ELEVEN SIX FIVE YEARS | A NOTE FROM THE CO- FOUNDER: CATHERINE CARNEVALE

A moment to reflect, affirm future vision and thank our community for their support…

Dear ELEVEN SIX community,

We are excited to share with you that February, 2020 ELEVEN SIX marks it’s fifth year in business. We launched our first collection in Fall 2015 where we laid the foundations of the ELEVEN SIX DNA. We know this is a young anniversary but wanted to take the opportunity for a moment of reflection, reaffirm our future vision and to thank each and every one of you for following and supporting ELEVEN SIX.
 
Since the epiphany I had in the Andes mountains to create ELEVEN SIX we have passionately and humbly been climbing our brand mountain ever since. Our original mission statement has stayed true to its roots: 
ELEVEN SIX works with master artisans in Peru to thoughtfully craft products of un-compromised quality and beauty, creating, with love, a contemporary collection of refined and easy–to–wear, alpaca knitwear.
 
ELEVEN SIX was born from a desire to be more sustainable and ethical in my approach to work, to create new horizons for myself and my family-to-be, a desire to give work to these skillful artisan-women (and men) and to know where my work was being produced. Women empowering women and mothers supporting mothers has been a key focus. By working within the artisan cooperatives these women are able to work around their family lives, giving them independence to bring an income to the household. It has been incredibly rewarding seeing the workshops and communities benefit from the growing knitting programs we have been able to provide as we in turn grow each season. The artisan’s feel proud to sign their names on the hang tags of our hand-made knitwear, passing on a little of their hand-crafted love to you.
 
We are currently working on a five-year brand goal to start a foundation committed to supporting the training process for artisans as well as contributing to their community needs by giving back a percentage of online sales profit to the foundation. Stay tuned.
 
At ELEVEN SIX we strive to be as thoughtful and eco conscious as possible in both our approach to design and in the day to day business operations. When I design and create collections I envision the core of the styles to be somewhat timeless, pieces-to-keep and worn across generations. A key aspect of sustainability we promote is using ethically-sourced yarns at the manufacturing source in Peru. We use alpaca yarns for colder seasons and pima cotton for the Spring season which in turn supports the local Peruvian yarn industry and reduces carbon footprint.

Last year the brand made an exciting move taking our first studio space in the historic, newly-renovated Fuller building in Kingston, NY. The building was formerly a shirt factory back in the 1800’s so we love that we have landed in a building that has a fashion heritage. The building has become home to all kinds of independent, entrepreneurial businesses, there is a real sense of local Upstate community that it is wonderful to be amongst.

Finally, I want to say a gracious THANK YOU to all of our ELEVEN SIX customers for believing in us, shopping our brand and being conscious consumers. We have been organically growing our customer following primarily through word of mouth and I am always thrilled to hear how you came to discover our brand and humbled by the positive feedback. We strive to provide high quality, personal customer service and appreciate any customer feedback as it invaluable to our growth.

Thank you for your support and taking the time to read my note.
 

Catherine XOX
Co-Founder, Creative Director & CEO