Part 1: From Engineering Manager to Outdoor Apparel for Plus Sizes 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 1 of this interview with Raquel, you'll hear:   -The ancestral stigma and stereotypes around outdoor sports that she broke through -The surprising percentage of apparel that is made in plus sizes (leaving massive opportunity in serving this market) -How she went from engineering to starting a company making outdoor apparel for plus-sized clientele practically overnight -An insider's peek into making a successful Kickstarter project that helps your brand grow   We can't wait to hear what you think of this episode! From: https://www.thebusinessofapparel.com  Powered By: https://www.unmarkedstreet.com  To connect with Rachel, you can join her LinkedIn community here: LinkedIn. Or Connect with us on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/unmarkedstreet/  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100076027998346  https://twitter.com/UnmarkedStreet  https://www.pinterest.com/unmarkedstreet/    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