Baby's First Sample

I just came across this photo and realized that this was the very first product sample I ever made...and by "made" I mean took the technical specification sheet (or "tech spec" as it's commonly called) to a local factory owner and begged him to help me out in their sample room. Of course, not much begging was necessary with none other than Mr. Upali Weerakoon by my side, who has a way of convincing everyone we meet that I'm Ivanka Trump and he, my Personal Assistant. But you'll meet him later!

Back to the story. One morning when Upali picked me up to do our usual speeding through Colombo picking out fabric swatches, meeting with factory owners, and eating our weight in rice and curry, he handed me a bag. Inside was this polo - our first sample. It was made from "stock fabric" (whatever the guy had), the embroidery was wrong, it had Tommy Hilfiger buttons, and the fit was a little off, but I burst into tears anyway. You couldn't wipe the smile from my face for about four hours. Upali of course was looking at me like "I really hope this isn't the quality she's aiming for or we're all going to be in trouble..." But it was the first time I'd ever held a piece of School House in my hands, and I couldn't believe it. For a year I'd been talking and thinking and thinking and talking about School House, but it wasn't until that day that it began to feel real.

P.S. A special thanks to Corporal Christopher Emert for his Fit Model services. :)