A New Way With Yarn

Bespoke garments and yarn vending machines – Emani Outterbridge is the young entrepreneur bringing fresh ideas to the crochet world

- Hannah Cross

Have you ever dreamed of living a life of yarn? Emani Outterbridge has. Not only did she dream it but she is making it a reality. At only 24, Emani is the CEO and creator of Emani Milan with almost a decade of experience in her business. She creates custom pieces for clients, sells her crochet patterns, teaches courses, has her own line of yarn and more. Putting her heart and soul into the business is what Emani does every step of the way and her success is a testament to how ambitious she is. I found out from Emani about how it all began, where she is heading next and what it’s like to work with major celebrities.

DISCOVERING TALENT

It all began back when Emani was only 15 years old and she needed to come up with a business plan for an entrepreneurship class she was taking a school. Seeing as she already knew how to crochet she figured that it was a great idea to combine the two and she launched Emani Milan (and passed her class of course).

Since beginning the business it has grown from strength to strength and Emani’s talent for both crochet and business shines through. Emani attributes much of her success to her ability to engage with her audience and potential clients with her honest, transparent and fresh approach. It has meant that people naturally gravitate towards her and the exciting projects she takes on. Not only does Emani have a strong online presence though, she lives and breathes her work in real life. “Wherever I am I always make sure I’m stepping out in my crochet pieces so this helps a lot with sales, as word of mouth is really the best form of promotion.” She recounts many conversations of people being amazed that she created her outfits herself, which we all know as crafters is the best compliment anyone can pay you.