I agreed with them at the time that my brother, who is younger than me, was a better choice to lead the company,” Jennifer says. “He was more level-h… - Jennifer Moss

I went into a supplier’s booth and stood there, ignored, for about 20 minutes, despite having 12 workers in the booth,” she explains. “It was right when the show floor opened, and they weren’t busy. I now call it the khakis and polo club because that’s what every one of those guys were wearing. It’s the traditional footprint of so many in our industry, but I don’t participate. I’m tattooed. I’m young. I’m female. So was like, ‘Okay, here’s a bias.’ So now I'm very sensitive to the gender gap in our industry.”

When I got to SCAD and took more weaving classes, I thought back to that experience and decided to explore it more. Using their computer-aided weaving, I started blending low-carbon steel with linen, silk, cotton, and other materials. When the fabric came off the loom, the steel was monochromatic gray, but then I'd wash it in salt water to start the color changing process. That body of work resulted in Transient Structures – her thesis show of huge woven panels of fibers and rusting metal "purposefully designed to fall apart."

Candidly, that was the worst job I've ever had. However, it taught me a lot. Those hard jobs are actually really good for you. They build character and you learn what you can do and what you're not willing to tolerate. It was at that job where I was put in a couple of situations that I could not stomach. Going back to that core value of integrity, I put in my two-weeks' notice. That's when I went to my parents and said, 'Let's give it a go at the greenhouse.'