Two girls on a mission
This story begins in the small fishing town of Homer in remote Alaska. In a workshop where two girls named the "The Salmon Sisters" spend the long winters. Two sisters Emma and Claire Laukitis have taken the lessons learned from a unique upbringing combined with a lifetime of responsible family fishing and have applied it to a budding clothing company. The girls have each branched out and achieved different college education and have returned home to team up together building a company centered on raising awareness for sustainable Alaskan fishing, while at the same time gaining a sense of community that makes life in the 49th state so great.
On the outside, the Salmon Sisters business is simple. They are producing silkscreened shirts, hoodies and other clothing that is both functional in the environment of Alaska while at the same time unique in their artwork designs. However that is where the simple part of their business plan ends. Woven throughout their business of making stylish clothing is a message that being responsible to our environment is beneficial to everyone both near and far. The girls have chosen to take their business to another level by embracing their love of the ocean and using that to create a voice for ethical treatment of our resources for generations to come.
I first learned about the story of these girls when my wife approached me asking that I get her a pair of tights that these girls have designed. They are fleece lined warm winter tights that are stylish while at the same time very "Alaskan". When our local newspaper the Anchorage Daily News ran the story linked at the end of my blog, I felt that it would be a great addition to the ethical discussion that we will be creating over the next few weeks.
These girls embody the spirit of love and respect for the ocean that life revolves around in fishing communities. “Salmon Sisters has been the perfect offshoot of what we hold near and dear as commercial fishermen,” Claire said. “All fishermen are stewards of this incredible resource, and we want to share that and promote it for future generations.” Through their lifetime of fishing in the family business they have found the beauty in salmon and respect for the fisheries way to make a living.
The girls own interests in the business don't end with just selling merchandise, They have collaborated with local organizations including The Salmon Project and The Great Land Trust to add their personal touch to help raise awareness and financial assistance for our local salmon fishery.
This story begins in the small fishing town of Homer in remote Alaska. In a workshop where two girls named the "The Salmon Sisters" spend the long winters. Two sisters Emma and Claire Laukitis have taken the lessons learned from a unique upbringing combined with a lifetime of responsible family fishing and have applied it to a budding clothing company. The girls have each branched out and achieved different college education and have returned home to team up together building a company centered on raising awareness for sustainable Alaskan fishing, while at the same time gaining a sense of community that makes life in the 49th state so great.
On the outside, the Salmon Sisters business is simple. They are producing silkscreened shirts, hoodies and other clothing that is both functional in the environment of Alaska while at the same time unique in their artwork designs. However that is where the simple part of their business plan ends. Woven throughout their business of making stylish clothing is a message that being responsible to our environment is beneficial to everyone both near and far. The girls have chosen to take their business to another level by embracing their love of the ocean and using that to create a voice for ethical treatment of our resources for generations to come.
I first learned about the story of these girls when my wife approached me asking that I get her a pair of tights that these girls have designed. They are fleece lined warm winter tights that are stylish while at the same time very "Alaskan". When our local newspaper the Anchorage Daily News ran the story linked at the end of my blog, I felt that it would be a great addition to the ethical discussion that we will be creating over the next few weeks.
These girls embody the spirit of love and respect for the ocean that life revolves around in fishing communities. “Salmon Sisters has been the perfect offshoot of what we hold near and dear as commercial fishermen,” Claire said. “All fishermen are stewards of this incredible resource, and we want to share that and promote it for future generations.” Through their lifetime of fishing in the family business they have found the beauty in salmon and respect for the fisheries way to make a living.
The girls own interests in the business don't end with just selling merchandise, They have collaborated with local organizations including The Salmon Project and The Great Land Trust to add their personal touch to help raise awareness and financial assistance for our local salmon fishery.
By putting their own financial gain in the background and focusing their business on the responsible way to live, work and play, the Laukitis girls are setting an example for future generations to follow in responsible small business behavior.
All quotes and background information from this post can be found at the following:
http://www.adn.com/article/20150405/fishy-business-homers-salmon-sisters-spread-love-alaska-through-art
All images have been borrowed from the Salmon sisters website
http://aksalmonsisters.com
I encourage everyone to follow the story to their website and see firsthand how they are running their business and the great products they are selling.
All images have been borrowed from the Salmon sisters website
http://aksalmonsisters.com
I encourage everyone to follow the story to their website and see firsthand how they are running their business and the great products they are selling.
