officially licensed Bioware product, the N7 Special Ops jacket!
Available in masculine and feminine cuts so you can play as Male Shep or Fem Shep. The two different materials will protect you from environments that don't have climate stabilizers.
The Defender version is a heavy cotton denim that is geared toward comfort and flexibility, and the Spectre version is a lightweight, waterproof material to fully protect from rain.Make your choices wisely. Order today!
Ezio Auditore da Firenze is a legendary character and our favorite Assassin. Today is his birthday and we're celebrating with a flash sale! Take 20% off our entire Assassin's Creed collection for 48 hours only. Here's to you, Ezio!
Black Lives Matter
What can I say? I don't think I can ever understand the struggles faced by black and brown people in the US. Not because I don't want to, but because there is no teacher like experience. I don't want to be a performative ally. But I feel that at this pivotal moment in US history to be silent is to be complicit. To be a bystander is to de facto agree that what's happening is ok. So at the risk of saying something wrong, or following a movement, I feel that we must take a stand. We must make known that the system is not working and that we will not be silent and stay home when our fellow humans are being disrespected, punished for existing, and killed.
By saying all lives matter, you are dismissing that there is a problem. That for many there has not been an experience of mattering, they are not safe, their lives are not in their own hands. I have heard a lot of people saying how broken 'the system' is, but I'm not sure that it is broken. As far as I can see it was built this way. By not teaching de-escalation, by not taking prior offences of law officers seriously, by downplaying victim suffering, and so many other small aggressions and omissions, the system has been built to disadvantage black, brown, and other minorities. It's so hard to know what to do to dismantle this broken system. It is so big, it's been here for so long.
I am deeply committed to supporting our black, brown, queer, and otherwise marginalized neighbors, their efforts, their art, their voices, their needs, their freedom, and most fundamentally, their safety. It is infuriating and so painful to see how the protests have escalated into violence many times brought on by the police. I will focus on what I can do. I cannot make masks that filter out tear gas, but I can donate our fabric masks to those protesting who need them. I can make it known that I am an ally. I can protest in my hometown. I can amplify the voices of POC and activists who are doing the work.
As a privileged small business owner still open and operating, I can use the reach and skills of Volante Design. We will be auctioning off three badass Black Panther-inspired coats on Twitter later this week, each one to be made to fit the winner. We'll be donating all proceeds to the NAACP. I am hoping that an auction with some competitive bidding will help raise as much money as possible, for the donation to have the greatest impact. Please help us spread the word once the auction goes live.
"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor." Desmond Tutu
- Willow
Further reading: For Our White Friends Desiring to Be Allies
Today is officially our 7th birthday as a company!
This collection has been a dream for a long time. I think it's David's best work to date. I am so proud of our little company for taking the leap to make a whole outfit and offer it all at once.
David has always loved Ninjas, whether they were the TMNT, or from Mortal Kombat - these were some of his earliest sketches. Even now, his favorite superhero is Spiderman, who is basically a ninja (don't come at me, I've thought about this a lot! He sticks to walls, he climbs, he hides his face, he uses few tools to great effect.)
At three years old, David dressed up as a Ninja Turtle and got so excited that he bashed his head on the edge of a speaker. We consider that his first practice for being a ninja. He probably could have used one of the Naruto forehead protectors.
Going to Japan for the first time last fall really fanned the flame. We came back filled with new inspiration and the elements seemed to align for us to make a whole ninja outfit; pants, shirt, gloves (which got paused), a mask and hood (which got paused) a jacket, another jacket, and even an over-robe. Being a ninja requires both layers and options.
"If I was going to make my first whole outfit it was going to be a ninja outfit," he said in a 'what else? Duh?’ sort of tone. He was nice about it, but for him it was the obvious starting place.
Ninja take risks and so did we. Pants are a first-time product for us and we decided to make two kinds in different styles. We've never made a shirt either, but everyone needs something to wear with their jackets! David has been wearing his for weeks, even though it’s supposed to be a secret.
Even bigger, we also decided to make most of the collection a non-gendered cut. In Japan we found that men's and women's clothes weren’t separated in the fashion shops we went into and nobody cared.
We are profoundly grateful to be able to make this collection come to life. We are thrilled to be celebrating our 7th birthday! To be fair we imagined it happening a little differently. But we must count our blessings. We wouldn’t be here without you! Happy 7 Years! Thanks for being on this crazy journey with us!
Stay badass, Willow and the Volante Design crew
See the Ninja collection here! https://www.volantedesign.us/pages/ninja-collection
Shiloh: I don’t want anything to do with Sidestep ever again
also Shiloh: my fuckign br a n d
Hi has @volantedesign suddenly been featured in fiction? Would that make the fictional company a bootleg bootleg hero-inspired sportswear company?
@dustycymbre Now we’re only sometimes bootleg!
Friends! We are shifting production to making face masks for those in need. These are not n-95 grade medical masks, but are being donated to those medical establishments requesting fabric masks. Please donate to cover our production costs so we can make as many as possible.
To be as transparent as possible about our costs and what donation covers, we have a breakdown graphic showing what goes into making one mask. David & Willow will donate their labor but if we need to bring staff in to assist, they will be paid.
If we can cover the basic costs of production, we will be happy. We are here to give our time, our facilities, whatever materials we have. We care deeply about you, our community, far and wide. We believe that if we all rise to this occasion, we will come out of this stronger and wiser.
Will you rise to the occasion? Give what you can.
Full details on our homepage → https://www.volantedesign.us/
Nation of One asked to borrow some wardrobe options from us for this video and our Hunter’s Garb Coat looks amazing in the apocalyptic landscape! Video itself starts at about 3:30 in.
Dear friends,
Emerald City Comic Con has been postponed until the summer, but we're staying positive and trying something new to us. We're super excited for our first ever online con this weekend! We'll be streaming on Twitch the following schedule (all times ET) and will be hanging out on Discord as well to chat and answer your questions.
Discord: discordapp.com/invite/cvD64V9
THURSDAY 3pm Welcome to our online con! Meet the team 3:40pm Custom projects FAQ/AMA 4pm Interview with Cory Doctorow 4:20pm Mike's artist alley 4:40pm Discussing work life balance in a small business BREAK 6pm Borderlands Handsome Jack makeup tutorial and styling 6:40pm Fun with Level Up Dice 7pm Gaming with David
FRIDAY 3pm Indie comics chat with Jazzlyn Stone & Zachary Clemente 3:20pm Fashion advice AMA 3:40pm TBD 4pm Designing Star Trek 4:30pm Recapping ST: Picard with Amy Imhoff BREAK 6pm Behind the scenes of our production process 6:20pm Playing with new accessories 6:40pm New customer experience 7pm TikTok fun with Patrick 7:20pm Never Have I Ever convention edition 7:40pm AMA
SATURDAY 3pm Our favorite customer stories 3:20pm Designing Assassin's Creed & AMA 4pm TBD 4:40pm The sound of Volante Design - Koco's music spotlight BREAK 6pm Bloodborne looks 6:20pm TBD 7:20pm Posing like a Volante - take epic outfit photos 7:40pm Last AMA and thanks
Please join us for some fun and show your support for a small independent business by shopping with us this weekend! You can get free shipping and free returns on US orders with code ECCCUS.
Everyday Cyberpunk Aziraphale cosplay.
I thought of this for the AU day of Ineffable Husbands Week but just today was able to do it.
No time to dig out the pocket watch today. But this is draft 1. I’ll likely do a long skirt but those are hard w rolling desk chairs. Suggestions welcome!
Vest from @volantedesign
Ineffable Husbands earrings from Robot Princess
Wings Collar by Lou Guerin.
Great look!
Storytime: I was walking around the mall in my Volante jacket & passed a T-Mobile store, then later went back & stepped in. All four sales reps complimented my jacket, saying they'd been admiring it since I passed earlier. They tried to guess what the style reminded them of so I put up the assassin hood. All of them YELLED in delight & one high-fived me. They asked where I got it, so I told them. When I left, one of them was browsing your store on his phone. Wanted to pass along the love!
Thank you for sharing! What a great moment of connection.
Valentine’s Day is just a day folks. In the best case scenario, it allows you to reflect on the people who you care about in your life.
Here at Volante Design, we don’t really go in for red roses, that suddenly cost 4X the usual price. Lots of companies talk about how you need their underwear to be sexy. Or how you won’t get laid if you don’t buy her this jewelry. I am not a fan of these sorts of stories. We don’t usually tell them to our customers, because they make us gag.
We do go in for love. Love of all shapes and sizes between all sorts of people. I’d like to talk about love for your chosen people.
I love that Volante Design seems to attract nerdy, cute, awkward, smart, funny, interesting people, both as customers and as members of the team here at the studio.
I am constantly honored that the people who chose to be on our team give so much of their creativity, their passion, their ideas, and their get-it-done attitude! We’re a fierce bunch.
I am constantly meeting customers who are just like us, awkward, formerly big dorks that have learned how to tie a tie when needed, but who are happiest in a big damn trench coat.
We love you funny-cute-wonderful weirdos. Thanks for going on this crazy ride with us. Share a photo or a story of your chosen people. <3
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Willow
PS Because we love you and appreciate you, we’re running our best offer ever right now. Buy any one item and get the second 50% off. Mix and match, choose custom or gear, there are no limits. Use code VALENTINE through 2/17 at 11:59pm.
When you grow up watching a show… you honestly never imagine that you’d make something that’s officially licensed by it. I am not myself a fangirl type of person. I like the things that I like, but I don’t squeal, you know. I keep it cool. ;)
Making products with Star Trek has been an overwhelmingly positive experience. The Picard Sweater is our latest Star Trek creation, just in time for the launch of Star Trek: Picard.
You have made it possible by believing in our small brand! What's the next frontier folks?
-Willow
Picard Sweater → http://bit.ly/2tAesrl
Our friends Master of Wills just launched their new Kickstarter with a giveaway to boot! One person will win our Stealth Kit & their game bundle.Tag 3 friends in the comments by 10am CST tomorrow to enter.
Check out the Kickstarter! We've contributed some epic rewards 😉 https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/stormcrest/bloodcrown
We’re going back to the beginning...to the very first Assassin. Introducing the new Altaïr Mantle! It’s a hood, it stays on your shoulders, and it’s so very us.
Limited quantities available! http://bit.ly/35z2yuF
It’s Monday the 6th of January and the world is on fire. Quite literally, there are fires raging all over Australia. Many folks have been displaced and more animals have died or lost their homes than we can accurately count. The US is warmongering, and the next steps are uncertain.
It’s a hard day to feel optimistic about the world we’re living in. There is so much large scale stuff happening that I cannot control. I do some things, as a person, which helps. I buy clothes second hand or from makers who practice slow fashion and create quality that will last. I eat local food whenever I can. I vote.
As we know companies, not people, use the most resources, so perhaps the biggest impact I can make is to make Volante Design as green as possible. We ship in cardboard boxes and not in bubble wrap sleeves whenever possible. We have been looking into compostable plastic sleeves for our smaller products, you may have seen them if you’ve ordered recently. We use recycled paper, we use recycled printer cartridges, lots of little things that we can do. We recycle. Most of our office furniture came from free piles, our moms, yard sales.
The biggest thing we do is make things that will serve you for a long time. Do you know Burberry threw out 38 MILLION DOLLARS of inventory in ONE YEAR according to Forbes Magazine July 2018 edition?
Can you believe that? The typical “luxury retailer” is outrageously wasteful. This is just one example. Small businesses are different. At Volante Design we are very aware of our resources, both environmentally as well as financially. We think lean, we make small batches, we’re very careful. We’ve fought hard to price things in a way that we cannot mark them down. We want to give you the best value we can while staying in business. We would never ever throw out a jacket. Heck, we don’t like to throw away our fabric scraps, we donate them whenever possible.
It’s not always obvious what the difference is between one coat or another. Learn about the process, learn about the company and think critically. Who do you want to support? You can vote in small ways with your dollar. I’m not saying it should be Volante Design all the time. (Yes, I know this is not what you’re supposed to say as a business person. But I’m not trying to sell you Volante Design, I’m trying to tell you what I believe in and how we’ve evolved Volante Design in response to that.)
Some companies that I respect their process-
Timbuk2 - They recycle old bags for parts and they also have a repair program. They make their products in the USA. One reason we haven’t made a ton of bags is because they do them so well. Maybe one day we will be able to help you re-sell your coats that don’t fit you anymore. Right now we don’t have the (hu)manpower.
American Giant - They make primarily solid basics. They’re American made and great quality.
Everlane - They are not US manufacturing, but they are amazingly transparent about their sourcing, pricing, and process. I hope one day we’ll have this sort of organization. I think it’s really radical.
I know there are so many more. These are just a few I immediately thought of. Send me yours. There’s a lot we don’t have control over, but together we can change how things work. Our actions matter.
-Willow
Dear Friends!
First of all, thank you for being with us on another trip around the sun! We have had a full throttle, rocket ship, hold onto your hat sort of year. In lots of ways, we tried to reinvent the wheel this year. It was our first full year of having licenses, we grew our team by 25%, we tried new shows, and made new products. It was a lot. And we wouldn’t trade it for anything.
In 2019 we achieved goals we had been working towards for a long time. We made Star Trek clothes, and you guys liked ‘em! We got to meet the cast of Discovery as well as other folks who we’d only before seen on a screen. I have to say, that doesn’t get old. We started working with Ubisoft and Assassin’s Creed, whose creative team really likes our work. It’s so satisfying to be recognized officially by them. We even got called up by a few licensors who want us to make products for them, which was a very new experience after chasing others for years.
The best thing that we got right in 2019 was our team. They’re great. We have seven hard working, creative, brave people on our team who are all good at what they do. Also, get this, we all like each other. We are honored that they have come to work at Volante Design. We will go far together.
I would be lying if I said it was always easy to be a small business. This year alone, Bombsheller, badasses and makers of fabulous geek leggings, Tess Crowninshield, designer of high-end women’s coats (also our neighbor), and several of our suppliers closed their doors. We are very lucky to still be here and we don’t take it for granted. Hopefully, you won’t either!
2020 will be an amazing year for Volante Design. We have worked hard to get licensing with the right partners and be able to make the most of them. Last year, we learned the ropes and this year we’ll hit the ground running!
2020 is the future and we are ready!!!
