Made With Meaning
Alumni-owned brands prove that the best gifts are crafted with heart, humor and a sense of purpose.
Story // by Caite Hamilton
Illustrations // by Alexandra Wong
The best gifts carry more than a price tag—they carry a story. This year’s alumni gift guide showcases makers who turned curiosity, creativity and even a craving or two into businesses brimming with personality. You’ll meet the food lover who transformed comfort dishes into cult-favorite sweatshirts, the sisters crafting jewelry with sustainability at its heart, the foreign service officer turned award-winning distiller and the mushroom farmer redefining wellness. Whether you’re shopping for a friend, a family member or yourself, these gifts offer something more lasting than the season: connection.
When Alex Goldstick, B.B.A. ’10, first heard about Wear Your Dish, it was a one-man side project his cousin-in-law, Matt Seidmon, had dreamed up in 2018. “All I want is a sweatshirt that says chicken parm on it,” Seidmon said at the time. He made an initial run of apparel emblazoned with favorite comfort foods—chicken parm and mac and cheese among them—and for a while, that was it.
Once COVID hit, Seidmon sold off his remaining inventory to support small restaurants and didn’t do much more with the brand. Fast-forward to his cousin’s wedding weekend in 2023 when Goldstick saw a group of friends show up to brunch wearing those very sweatshirts. “That was the first time that it occurred to me that Wear Your Dish was more than just a funny side hustle but something that, if done right, had a lot of potential—both as a business and just pure fun,” he says.
At the time, Goldstick was working on the Voice Wear category at Kenneth Cole and mostly removed from the social media and content marketing world in which he had spent the previous decade of his career.
“I was not only inspired by how a successful brand like Kenneth Cole could implement a low-risk business model to a hyper-focused part of their business, but I was also looking for an outlet to keep my creative skills sharp,” he says. “That, combined with an entire career to that point in retail and fashion, I thought the opportunity was perfect should Matt be interested in restarting the brand.” As it turned out, he was. Over the next year, Goldstick, Seidmon and another partner “essentially rebuilt the company with a new business model, new logo, new dishes, new website, new marketing strategies and new ownership.”
The premise is simple: cozy crewnecks, hoodies and tees that swap out university names for favorite foods. At first glance, you think you’re seeing a campus sweatshirt—until you realize it’s celebrating chocolate chip cookies or dirty martinis.
For Goldstick, the concept was a natural extension of his career. After graduating from GW’s School of Business with a degree in marketing and sport event management, he spent nearly seven years at Foot Locker, where he handled brand marketing, social media, and even interviewed superstar athletes like Steph Curry and Aly Raisman on the company’s YouTube channel. He later consulted for brands including Nike, Oakley and Spotify before joining Kenneth Cole, where he now serves as director of social media and content.
“There is something so easy to understand about Wear Your Dish and who we are,” he says. “It’s the reason that I was so drawn to it and so motivated to bring it back. It’s the reason that when I tell anyone about it the first thing that happens every time is a waterfall of ideas about this dish or that dish and on and on.”
The brand’s bestseller so far is the “chicken parm” crewneck—a fitting tribute to the original request that launched it all. Goldstick’s personal go-to? The “soup dumplings” hoodie, though he admits his closet is quickly filling with new releases.
“We didn’t want to be just a gag gift company,” he notes. “We wanted something you’ll actually want to wear on repeat.”
A portion of proceeds supports SNACC (Sustainable Nutrition and Community Connection), a nonprofit teaching kids in New York City how to shop, prep and cook nutritious meals. “We all learned to cook at home,” Goldstick says. “Not everyone has that opportunity. SNACC makes sure they do.”
Looking ahead, the team is planning seasonal drops, restaurant collaborations and limited-edition runs. “We all wear clothes. We all eat food. We all like to put smiles on others’ faces. We’re really a brand that is as simple as trying to combine our love of those three things in everything we do,” he says.
For 20 percent off your next order, use code FOGGYBOTTOM at wearyourdish.com.
Courtesy of Wear Your Food
If Ernest Troth, M.A. ’81, could bottle his résumé, it would taste a lot like the spirits at James Bay Distillers: international, surprising and full of character. A career in the Foreign Service gave him a passport packed with stamps—and a palate trained on the flavors of the world. So when he and his team opened James Bay Distillers near Seattle, it was only natural the lineup would include Canadian whisky, Italian-inspired finocchietto, an ube-forward gin with Asian flair and vodka made using Russian techniques.
“My M.A. from GW in international economics led to a career abroad in the Foreign Service, which led to a vast interest in food and spirits, all of which is now reflected in our products,” Troth says. “Living abroad really influenced our spirits. We don’t limit ourselves to just American ingredients or flavors.”
That global approach is paying off: James Bay has racked up gold medals in competitions from Hong Kong to the U.S., with a dozen of its 18-plus spirits rated 90 points or higher. Its scotch whisky has even gone toe-to-toe with 18-year Johnnie Walker and Balvenie in Tokyo—and won.
Still, one bottle tends to steal the spotlight: Summer Gin No. 5. Distilled with five citrus botanicals (kumquat! tangerine! orange blossom!), it’s been called “summer in a glass” by Sunset Magazine and one of the top 12 gins in the country by Wine Enthusiast.
“In all our gins we downplay the juniper so we can feature other botanicals,” Troth explains. “[Summer Gin No. 5] shares three ingredients with Chanel No. 5 in that overlapping Venn diagram of flavor and fragrance.” Even self-proclaimed gin haters can’t resist. “I hate gin, but I love yours,” is a refrain Troth hears often—and he never tires of it.
But medals and magazine write-ups aren’t the whole story. A typical day at James Bay might involve anything from tackling customs paperwork to pouring cocktails for a chamber of commerce fundraiser. “One of the joys of this work is being able to support our local nonprofits and community events,” Troth says.
Troth credits his GW degree in international economics with sparking the career that eventually led him here. “GW directly influenced and made possible my career path abroad. I later learned directly from American and other expats many of the nuts-and-bolts about international business, trade delegations and exporting, which inspired me to leave the Foreign Service for commercial ventures. Our business now exports to Hong Kong and Japan, and we have sales teams in several Asian countries working to identify new export opportunities. We are also compliant with [People’s Republic of China] labeling to ensure market opportunities can be pursued.”
As for what’s next? Expect more award-winning spirits, plus some surprising twists—like a line of non-alcoholic “spirits” currently in the works. Investors may be knocking, but James Bay is proudly debt-free and fiercely independent, letting Troth and his team focus on what they love most: crafting spirits that make people stop, sip and smile.
At James Bay, every pour is a passport stamp.
For 10 percent off your next order,
use code GWALUM10 at
jamesbay.distilleryspirits.com
William Atkins
When Casey LaPlante, B.A. ’96, isn’t teaching high schoolers, she’s at her sewing machine transforming fabric into colorful, practical creations: zipper pouches, book sleeves, dog bandanas, warming pillows and more. For 15 years, her business, Gigi & Lala, has been a passion project that bridges her love of craft, books and family.
“I’ve always been artistic, but it took me a long time to figure out how to turn my love for creating practical crafts into an actual business,” LaPlante says. “The rise of Etsy as a platform to allow individual artisans to sell their products to a wider audience was a driving factor in my launch of a small business.”
The shop’s name pays tribute to her roots (“I named it for my mother and my aunt, who have passed down their passion for sewing and creativity to me”), and her creative process reflects the legacy of craft she inherited.
Before finalizing a design, LaPlante often builds a prototype and tests it herself, ensuring it solves a real problem or holds up to daily use. The hands-on nature of her work lets her experiment with materials, make adjustments and refine details. Each piece, she says, is shaped by the challenge of imagining how customers will put it to use.
Her career as a librarian also weaves into her designs. With graduate degrees in library science and education, she worked as a school library media specialist, where her love of books often sparked creative ideas. “My love for libraries and books often inspires my work, in designing book sleeves or in drawing textile patterns,” she says.
That practicality makes her products resonate as gifts. “Anything handmade is special for so many reasons,” she says. “It's unique, it shows that you put thought into finding the gift, and it supports an actual person, not a corporation. Each item is the result of hours of work by a person, someone who appreciates each purchase you make, not a CEO or a factory.”
Among her bestsellers are microwavable warming pillows filled with jasmine rice and lavender, while eye pillows for meditation and headaches follow close behind.
She treasures the stories customers share. “I’ve made bridesmaid gifts, teacher gifts, baby gifts and many others—I love when people send me pictures of their kiddos carrying satin-edged fleece blankets that I made years before or tell me about the gifts they’ve given and how appreciated they are.”
Most recently, LaPlante has branched into digital design, creating her own patterns for fabrics, phone cases and clothing, among other products. After years of admiring store-bought textiles, she now has the chance to design her own and transform them into finished products. Alongside her handmade pieces, she’s added literary-themed apparel and other custom creations, spending more time drawing on her iPad while continuing to sew in her studio.
For LaPlante, though, Gigi & Lala isn’t just about sewing—it’s about crafting joy, one thoughtful handmade piece at a time.
For 25 percent off your order through Dec. 31, use code GWALUMNI at gigiandlala.etsy.com.
Courtesy of Casey Laplant
Some businesses are born out of spreadsheets and strategy. Others—like Dov Jewelry—begin with a pair of sisters, a lockdown and a table full of beads.
In 2020, Maria Tapias, B.A. ’21, then a junior at GW, reunited with her sister Sofia after four years apart. “What started as a hobby—making jewelry from repurposed materials—quickly grew into something more. We tried our hand at bread, gnocchi and pasta too, but jewelry turned out to be our true calling…though we did nail the pizza!” Tapias recalls.
By 2022, the brand had outgrown its handmade beginnings, pivoting to recycled metals while partnering with a small, family-owned manufacturer. The move wasn’t just about scaling—it was about values. “I couldn’t put my name on a piece knowing someone was harmed in the process of making it,” Tapias says. The sisters insist their metals are certified recycled, recovered from electronics, old jewelry or even dinnerware, with silver rhodium plating and gold plating to ensure durability and safety.
That commitment to community and craft paid off quickly. In 2023, the sisters were selected for a pop-up program with the Maryland Women’s Business Center. “The program was meant to be six months, but we were invited to stay on as mentors for the next cohort—a yearlong experience that gave us the confidence to open our very own retail store: Dov & Company in Potomac,” Tapias explains.
Today, Dov & Company is more than a jewelry shop. Alongside their recycled silver and gold-plated designs, Tapias and Sofia feature pieces from other local women-owned businesses and host workshops every Friday and Saturday that feel part shopping spree, part creative retreat. “It’s not just jewelry, it’s community,” Tapias says.
The community has noticed. Customers wear Dov pieces to proms, weddings—even the Olympics, where one archer sported their Lovestruck necklace in Paris. Yet the most moving moments are often personal: a shopper buying an Angel Wings ring to match her late sister’s, or visitors who come in just to connect.
Collaboration drives Dov’s creative edge. Tapias says, “Our inspiration comes from both our own experiences and the community around us. For example, our Woodlands Collection was designed in collaboration with our Instagram followers. We asked them to vote on styles, share feedback and help shape the final designs.” And the sisters’ entrepreneurial spirit traces back to their childhood: “Looking back, my older sister, Sofia, and I were always the lemonade stand girls—the kids selling ‘pretty’ rocks, flowers, even homemade ‘spa’ services. Entrepreneurship has always been our language. Dov Jewelry is just the grown-up version of selling pretty rocks as kids.”
As Dov & Company prepares to move closer to their Virginia audience, the sisters are thinking bigger: more designs, more workshops, more ways to make sustainability stylish. Because for Maria and Sofia, jewelry isn’t just an accessory—it’s a story you can wear.
For 10 percent off your next order, use code RAISEHIGH at dovjewelry.com.
Courtesy of Dov Jewelry
Jessica Pollack, B.A. ’03, didn’t set out to start a business—she just wanted to try something new. In 2020, while her family of four moved in with her in-laws and her husband’s 96-year-old grandmother, Oma, Pollack noticed her daughter, then 5, learning to crochet under the tutelage of her great-grandmother. Curious, she asked Oma for a lesson too. “I didn’t realize then just how much I would fall in love with crochet. I spent endless hours practicing, cultivating the skill, and before long I was hooked—literally and figuratively,” Pollack recalls. Soon she branched into embroidery and macrame, and JFPHandmade Crafts was born: a brand brimming with playful, whimsical fiber creations that make people smile.
Her inspiration comes from both family and nature. “A lot of my ideas come straight from my family. My kids often spark inspiration—whether it’s a toy they wish existed or a seasonal idea they bring home from school. I also pull a lot from nature. Woodland animals, mushrooms and flowers seem to have a magical quality about them, and they naturally lend themselves to whimsical, playful designs.” Favorites include her “crochet-eidels,” beloved during the holidays; animal-themed baskets; and her most popular creations, soft, textured hedgehogs. “They’re the perfect size for that handheld snuggle,” she says.
The handmade process itself is central to Pollack’s work. “For me, the handmade process is grounding. Crochet is meditative—I get lost in the rhythm of the stitches, and each piece becomes infused with time and care,” she explains. “Every item has its own quirks, which is part of its charm. I think people can feel that when they hold something handmade. It’s not just an object—it carries a story. There’s a sense of connection, knowing that someone poured thought and effort into making it just for you. I also think people feel extra special when a piece is crafted specifically with them in mind—whether it includes their name, uses colors that hold personal meaning, or reflects a design that’s unique to their story. That level of personalization makes handmade work even more meaningful.”
Her time at GW also shaped her approach to creativity and entrepreneurship. “GW gave me the confidence to think big and to embrace both creativity and structure. I learned how to take initiative, manage projects and connect with people across different communities—all skills that now shape how I run my craft business,” she says. “While at GW, I also took several drawing classes that pushed me far outside my comfort zone creatively. Fine art never came naturally to me, but those classes forced me to slow down, really observe and approach art from a different perspective. That willingness to try new things—even when they feel difficult—has stayed with me and continues to influence the way I approach my craft today.”
Next up, Pollack is expanding her seasonal collections and experimenting with floral accessories and functional items like fingerless gloves and travel-friendly bags. She’s also growing her crochet classes to share the joy of handmade creation. For Pollack, every stitch is more than yarn—it’s a way to spread joy, slow down and “remind people of the beauty in slowing down. If even one of my pieces makes someone smile, sparks a memory or becomes a keepsake in their home, then I feel like I’ve done exactly what I set out to do.”
For 10 percent off your next order, use code GWPROMOJFP2025 at jfphandmadecrafts.etsy.com.
Courtesy of Jessica Pollack
At the top of the Appalachian Mountains, in a mile-long tunnel kissed by crisp, clean air, lion’s mane mushrooms stretch and swell under the careful watch of Daria Novak, ATT ’81. It’s a serene, almost otherworldly scene, but behind the tranquility lies a meticulous process—and a mission. Novak is not just growing mushrooms; she’s redefining what it means to create functional wellness products that are clean, transparent and truly American made.
Mushroom Maiden Farm began as a personal journey. Years of battling inflammation and fatigue had left Novak searching for alternatives to conventional medicine. Her discovery of lion’s mane—a mushroom known to support nerve growth, focus and cognitive health—sparked both fascination and frustration. While research-backed benefits existed, the market was full of capsules with fillers, powders of uncertain origin and products misleadingly labeled “Made in the USA.” Novak decided to do better.
“I wanted a truly pollution-free, tested product that delivered on its promise,” she says. Her solution: grow mushrooms in a controlled, open-air Appalachian tunnel, batch-test each harvest, and use only 100 percent fruiting bodies—never fillers like rice or mycelium. From there, products are manufactured in a current Good Manufacturing Practice-certified facility and rigorously tested for contaminants, with each batch accompanied by a certificate of analysis.
The result is a line of functional mushroom capsules, infused coffees and finishing salts that balance practicality with indulgence. Novak’s cold-smoked lion’s mane hickory salt has become a fan favorite, bringing a smoky, umami punch to dishes without the labor of traditional barbecue. For Novak, product development is a family affair: She brainstorms with her daughter, tests ideas at local farmers markets and continually seeks ways to make mushrooms both delicious and functional. “You won’t taste the mushrooms, but you’ll get the health benefits,” she notes of the cinnamon roll lion's mane coffee.
Mushrooms are versatile, but Novak is quick to point out what surprises most people: their potency. Lion’s mane, for example, sharpens focus and memory without the jittery side effects of caffeine. It’s this combination of efficacy, flavor and transparency that sets Mushroom Maiden Farm apart in a booming U.S. functional mushroom market, which grew to $3.9 billion in 2023 and is expected to top $8.5 billion by 2030.
Yet, Novak’s ambitions extend beyond wellness. Early in her career, she served for more than a decade as a career official and political appointee at the U.S. Department of State. She recognized more needs to be done to educate, encourage, and train future diplomats. Part of the profits from Mushroom Maiden Farm help support the International Center for Great Power Studies and Diplomacy, a nonprofit she founded to cultivate the next generation of U.S. diplomats, along with the country's first Diplomatic ROTC Academy on the banks of the Potomac River.
“We really look at this as a legacy business,” Novak says. “It’s about creating a long-term sustainable company that can have impact for generations.”
At Mushroom Maiden Farm, Novak has created more than products; she’s created a standard—a standard for quality, integrity, and the thoughtful blending of nature, science and purpose. And from the top of the Appalachians, that standard is only growing.
For 10 percent off your next order, use code GWU25 at mushroommaidenfarm.com.
Courtesy of Mushroom Maiden Farm
Elizabeth Varner’s career in the arts spans more than three decades, but her roots reach even deeper. Raised in North Carolina in a family of makers—her grandmother a quilter, her mother a painter and gardener, her father a whimsical illustrator—Varner, M.A. ’08, was immersed in creativity from the start. By age 4 she was in art classes; by high school, she was exhibiting still lifes and figure drawings at Salem College Gallery.
That early passion carried her to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she studied art history, photography and painting, and later to programs at GW’s Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, Parsons School of Design, Sotheby’s and University College London.
Today, her practice is expansive—photography, painting, collage, mixed media and sculpture—but the thread connecting it all is nature. “My process has become a cycle,” Varner says. “I begin with photography in nature, transform portions of those images into mixed media, and then translate them into realistic and abstract florals. Eventually, the work expands into floral sculptures.” Those sculptures, with petals and textures built up in relief, draw collectors who are as fascinated by their tactile presence as by their color and energy.
Her choice of medium, Varner says, depends on what the moment demands. Sometimes a photograph stands alone, captured in painstakingly planned expeditions from Africa to Southeast Asia. Other times, the image becomes a base for collage or mixed media, layered with graffiti-like marks or unexpected textures. Painting allows her to channel immediacy—the energy of brushstrokes inspired by gardens in North Carolina or New Orleans, or the swirling emotional force she traces back to Van Gogh. More abstract florals evolve into sculptural forms, carved and built up from thick layers of pigment. “What unites them all is the cycle: photography as foundation, painting as energy, sculpture as transformation,” she says.
Travel has been central to her vision. Varner has hiked to Everest base camp in a snowstorm, studied conservation at Nepal’s National Museum, wandered Europe’s cathedrals and galleries, and photographed landscapes across Africa and South America. Each journey, she says, sharpens her eye for texture, form and cultural dialogue. She recalls ordering pizza in Nepal and receiving yak’s-milk cheese on ketchup over a sweet crust: “It was strange, imperfect, yet profoundly beautiful in its reinterpretation. That moment encapsulated for me the essence of cultural dialogue: creativity, adaptation and translation across borders.”
The academic side of her life—research in conservation, law and cultural heritage—intertwines with her practice. Her legal scholarship on museums and cultural property has influenced how she approaches intellectual property in her own work, while her museum leadership roles gave her insight into what truly endures across generations.
For Varner, what she hopes viewers take away is simple: wonder. “I want people to feel that life can be both an expedition and a celebration,” she says. Her works are layered with texture, glittering detail and hidden stories that invite people to look closer. “What I most hope is that when someone lives with one of my works, they feel a sense of beauty that elevates daily life, a spark of adventure that stirs curiosity, and a touch of mischief and glamour that reminds them of their own vitality.”
This fall, she brought that vision to the SuperFine Art Fair in Washington, D.C., followed by Art Basel in Miami and the Palm Beach Art Fair. And beyond the exhibitions? Likely another expedition—Bhutan, Africa or perhaps the Dolomites—where her lifelong dialogue between wild landscapes and human creativity will continue to bloom.
For 20 percent off your next order, sign up for the newsletter at elizabethcvarner.com.
Courtesy of Elizabeth Varner