Ashley Totka

My line of organic, handmade tank tops came to me out of the blue one day, in mid-July, 2014. Once it clicked, it just felt right and I knew that this was something I needed to pursue. So, after 7 months of developing designs, patterns, samples, sourcing materials and brushing up on my business skills, I was ready to launch my line of tank tops. During development I had several goals in mind for starting a business, I wanted to design a piece of clothing that is versatile; something that could be a piece in your wardrobe that you could wear for different occasions. Something that has always been a favorite layering piece of mine has been tank tops, it's great to wear on its own, under a cardigan or blazer, dress it up or down, you get the picture. Another point that is very important to me is bringing business to Chicago. I love Chicago, words can't really describe how I feel about the city. So it is very important to me to keep business in Chicago. The other and more recent interest of mine has been organics. Since graduating from Columbia College Chicago in 2011, learning about organic food and its impact on our well-being, as well as the environment has become a passion of mine. I couldn’t imagine starting a company without incorporating these principles into it.