Goodbye Kiyonna

Clara, Michelle, Vannessa, Invited-guest-I-do-not-know, and Angela

Maria, Clara, Desiree, and Me

Christy (upon arriving home from work at 3:00): "What are you doing!"

Me: "Cleaning."

Christy: "But WHY?! Didn't you have work today?"
Me: *uncertain pause* "Uh, yeah. I got laid off.
Christy: *hysterical laughter and knee slapping... unable to comment secondary to laughing so hard*
Me: ....?


The apparel industry is taking a hard hit economically and I was laid off today. Yup. Not a week after graduating, either. How do I feel? Just fine. I was ready to move on anyhow and this is a great impetus for doing so. Kim (Owner and CEO) called me up to her office not five minutes after I arrived this morning to administer the blow, informing me that others in our small office would be laid off today as well. I didn't cry and was actually very apologetic to Kim for the downturn of things and wished her well. However, saying goodbye to my girls in production was a little more difficult. I broke the news to Merrilees (my trainee) first and she, in shock, just stared at me with an open mouth. Then I went and told Desiree (my desk buddy) and she leaped out of her chair and came and hugged me. Of course that made me start crying. Kimmy, our 50-year-old, Vietnamese, sample sewer who might weigh 70 pounds on a good day, noticed the kerfuffle and came over to offer another long hug, which was hard. (To my relief, Angela, the Production Manager, wasn't there and I didn't have to endure that hug goodbye.) I packed up and headed out. I really am not all that upset by the financial hardship this will bring as much as the associations I'll miss out on. But, I'm so excited for what is waiting for me around the corner. When Christy regained her composure after laughing at my job loss, she explained the humor as: "It's just sooo typical! You just finish school and then you loose your job! Oh, man! How typical is that?! I think God allowed you to have that job long enough to finish school without stressing out and now he's giving you a fresh start to begin something new and wonderful. You'll be alright." I tend to agree.


In benediction of my employment at Kiyonna, I offer the top ten things I will miss (in no particular order):

10.) Long hours at our sewing contractor's non-air conditioned shops doing quality control and specifications... Okay, I won't miss this but I'll always remember it!
9.) Manhandling heavy rolls of fabric into the Ru and to our cutting service. There is something very satisfying about being able to shot put a 40-pound roll of fabric.
8.) Cockroaches and the humorous memory they've afforded me of the night Angela and I got really ambitious and decided to rearrange the production space. There was lifting, pushing, sweeping, and... SCREAMING. We're all such GIRLS when it comes to bugs. These are the days we mourn our all-female office.
7.) Vanessa Vasquez's perfect outfits every day. Who needs Vogue with Vanessa setting the trends around here?
6.) Julie. She's sooo nice at all times. How could anyone not miss her?
5.) Detailed e-mail's from Angela. What was once so annoying and neurotic to me, will be missed! Hahaha! (You know I appreciate you, Angela!)
4.) In sync head bobbing to the radio with Desiree as we pick away at our keyboards.
3.) The aromatic Vo. This is more just funny/good-story-telling material than it is something to be missed.
2.) Giving uninvited direction and suggestions during fittings as well as during Desiree's fabric meetings with Kim and Evania (I'm a designer at heart above all other things!)
1.) Evania's mysterious snacks... Who eats avocados mashed with bananas in soy milk? Evania does.