Help Mel Grow Aqua Underwear
Donation protected
Welcome and thank you from the bottom of my heart for being here! I'm forever grateful to all my community, friends, family, and clients for continuing to support me and the Aqua Underwear dream. It really does take a village to raise a small buisness! - MelWHAT IS AQUA UNDERWEAR?!
Aqua Underwear is a handmade underwear project joining the ranks of the small but growing inclusive clothing world, creating with a special eye on gender, size, disability and BIPOC inclusion!
Creator and owner, Mel Martinez (she/they), a queer Latinx sewist of color, handmakes every garment, with the help of one amazing part-time intern, Al Fernandez (they/them) in Salt Lake City, Utah.
They make gender inclusive cotton, mesh and lace boxer briefs in ready-to-ship and made-to-order options, sizes 3XS-5X, with gender affirming and disability feature options.
Ever working towards greater inclusion, the future holds more sizes and adaptive features, crop tops, dresses, and one day binders, sports bras and bralettes.
WHY MEL NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT
Being a small business is expensive ya’ll! Did you know most businesses don't make a profit in the first 3 years and pay 30% taxes?! So, starting a business without loans or other funding can make sustainability incredibly difficult. Mel fortunately had some personal savings and was lucky enough to receive pandemic unemployment for a few months, which made Aqua Underwear’s creation possible. But now Mel is looking to the community to help Aqua Underwear through its next phase!
No donation is too small, or big! We are oh-so grateful for all contributions. Please also consider sharing with anyone who may be interested in supporting Aqua Underwear!
YOUR SUPPORT WILL HELP AQUA UNDERWEAR:
Participate in a residency program with Rebirth Garments in Chicago, Illinois, May 2022
- Rebirth Garments makes underwear and clothing for folks on the full spectrum of gender, disability, size and age. The residency will focus on gender and disability inclusive design and sewing techniques.
Cover 2022 studio costs
- Studio rent is no joke ya’ll, costs run $450-900/month depending on whether it’s a shared space or not
Buy sewing machines!
- Industrial sewing machines, sergers and coverstitch machines run anywhere from $2,000 - 4,000 each. A set of the same home machines run about $1,500
Fairly compensate models and testers
- All models, even selfies we repost on Instagram, and product testers are folks from marginalized communities. Most are 2SLGBTQIA+, Black, Indigenous and/or people of color (BIPOC), disabled, and/or plus size and Aqua Underwear takes pride in compensating all collaborators!
Buy wholesale fabrics and elastics in custom designs and sizes
- Wholesale fabric minimums usually start at 50 yards ($250+) and elastics at 1,200 yards ($1,500+). Additionally, printed fabrics often double in price compared to plain fabrics
Hire 2 part time employees and pay them livable wages
- Aqua Underwear currently has one part-time intern but would like to add another to the team and pay both a minimum of $16/hour
Cover legal and operational costs
- Small businesses pay 30% in taxes, and have yearly licensing, website, and various other recurring operational costs that really add up
Help cover personal expenses while Aqua Underwear grows
- Most businesses don’t make a profit for the first 3 years! It’s a long game, and so help covering basic expenses like rent, will allow Mel to focus on the business
OWNER BIO & AQUA UNDERWEAR STORY
Mel Martinez is a queer sewist raised a military brat, moving around from Germany, New Mexico, Alaska and finally Utah. Her family is from northern New Mexico, and she usually identifies as Chicanx, Latinx or simply brown. Mel learned to sew from their dad who was a sewist for the Air Force, a “stitch bitch” as teasers called them!
Mel studied City Planning and Environmental Studies at the University of Utah, and worked in education for a long time, but several years ago, in the perfect storm of a new sewing machine, some surprise sewing lessons and the passing of her mom, she found herself re-enthralled with her old sewing hobby as a sort of therapy, and obsessed with making the perfect gender-neutral underwear.
Other queer friends started requesting underwear too, sharing in the frustration with standard sizing and gendered choices in stores. After enrolling in a few semesters at the Salt Lake City Community College’s Fashion Design Program, Aqua Underwear launched in the Summer of 2020.
Mel studied City Planning and Environmental Studies at the University of Utah, and worked in education for a long time, but several years ago, in the perfect storm of a new sewing machine, some surprise sewing lessons and the passing of her mom, she found herself re-enthralled with her old sewing hobby as a sort of therapy, and obsessed with making the perfect gender-neutral underwear.
Other queer friends started requesting underwear too, sharing in the frustration with standard sizing and gendered choices in stores. After enrolling in a few semesters at the Salt Lake City Community College’s Fashion Design Program, Aqua Underwear launched in the Summer of 2020.
Mel is happy to make undies for everyone, in fact, a wide client base makes important free and pay-what-you-can options possible. Though as a queer person of color with skin allergies, sensory issues, a chronic ph/mineral imbalance and complex-PTSD, Mel is especially excited to create for and celebrate folks from marginalized communities who need creative and custom underwear options in fun and affirming styles!
DO I GET ANYTHING FOR DONATING?
Yes! You get the deepest, most heartfelt thank you and genuine appreciation from Mel, who literally couldn’t grow this project without your support. But keeping up with donation gifts takes an incredible amount of time and money, two things small businesses are already very short on.
LEARN MORE ABOUT AQUA UNDERWEAR!
Organizer
Nikita Abraham
Organizer
Salt Lake City, UT