Part 2: From Engineering Manager to Outdoor Apparel for Plus Sizes Company Founder with Raquel Vélez

In this episode, Rachel chats with her friend and client, Raquel Vélez, a Puerto Rican woman from New Jersey, who discovered a passion for skiing only to be hindered by the lack of plus-size outdoor apparel. Raquel took matters into her own hands, launching a successful Kickstarter for her flagship product: The Ponderosa Pants.

Raquel Vélez is now the founder of Alpine Parrot, an outdoor apparel company making clothes for bigger bodies. She is a mechanical engineer and roboticist turned software engineer turned CEO, who loves hiking and created Alpine Parrot to make the outdoors more inclusive and accessible to the plus-sized community.

In part 2 of this interview with Raquel, you'll hear:

-Raquel's experience with Kickstarter, and does it actually work?

-Why Shark Tank is a huge marketing opportunity

-Raquel walks us through her wear-test program and grading process that are being sought after by other companies

-Explanation of how the industry is handling body changes and sizing

-What's coming up in 2023 for Alpine Parrot

We can't wait to hear what you think of this episode

From: https://www.thebusinessofapparel.com Powered By: https://www.unmarkedstreet.com

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To connect with Raquel, you can go to her website: Alpine Parrot

Or Connect with her on Social Media:

https://www.instagram.com/alpineparrot/

https://twitter.com/alpineparrot