Shop Room Employee Outfits a Second-Place Victory in MavPitch Competition

Senior theatre student Carissa Knitowski was required to submit a business idea to the Spring 2021 MavPitch Competition as part of her Entrepreneurship class but says she would have entered regardless.

“I’ve had the idea to do a costuming business since I started sewing,” she said. “[The MavPitch competition] forces you to look into your business and start planning things out.”

Knitowski has worked in the University of Texas at Arlington Libraries Shop Room while pursuing her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design and Technology for nearly two years. Since Fall 2019, she has helped with trainings, virtual consultations through the FabLab Alternate Consultation Experience, and used machines in the Shop Room such as the CNC Plasma Cutter and ShopBot to facilitate user projects. She has also assisted with a revamp of the FabLab sewing area due to her expertise and education.

“Carissa is a stand-out employee, and we are so proud of her accomplishments with the MavPitch Competition,” said Tim Neill, FabLab technician and Knitowski’s supervisor in the Libraries. “I look forward to seeing how the skills she has acquired in her time with us transfer to her entrepreneurial future.”

The MavPitch Competition is made possible by the Maverick Entrepreneur Program and Award Fund, which was established by a generous, anonymous alumnus to encourage Mavericks to explore their business ideas in a collaborative and supportive environment. The 2021 top prize of $85,000 was won by Hashira Studios, a company that creates unique clothing featuring anime-inspired designs.

Carissa’s Custom Costumes encompasses all areas of costuming, including patterns with in-depth tutorials that address a common concern with beginners.

“I know the struggle of commercial patterns,” she said. “I want to have great patterns that are both beginner-friendly and still really cool designs but easy to follow.”

Her business will also have a selection of ready-to-wear costumes that can be ordered from her website, as well as a custom, made-to-order option for customers who want to work with Knitowski to create something tailored to their needs.

One of Knitowki’s favorite aspects of the process was that everyone won some amount of money.

“That’s what’s really cool about the MavPitch Competition,” she said. “It’s not about beating other students or trying to get ahead. Everyone helps each other out because it’s not a zero sums game.”

For seven weeks over the summer, all the winners participated in a Deep Dive accelerator program with TechFW, a local nonprofit that helps emerging entrepreneurs launch and grow their companies. This phase of the competition asked the students to build a more robust business plan and pitch, which was delivered at the end of the Deep Dive, with the help of mentors and coaches.

Knitowski tied for second, winning a total of $23,000 to invest in her business.

For Knitowski, the second-place win was validating as an artist who wonders sometimes about the value of art in entrepreneurship.

“You hear a lot of these business ideas that are these big tech ideas, these revolutionary things moving forward, and I’m over here like, ‘I like to make costumes—here’s the art that I do,’” she said. “A lot of times now, we see art as being pushed to the side more, so it felt validating to see that that was recognized and that they saw that that is an important and crucial part of society.”

Knitowski recognized the role that her work in the FabLab played in her participation in the MavPitch competition and general entrepreneurship goals.

“I love the FabLab so much,” she said. “Just all of the skills you gain—you would be surprised how often you end up having to use tools and other elements, how many of those things translate to different areas.”

Katie Musick Peery, Director of the FabLab, says the space was designed to provide students from all disciplines with a place to learn and play.

“The FabLab is place for everyone, regardless of background or experience, to make and explore creative fabrication,” Peery said. “We believe that the skills developed in the FabLab transfer to the classroom and eventually to our students’ future careers, and we want all of our students to have the opportunity to learn by doing with the variety of tools throughout the lab.”

In addition to transferrable skills, Knitowski also reflected on how important her customer service experience in the FabLab is to her future endeavors.

“Getting experience interacting with students and having to think on your feet [is crucial],” she said. “So, you have a consultation come in and you have no idea what’s it’s going to be, but you have to be ready to answer any design questions they might have, help them think through the idea, workshop it, and then how it’s going to relate to what machines to use.”

Knitowski’s advice for students with entrepreneurial goals who are interested in the FabLab is simple.

“Come in and use it,” she says. “That’s how I got my job. The more you use it, the better you’ll feel about it, and honestly the more skills you get, the better—you just never know when it will come in handy.”

When thinking about the power of hands-on knowledge in the FabLab and Shop Room, Knitowski says there is nothing better.

“Once you get trained on a lot of stuff, it feels like you can make anything,” she said. “It’s the most empowering feeling in the world.”