10 Grace and Lace Fun Facts!

We hope you're loving celebrating our 10 year anniversary as much as we are! Whether you're a new fan or have been with us since the pre-Shark Tank days, we're glad you're here. As we take a look back on where we've been, and excitedly look ahead to what God has next, we thought it would be fun to share 10 "insider" fun facts you may not know! 
And if you knew any of these fun facts already, don't forget to share which ones with the rest of us in the comments below! 

1. How many orders were received after Melissa posted her very first pair of lacey boot socks to her online shop?

Original Lacey Boot Socks, posted online for sale 10/31/11

Within the first 48 hours, Melissa had received over 400 order requests! After making her initial pair, the process took her so long she swore never to make another pair of boot socks again. But here we are, 10 years later :) 

Recruited friends packaging orders. These friends later became G&L team members!

2. Where did the Grace and Lace name come from?

     Melissa & Barbara revealing the new Grace and Lace logo

Before Grace and Lace was born, Melissa had an Etsy shop called "Sienna's Closet" where she sold hand dyed and embellished baby clothing. She quickly realized people didn't know how to spell "Sienna" and it was hard to find online. Melissa had used a frequent tagline on her blog at the time - made with His grace and a little lace. The name Grace and Lace was created based off of that tagline, and due to the fact that nearly all of our designs at the time featured lace!

3. Do any product names have any special meanings behind them?

We've had a few over the years, including one of our earliest designs, the Milly Lace boot socks. These boot socks featured the signature lace trim around the top, and were named after Melissa's Grandma Milly, who taught her how to sew. 

4. How many orders were received after Grace and Lace's Shark Tank episode aired? 

     Melissa & team burning the midnight oil with Shark Tank orders

We received over 10,000 orders overnight and over 300 wholesale requests from curious boutiques wanting to carry our line in their shops! In case you missed it, you can read more about those Shark Tank adventures on our Early Memories post!

5. How many team members were hired after the Shark Tank episode aired? 

             Local team members during a Shark Tank update

We hired 30 total employees within the first 2 weeks after our episode aired. After that, it was all hands on deck to get those orders fulfilled and shipped out!

6. How long does it take to fulfill one order?

Given the order size, it can take anywhere from 3-5 minutes for a retail order, and anywhere from 5-15 minutes to fulfill a wholesale order headed to any of our boutique partners (with larger orders taking nearly an hour!). Our fulfillment team works efficiently to process the order, pick the items from our warehouse bins, thoroughly qc the order for any errors, then package & scan the order to get it ready for mail pick up. 

7. What was the first apparel item Grace and Lace designed? 

           Launching the Lace Dress Extender!

That was our legendary Lace Dress Extender! The concept was born out of Melissa needing to add just a little bit of length to dresses or tunics paired with leggings. The stretchy, buttery soft material and gorgeous lace trim was an instant top seller, and you haven't tried one yet, you can grab one for yourself here! 

8. How long does it take to get a design "just right" when creating something new? 

Melissa and design team, 2016 

From idea conception to the final product, there's about 12 different stages Melissa and our design team spend many, many months on, including months of planning between design, technical design, and pattern making. The 12 key stages are: 
* seasonal style line plan
* styles idea generation
* sketch and CAD
* design tech pack (includes art renderings and fabrication specs)
* first fit pattern making
* first fit proto sample (here our design and production teams determine if a style will make the cut for the season or be moved to a future season)
* yarn/fabric/pantone colors requests and submissions
* fit grading to size set
* size set proto sample fit (where we confirm the bulk fabric is correct)
* pre-production fit samples
* photo shoot samples in bulk fabric received
* TOP or "top of production" samples received from finished production

9. How many orphanages has Grace and Lace opened?

To date, we've opened 12 orphanages in India, 1 freedom home in Nepal for women and children rescued from human trafficking, and 1 school for boys in India who were orphaned due to religious persecution. Those homes represent lives being changed, and we are so thankful for your support to make a difference!

10. What's one favorite thing about working with Barbara Corcoran? 

          Rick, Melissa, and Barbara in NYC
                           

There's too many to name just one! She works hard and plays hard, has incredible street smarts as well as business sense, is wise with her investments, and is one of the hardest working people we know. There's also no shortage of laughs when Barbara's around! 

So, how did you do? Let us know in the comments below what fun facts you'd never heard before, or enjoy your G&L know-how and share with the rest of us how much you already knew!