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Award for Young Alumni Achievement CHRISTINA FAGAN PARDY ’12 Honors one alumna/alumnus, graduated one to 10 years, who has demonstrated outstanding service to the College.
Christina Fagan Pardy is the founder of Sh*t that I Knit (STIK), a business that produces handmade knit apparel and accessories. Launched in 2014, its origins stretch back almost a decade earlier, when the Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, native learned the craft from her mother. An art history major, Christina interned at the Tang Teaching Museum and sold her hand-knit headbands in Case Center for fun. She was inspired by a class in Consumer Behavior with Mark Staton and connecting with entrepreneur Ken Freirich ’90. Her submission to the inaugural Freirich Competition, a museum marketplace that rents out artwork, earned “Most Intriguing Idea” honors. By senior year, Christina was blogging about knitting projects, mostly to amuse herself and her friends. This treasured pastime, however, coupled with a creative and analytical mind, ended up having a much bigger reach: Today, Christina is CEO of a thriving national brand that is an official partner of the U.S. Olympic team. After graduation, Christina worked in tech sales at LevelUp and Criteo. An account executive by day, she continued knitting at every opportunity. She and her mother knit a collection of hats to sell at Boston’s SoWa Market in fall 2014. STIK’s buzzy brand name drew crowds — the products were a hit. By 2015, Christina had assembled a team of knitters in Boston and left her sales job to focus on STIK full-time. A successful Kickstarter campaign led to a feature article in Forbes magazine. Realizing her company’s potential, Christina outsourced production to a team of women in Lima, Peru. She marketed her brand on Instagram, posting photos of celebrities wearing her hats and highlighting customers in their beanies. Christina struck gold in 2018, when she challenged
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her Instagram followers to participate in a “bikini and beanies’’ photo contest during a Boston snowstorm. The response made her an “influencer” overnight; STIK was soon generating $1 million in annual revenue. Expanding her team, Christina launched pop-up shops in New York City and Boston, and added mittens, sweaters, baby blankets, and bags to the company’s product line. She grew a robust and loyal community on Instagram by giving followers a “behind the scenes” view of the operation. After landing a contract with the U.S. Winter Olympic team, Christina and her team were featured on NBC’s Today show segment “She Made It.” STIK products can be found in specialty shops and other national retailers including Nordstrom. Christina is committed to maintaining a sustainable and socially responsible supply chain. Her Peruvian team of 400 female artisans in Peru work with high quality natural fiber; each worker also earns a viable income to support her family. “I never could have imagined I could make a meaningful difference in so many women’s lives. There is nothing more gratifying than visiting our team in Peru and hearing their stories. Many of them have achieved financial independence through their work with us. This award confirms that Skidmore shares and supports my values.”
