BEFORE THE SWEATSHIRTS: MY FASHION INDUSTRY PAST LIVES

BEFORE THE SWEATSHIRTS: MY FASHION INDUSTRY PAST LIVES

Before I was packing sweatshirts in tissue paper and handwriting thank-you notes, I was doing coffee runs for someone who thought fashion interns should levitate.

I studied fashion in school and was convinced I was going to become a buyer - that was the dream. Ironically, buying is the one area I’ve never worked in… and still the part of my business I struggle with most (which is why I now outsource it). Go figure.

Instead, I ended up doing a bit of everything. Working in Canada’s smaller fashion market meant wearing a lot of hats, so I didn’t stick to one lane — I got my hands into all of them. And while none of it was part of the original plan, every single role became the perfect crash course in building Diamonds + Sweatshirts.

My first job was as an assistant to a fashion designer. It was chaotic, underpaid, and a little unhinged - but honestly? It was the most fun I’ve ever had. I was exposed to everything: fittings, fashion shows, styling, production, the occasional meltdown… it was fashion at its most unfiltered.

From there, I moved into product development - creating pieces from scratch and working with factories to bring them to life. That led to wholesale sales, and eventually to business & brand development, with a focus on licensed products.

Each role taught me something: about pricing, production, branding, marketing, working with vendors, negotiating, storytelling. It wasn’t a linear path, but looking back, it was everything I needed.

I never expected my apparel line to take off the way it did. I started Diamonds + Sweatshirts with a focus on jewelry, and the sweatshirts were meant to complement that. But here we are - expanding into socks, t-shirts, and maybe a few other pieces I’m not ready to spill about yet - and I get to use everything I’ve learned to bring them to life in a way that feels uniquely mine.

So no, I didn’t become a buyer.

But I did become a founder. And honestly? That feels way more like me!

xx
Amanda