Clothing Matters | Jan Erickson | TEDxColoradoSprings

Most of us get up in the morning, select what we are going to wear that day, and if we ‘get it right’ we feel pretty good in our own skin. We feel confident, reflecting our personal aesthetic to the world.  But what happens to us when, because of an illness or accident or aging, we  no longer can pick out our own clothes, or dress ourselves—does that mean it no longer matters?  There is compelling research that would indicate it matters a lot.  There are fascinating reports of individuals with advanced dementia that still make significant efforts to communicate their personhood through dress.  In 2003, Janska President Jan Erickson had a life-changing dream to create a soft, fashionable jacket for Jean, a friend who felt she had lost her beauty to illness. Jan’s inspirational ͞ah ha͟moment – that drive to help women everywhere ͞Look Good. Feel Good͟– remains at the heart of Janska today, a company of USA-made women's outerwear and accessories that’s sold in hundreds of stores and catalogs across the U.S. and Canada. As a United States manufacturer committed to sustainability, excellence, stewardship and integrity, Jan has earned many awards, including the SBA’s 2014 Colorado Small Business Person of the Year and the 2014 Accolades Business Leader of the Year by the Southern Colorado Women’s Chamber. Her versatile collections of easy, flattering apparel designs also made Janska a Colorado Company to Watch in 2013. Committed to life-long learning, Jan acquired her Advanced Communicator Silver and Competent Leadership cert This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx