JESSICA WILSON – STAND UP APPAREL

Look out world, here comes Jessica Wilson, owner of Stand Up Apparel.  I first met Jess at the Saturday Market. I rifled through her sale bin and flipped through her assortment of ladies tops. I was impressed by the quality of the garments and her use of inspirational slogans. I bought a pair of cheeky boy cut underwear and a tank for each of my sisters. Stand Up Apparel is spreading the message of embracing who you are. It is based on compassion, individuality, hope and love. Jess calls it ethically minded street wear.Jess designs and screens all of her pieces in her workshop on Salt Spring. She first tried silk screening in her grade 12 art class “Thanks Miss Locke.” She made a screened shirt for a friend’s birthday gift “I got so many comments on it I decided to ask my parents to invest 500 bucks so I could buy some stuff and start up!” They did and she was off to the Saturday Market in June 2006.

Jess also took a small course focusing on light emulsion screening, a much more detailed type of silk screening.When I asked Jess about obstacles as a young entrepreneur it seemed that being young was in fact the largest. “It is a little harder to get people to believe in me, or take a chance with my stuff. Because I think they look at someone my age and think I’m irresponsible.” Jess isn’t afraid to say she has learned a few lessons the hard way. Trial and error, she makes sure to learn from every mistake she makes.“Stand Up, Stand Out, and Stand Alone” is the company’s full slogan. “Really it is all about being an individual, speaking your truth and doing what you know is right no matter how much judgment you get for it.”Giving Back. Jess believes that life is not only about one’s financial endeavors. “There are a lot of people in this world who can’t speak up for themselves. I hope that every item sold goes to inspire not only its owner but those surrounding  them. Because of this I am choosing to give back.”A portion of every t-shirt sold goes to feed starving children around the world. While a portion of every bag goes to free women from the sex trade in India.Jessica hopes to have her own non-profit organization one day.

Jess’s clothing line has grown a lot since that summer when I first met her. She has added new items to her ladies’ line, a men’s line, and accessories. She now has several retail outlets, with the goal of a sales and marketing plan to grow her wholesale market share. She also has 3 major Craft Fair’s booked for this year, the first starting on March 31 in Toronto. Jess will be back at the market this year but you can always view her clothing online at  www.standupapparel.com. Besides nurturing a fast growing business, like most true entrepreneurs Jess has another career she pours her heart into, Photography. After graduating from GISS in ’06, she did her first stint in the Saturday market, did some traveling, and then moved to Victoria to attend the Western Academy of Photography in the fall of ’07. “I absolutely loved it”

She now offers portrait and wedding photography as well as advertising and adventure photography. You can view her portfolio on the web at
www.jessicawilsonphotography.com

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