Zibbet is pleased to introduce Claranne Knittel who operates two shops on Zibbet. At Clarify you will find quality clothing and accessories for women.
At her shop, Man Overboard, her tag line reads “Rescuing Men from Ordinary Apparel.”
Claranne lives with her husband on the big Island of Hawaii. She worked many years in all aspects of the clothing industry before opening her shop on Zibbet.
Please enjoy the interview, leave Claranne a comment, and then use the Share tool so others can read it, too.
My two shops are really a two-person operation. While I get to have fun with the creative processes, my husband, Sage, a former attorney, handles the business and technical end of things. We both post in the forums under my username. I respond to materials and techniques and some chit chat, but most posts relating to computer skills or business information are from him.
I worked 30 years in the apparel industry doing everything from pattern making to quality control to product development on myriad product lines including skiwear, outerwear, sleeping bags and sportswear. The jobs allowed me to visit garment factories throughout Asia, India, and the Americas so I have seen lots of right and wrong ways to make garments. I was fortunate enough to retire to the beautiful Hamakua coast on the Big Island of Hawaii where my husband and I built our home, including a huge studio for my work, by ourselves over a period of three years. I now spend most days sewing, dying, knitting, or crocheting. I have an incredible stash of fabric and yarn that I carried around for years and it is my goal to at least whittle it down some.
I love to bake, so I make all our bakery goods–bagels, bread, English muffins, quick breads and muffins. I also walk 6 days a week to keep fit. I attempt gardening, but I would rather be sewing so the grass and weeds tend to get ahead of me in this tropical environment. Also, we have six cattle that need occasional tending.
People and their apparel choices inspire me, and mostly I am appalled. I loathe “trends” and most “fashion” because few people really look good in them. I also dislike the “fashion uniform”–everyone wearing whatever is the latest trend and pretending they are not in a uniform. It makes me want to dress people in clothing that is unique, but appropriate to them and well fitted.
There are many people I admire including sewing celebrities who are working to bring home sewing back from obscurity, sample sewers who turn a designer’s craziness and fanciful ideas into a garment that actually can be made, and of course all the “crafters” who are willing to take something they love and show it to the world. These are people who are good at what they do and proud of their work. Taking pride in one’s creations is saying you love what you do and you want the world to know it.
I am fairly passionate about leading a good life without damaging my fellow man or the planet any more than it is.
As it has been said many times by the featured artists, it is the friendly environment and the fact that Zibbet is dedicated to the seller as a seller. I want and need a venue that will do it’s best to put product in front of customers; Zibbet does this rather than try to make “friends” of the entire world. And as a relatively new site, Zibbet has a vitality lacking elsewhere. 
Having been one of eight founders of what became a very successful outerwear company, I know the thrills, and fears, that motivate people in startup businesses, and I detect in Jonathan and his gang the enthusiasm and commitment necessary for success.
Google Analytics. I use it on my own website and would like to be able to compare Zibbet shop traffic to that of my website and to know that data were derived through an identical process.
Facebook, Twitter, and being active in the forum. I do some paid advertising for my own website, but the lack of Google Analytics has deterred me from spending money to promote my Zibbet shops.
The cost for a premium shop is one of the greatest bargains available on the internet. Anyone who has not already signed up for one would benefit from the features available only with a premium shop, and, perhaps most important, the opportunity to lock in the low annual fee.
A Rock Star. But since that is not likely to happen I will settle for being a happy crafter selling my wares to an appreciative audience here on Zibbet.
Tags: Clarify, Featured Zibbeters
