Giving Back to the Equestrian Community with Blond Apparel
4-H members with their clothes
This week I had the pleasure of interviewing Amber Daniel, owner of Blond Apparel Show Clothing, about her recent show clothing-making event for local 4H members. At this special gathering, the youth exhibitors had the chance to make their horse show fashion visions into reality! Let’s see what Amber has to say about the event and her take on giving back to the equestrian community.
First off, tell us a bit about yourself and your business. How did you start on this journey?
What have been some of your biggest challenges/personal wins along the way? Before starting Blond Apparel I worked for different trainers at horse shows, helping clean stalls, saddle, etc. I was getting to where I didn’t enjoy it as much as I had used to, and I looked forward to coming home and making myself show clothes. So I slowly transitioned from working at the shows to starting up Blond Apparel.
Can you tell us a bit about the event you held and what sparked that?
Amber Daniel, Owner of Blond Apparel
I recently had a class for 4-H members (aged 12-18) to learn how to embellish their own show tops. As an active volunteer at my local library, there is a strong atmosphere of community. Other volunteers around me inspired me to give back, and what better way to give back than to the horse community I was raised in. The class was held over two days. The participants chose every detail of their top, from base color to finished crystal placement. Brittanie Norman very generously donated supplies and helped me run the class.
Were you involved with 4H as a child? If so, what was that like?
Growing up I was a member of the Rainbow Riders 4-H group in Midland, MI. We were a fairly large group of show kids and did a lot of meetings where we would haul in our horses and do a big group lesson. Midland had an amazing county fair and every year I was so excited to show my horse and enter my crafts.
4) How many shirts did you and the girls make during this event and how did you orchestrate the organization for it? As far as organizing this class, if you know me, you know I have to work harder than most to stay organized. To adapt, I started planning early and consulted with many friends along the way. My local public library has an amazing maker space (called the MidLab) with so many of the supplies and work areas we would need for this class, so it was the perfect location to host the class. The MidLab has 7 tables and chairs, so I chose to limit the class to 6 participants.
To me, that felt like a manageable number. After deciding on basic details, I worked for about a month to organize donations, supplies, and all of the final details. There was a lot more involved in planning something like this than I originally thought. Of course, the main focus of the class was the kids, but I didn’t want the parents to be left out. I let the parents know ahead of time, that I wanted the class to be a kids-only zone.
I wanted the girls to interact with each other, and I thought parents might unintentionally limit some of the interactions. So I planned activities in town for the parents to do while the girls worked on their tops. Midland is home to the Dow Gardens which is a 110-acre display of flowers, architectural bridges, and amazing water features. Parents were treated to tickets to visit the gardens thanks to the garden’s generous donation of passes. There was something for everyone involved.
Youth member at work on her shirt
Why do you think it is so important for the equine industry to give back to the community?
If we want this industry to survive and thrive, we have to support newcomers and youth. We all know how expensive show clothing can be, so I thought this class would be a great way to support youth. We were fortunate to receive so many donations, that I know many others agreed with the class mission as well.
In summary Amber would like to shout out, “These people were so helpful in organizing and running the class, and they deserve a big shout out: Brittanie Norman, Taylor Fabus, the Midland Co 4-H Horse Leaders, and Jon VanDerhoof.”
Social links:
Instagram: @blond.apparel
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlondApparel
