Gabrielė Jauniūtė was a 19-year-old entrepreneur when she decided to start her own sewing business. Her inspiration came when she was looking for high quality funeral clothes made of natural materials. Gabrielė quickly realised that almost all funeral clothes that were available on the market were produced outside of Lithuania and tended to be made of poor-quality synthetic materials. In addition to this, they all seemed to be made according to the same template, using the same palette of bright colours.

People faced with loss did not have an opportunity to choose natural, organic, and modern burial clothes that corresponded to their values and tastes. Or indeed to the mood that they might wish to convey during their farewell. After evaluating her ability to design and sew clothes, the young entrepreneur decided to apply for CAP support to establish a sewing studio that would specialise in offering exceptionally high-quality funeral clothes.

The aim of this project was to support a young entrepreneur in establishing her own business and providing herself with an income through the creation of high-quality niche products.

The project financing facilitated purchase of equipment (sewing machines, embroidery machines, overlocks, a cutting table, lamps, mannequins, an ironing system, furniture, etc.) and launch of a sewing studio.

The sewing studio has been operational and has been generating an income since the summer of 2021. The beneficiary plans to expand the range of hand-made funeral clothes, and to introduce a modern design line which will increase the capacity of her business.

The project helped to establish one full-time working position for the beneficiary.

A new niche product is now available and clients have the opportunity to choose natural, organic, modern burial clothes.

This project demonstrates that CAP funds can play a key role in supporting entrepreneurship in rural areas.