What is Camaraderie Designs?
Welcome to Camaraderie Designs, a small business based out of San Diego, California. My passion is creating practical items that my loved ones and I can use together. My debut line (due in Fall or Winter 2011) will include simply embellished place mats, napkins, and coasters, sewn together and embroidered individually by hand. I want my products to be something people can use every day with their friends and family and allow people to live the true meaning of “camaraderie.” Eventually, I would like to expand my business to include items like aprons, oven mitts, wine cozies, and other kitchen and dining items.
This website will eventually have a portfolio and a store, but for now houses a blog where I will post pictures and projects that inspire me and my creative process, some business startup-related resources, my works-in-progress, and more.
Thank you so much for visiting!
June Owatari
june.owatari@gmail.com
How did you come up with the name?
Let me tell you a story:
When I first started thinking of a name for my business, I had no idea where to start. First, I tried thinking of puns or phrases that would play on my first or middle names, June Luna. My list included things like “June & July” and “Strawberry Moon Designs.” I got frustrated with pages and pages of names that didn’t seem to fit my personality.
My friend suggested that I make a list of things that were important to me. I came up with friends, family, relationships, food, so on and so forth. Still didn’t have it. I created a list of things I wanted people who shopped my products to feel when they used my products: friendship, love, enjoyment of a meal.
Friendship? Eating together? What about the “closeness one feels when eating a meal prepared with loved ones?”
Too bad there wasn’t a word that meant that, because I didn’t think “Closeness One Feels When Eating a Meal Prepared with Loved Ones” Designs was easy to remember. And can you imagine registering a domain name for that?
But the thought lingered in my head as I looked in a thesaurus for synonyms to some of the words in my lists. And there was “camaraderie”, waiting for me to find it at the right time.
Sure, the word “camaraderie” may not specifically have anything to do with eating meals with a loved one, but the feeling you get when eating with your friends or your family… that’s camaraderie.
And that’s Camaraderie Designs.