Some days, I feel like finding the right person to work with, someone who truly gets it, who values the work, the craft, the commitment, is harder than designing the actual product. I’m not even talking about co-founders or investors. I mean the pattern maker who doesn’t ghost you. The garment constructor who actually delivers what was promised. The supplier who doesn’t double prices mid-project without a reason.
It’s draining. And if you’re in this industry, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Building DolMel ™ hasn’t just been about design or vision; it’s been about constantly navigating the messy, fragile, unstructured system that surrounds it. One of the biggest challenges I face, and I know many of my peers do too, is forming and sustaining the right team. In our ecosystem, having a reliable, skilled, and professional team sometimes feels like a luxury. But that shouldn’t be the case.
A Broken System of Solo Builders
Our industry wasn’t built to work together. It’s an ecosystem of isolation, gatekeeping, and burnout. Most technical experts are self-taught or picked up skills from family members. Others took brief training courses, and while that’s a starting point, it often stops there.
For many, this work is just a way to survive, not something they take pride in growing through. And when it is passion, professionalism is still missing: poor communication, resistance to feedback, missed deadlines, and unspoken price hikes.
Let’s be honest, our sector isn’t yet seen as fully “professional.” And the industry suffers for it. Especially emerging brands like DolMel ™.
Big companies can afford to retain skilled workers, offer structure, and create pipelines. Small brands like mine? We wear every hat. We train, mentor, manage, and micromanage. And most days, we do it alone.
Vocational/University Gaps, Talent Drain, and No Middle Ground
What’s even harder is watching how many of our vocational graduates pivot out of the field. Those who studied garment construction, textile development, and pattern making most switch paths after school, or go straight into launching their own businesses. That’s not a bad thing in itself, but without years of on-the-ground experience, it limits both personal growth and industry excellence.
Some get hired by large local or international manufacturers. The rest of us, the small, intentional, creative businesses, are left to fend for ourselves.
This is not just a DolMel ™problem. It’s an ecosystem problem.
There’s No One Role — There’s a Whole World of Them
Here’s what people don’t always realize: when you say “fashion,” they picture a designer and a tailor. That’s it.
But the fashion ecosystem is so much more. We need:
- Technical designers
- Sample makers
- Pattern cutters
- Pattern makers
- Garment constructors
- Stylists
- Fabric experts
- Seam finishers
- Product developers
- Creative directors
- Content strategists
- Fit experts
- Fashion show production specialists etc…
Right now? Most of those roles are either missing, misunderstood, or forced into one person, usually the founder.
In fact, I can count on one hand the number of stylists in Ethiopia I’ve seen approach their work with true professionalism Dagim Wondifraw Mesfinbeing one of them. We need many more.
And when it comes to pattern making, companies like Lek patternare thankfully starting to emerge, offering pattern development services, a much-needed shift toward filling in the gaps. But we’re still only scratching the surface.
And Then There’s the Raw Materials
Let’s talk fabric. In Ethiopia, we often work with what’s available. That usually means everyone’s using the same thing. Go to a trade fair, and it’s hard to distinguish one brand from another, same materials, same construction, same story, just with a little embroidery or trim to try and stand out.
That’s one of the many reasons DolMel ™ was born.
I knew I wanted to find a way to express who we are through prints and patterns, a brand voice woven into the fabric itself. My hope is that one day, we can offer this service to other designers and creatives. That they, too, can print their visions onto high-quality handwoven fabrics. That they can tell their own story, not just borrow from the limited pool of what’s already available.
This is how DolMel ™ aims to fill in just one of the many gaps, baby chewable step by baby chewable step.
Where Do We Go From Here?
Our industry is full of incredible potential, but it’s held back by a culture of short-term thinking, ego, gatekeeping, and a lack of systems that support real collaboration. And the fashion shows? They’re growing, but we still need structure behind the glam. Better backstage management. More organized casting. Clearer garment prep. And a full professional process from concept to execution.
I don’t say this to complain, I say it because it’s the truth.
There’s no handbook for how to build this industry. We’re writing it as we go. But we can’t do that if we keep trying to do it all on our own.
A Call to Co-Build
These are just some of the gaps. The rest? Too long to list in one article.
We need to reimagine what it means to work together in fashion and textiles. This is not just about brands. It’s about building an entirely new creative economy, one that values talent, rewards professionalism, and honors collaboration over competition.
If you’re a supplier, technical expert, service provider, educator, investor, or simply a creative with a vision, I hope you’ll reach out. Let’s connect. Let’s talk. Let’s work toward something that will actually last. Something we can be proud of.
DolMel ™was born to be part of that solution. But we cannot do it alone.
Let’s stop patching up the system. Let’s rebuild it, together.
We’re Looking For:
- Strategic partners who believe in African-led production
- Service providers ready to grow in skill and excellence
- Collaborators who want to help shape the industry
- Investors who see the power of circular fashion and local production
DM me. Email me. Share this with someone who needs to read it. We’re building, and the next chapter is ready to be written with you.
#DolMelWave Continues
