Ribbon Star
This is a complicated version of a 4-patch block. The name references the V-shaped cuts that are often found on the ends of cuts of a crafter’s ribbon. The block is perfectly suited for a habitual crafter or seamstress.
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Shailah Maynard
Sew Valley Co-Founder
Sew Valley is a registered 501 (c)3 organization that serves as a resource for apparel designers and textile fabricators They offer studio space, workshops, and fabrication contracts. Shailah also founded a company called Working Girls, where she sells goods that fit her ironic, feminist vibes. We talked about small scale manufacturing, ethics behind personal brands, and some history of textile arts.
Now that we're getting started, why don't you go ahead and tell me your name, your pronouns, and why you think I asked you to be here today
My name is Shailah Maynard, she/her. I think you chose me because you learned about Sew Valley, perhaps through school, perhaps through your community, and you're interested in learning about how we started the organization and what its effect on the UC community as well as to the Cincinnati community is.
Yeah. I'm definitely interested in your work with Sew Valley, I'm gonna ask you a little bit about that. So feel free to volunteer information about that venture. Or if you just have particular knowledge on any subject or if you're passionate about talking about anything that's not related to that feel free to do that at any time. So why don't we start off by having you tell me about, Sew Valley and what it is.
SURE. SEW VALLEY IS A 501 (C)3 NONPROFIT FACILITY. WE'RE IN THE WEST END OF CINCINNATI. WE'VE BEEN OPERATING FOR A LITTLE OVER TWO YEARS NOW. OUR MISSION IS TO HELP DESIGNERS AND ENTREPRENEURS, SUCH AS YOU, EITHER BUILD OR GROW THEIR BRANDS VIA A FEW DIFFERENT AVENUES.
One is production services, so we provide small batch production. Small batch we define as 10 to 100 units per style. It's pretty hard to find manufacturers, especially in small batch, in the Ohio Valley region and the US as a whole. We also offer studio memberships for designers. So that is essentially semi-private studio spaces. They're approximately 215 square feet and you get 24 hour access to our full facility machines, tables, et cetera. And we also offer educational workshops for people to enhance their skills. And then we do hourly rentals as well.
Awesome. So when did that start?
We founded it in December of 2017 but we really got going, I would say, in March of 2018, which is when we moved into our permanent space in the West End. We're in the first floor of the National Flag Company's building. They are flag manufacturers and been sewing flags for 150 years. So it's pretty cool to be in a building of other sewn manufacturers as well.
That is awesome. So what type of people usually studio at Sew Valley?
I'd say all different types of people, different types of brands. So we don't have one certain demographic, a brand that hires us or is a member. So probably the most commonly known member that we have, her name is Tessa Clark, she's a DAAP grad. I don't remember what year she graduated but she is a member. She has a brand called Grind and Glaze. She was also recent contestant on Project Runway. She runs Idlewild on Vine Street. She uses Sew Valley in every capacity that she can. So she designs her line out of there. We produce it for her and then she sells her line on her website and at Idlewild. So I'd also say that we have other, maybe about 70% of people currently are DAAP grads. So we have stylists, we have people looking to start brands that are just getting going. We have people who do side projects, handbags, we have, other people who are looking to just have access to the facility and it makes sense for them to be a member and have their own studio space. We also have weavers, who are from the Weaver's Guild. They're a group of ladies who have been working out of there and they get together weekly and they teach classes at our space as well.
So was this project started because you saw the need for small batch production or why did you decide to?
It started because my partner Rosie, she obviously isn't here, she's the CEO. She's also in charge of our production arm. She is also a DAAP grad. She, for years, had her own clothing line, as a part of her other business called Brush Factory. Essentially she realized that there were no resources for someone like her in Cincinnati. So she was the only person that could do anything she was looking to do. She realized that that was something that she wanted and needed, especially at the starting point of her brand and could have really used those resources. So she and I got together through various connections and jobs. I worked with her at Brush FFactory for awhile. I have a different background, which we can talk about later, but she and I realized that the time was, now let's figure this out. We thought there was a need. So we worked together with the Haile foundation, which is a local foundation that supports a lot of cool creative endeavors in Cincinnati. They gave us some seed funding to see if our suspicions were correct about any type of designer's needs or wants here. Now two years later, we are still pretty rocking and rolling. Our team's really big. So we definitely proved ourselves right, that there's a lot of people out there who need production or need space or want to learn more.
What type of people are coming to your classes?
All types of people. We partner with UC's Communiversity class offerings. So a lot of people hear about us through there. Then we have a growing network of people who just follow us a lot, on Instagram or whatever. They just sign up for classes. So pretty diverse audience I would say.
So what's your favorite part about working with Sew Valley?
MY FAVORITE PART IS REALIZING HOW MANY COOL AND CREATIVE PEOPLE ARE HERE. AND THEY'RE ALL DOING SOMETHING UNIQUE AND DIFFERENT AND THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY, FROM LIVING IN NEW YORK, IT DIDN'T REALLY SEEM FEASIBLE TO BE ABLE TO START YOUR OWN BRAND AND AFFORD TO WORK IN YOUR OWN STUDIO. YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY COSTLY TO START YOUR OWN BUSINESS AND YOU KNOW, IT'S ACTUALLY POSSIBLE HERE WITH BEING ABLE TO HAVE A HANDS-ON RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR PATTERN MAKERS AND THE PRODUCTION SIDE OR JUST BEING ABLE TO HAVE ACCESS TO SPACE TO DO IT. I REALLY LOVE THAT AND IT'S REALLY COOL TO SEE SO MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE UTILIZING IT.
That's probably my favorite part, but it's also really cool because we have grown a lot. We have a team of eight people on staff now and it was just Rosie and I when we started it. Because we're busy with production and we need a lot of help and we hope to keep that growing with demand. I don't see any signs of slowing down anytime soon.
That's great. What do you think the next step for you guys would be?
Well, what we're learning is there are a lot of talented people here, but not everybody knows how to sew on an industrial machine. Most people have no idea what it takes to be an a sewing manufacturer. So we're trying to figure out ways to raise some funds to implement a training program, which would be called an apprenticeship program for people who want to get a job in this field. With us or with other manufacturers. There are a number of other places in Cincinnati that do sewing manufacturing, whether it's flags like our landlords or large scale bags for aircraft's, et cetera. There are a lot of places that you might not realize exist here in Cincinnati. And the common issue that we're all finding is 'where do you get your sewers that work for you?' Because it's really hard to find. So we're hoping that we can one: teach people how to do this because then that promotes local manufacturing again. And then two: we can actually ramp up production. We can get more projects done in a quicker amount of time, our turnaround will be faster. We expand, we grow, our clients grow, the designers grow, everybody wins. We're trying to figure that out right now. Why is local manufacturing important to you? It is important because one: job creation. Two: it's better for local economy. Three: it's really hard to have a brand with your manufacturers overseas. There's so much time lost in terms of communication via email or phone because of the time difference. You're waiting, waiting. You're waiting for your samples to be shipped to you. That takes weeks sometimes. So you're losing all this precious time. Where in Cincinnati, if your manufacturer is here, you can just actually go into the production space, see your sample as it progresses, get a hands on feel, know exactly what you're getting. One thing that could take a day with a local manufacturer could take up to a month to be completed or make a decision on if you were working with like, a manufacturer in China, for instance.
What sort of sustainability efforts do you guys do over there?
We have a growing sustainability effort. Our sustainability officer, she's one of our project managers, name's Aubrey Krekeler- also a DAAP grad. She leads that initiative for us. So in short, it's just any day-to-day practice that we can do to decrease our carbon footprint. But pretty much, in terms of manufacturing, we are trying to limit our fabric waste as much as we can. By making markers where there's not as much fabric waste when you're cutting and then, naturally, there still will be some waste in any fabric that you cut. One of our initiatives is separate it from all other ways from a project. Then we provide the weight to give to our clients so they know exactly how much they're wasting at the end of each project. So it gives them an idea of their impact. Therefore, when they design again, they're more mindful on what their designs look like and then perhaps when their patterns are made, they'll be more mindful on that as well. We have not located or nailed down as a place that will take our fabric scraps 100%. Thus far it's been, you know, finding people who need fabric scraps. We've posted on Craigslist, after school programs, or Indigo Hippo, stuff like that. A lot of places do want fabric scraps. So we've been able to unload it, but we can't guarantee what happens to that after. So we're still looking for a place that will reuse 100% of our scrap currently. But our other sustainability efforts: we have a huge recycling program. Aubrey has sustainability reminders and facts posted all over the facility. Pretty much the most important thing with sustainability, in terms of a fashion brand, or any company or business is just your daily culture and your practice. So if you're not wasting plastic products and throwing excess crap into the wastebasket, then it just translates to the other people who are working there. And then it just becomes a cultural shift. We have a compost system. We have a garden plot in our local community garden down the street. We've got a lot of stuff going on and it's growing. We've just got certified by the Hamilton County re recycle reuse center. I'm probably messing up that title. It's long. But essentially they came in, interviewed Aubrey to see what we were doing day to day, which also includes how people get to work. Rosie especially walks to work. So it's not necessarily just recycling your goods and having trashcan receptacles. We're just keeping on keeping on.
So you're thinking of all aspects, not just the fabric waste.
Exactly, yes. All aspects because we have a team in there. There's a lot of waste that happens in any place where a lot of people work. So it's not just fabric.
So what is the community like at Sew Valley?
It's pretty great. For our staff who are there most of the time when I'm there, a lot of them went to DAAP or studied fashion in some sort of capacity. It's pretty lax. It's really great. It's nice and open. We're a great team. We have little issues. People get their work done. Everybody has similar interests but also, everybody has their own set of skills. I'd say it's a pretty great place to work, and actually do the thing that you went to school and that you care for. Our members are all very different from one another and we make it that way. We want people to be comfortable to come here and do what they hope to do out of our space so we don't have requirements on our members. Some people just find it useful so that they can have access to our tables, et cetera. Other people utilize us for production and other people really just need a place to store their stuff and come in when their schedule allows because they do have other jobs. I'd say it's pretty great because there are no rules. What we want people to utilize our resources.
Is there a screening process for members?
As of right now it's just you need to be working with a sewn good. It's pretty low key. So we wouldn't bring a ceramicist and mainly because of dust, but it's also because that just doesn't make any sense, you know?
So you probably have a fairly wide variety of what people are making then.
Yes, a very wide variety. I'd say. No two people or brands are the same. And a lot of this especially goes for our clients. We have a ton of different clients who are finding us from all across the board. I'm not even sure how a lot of them hear about us. Which just proves there's really no song production resources at all in our region. All of our clients are very different from one another, which is also really cool to see what people are working on and how their brands exist or how they got started or what they're doing to start their brands and how we can help them. So it's pretty cool.
So you help a little bit with the business side of people who are using Sew Valley?
Yeah, we do if someone needs it. We don't really have any programs, I would say, but we have a growing resource list of people or serial entrepreneurs that want to help new entrepreneurs figure out how to think about their brand, being mindful about their brand, being smart about it so that they actually turn a profit and can keep it going. That could be anything from just seeking advice from our network or assisting with figuring out quantities or how to start it off. You know, a lot of people don't even really have any clue on what it is like to work with a production facility and what that costs because it is still costly to start a brand. We're there to guide along the way, but also be realistic with what is feasible. And then anything from website help or marketing, we're always there to lend a hand or lend advice or find or connect our members or clients with the right next person. That can give them the right insight towards the door they need to go. I also have a brand that is the side hustle project called Working Girls. We make anything. Sometimes we hire places to make stuff for us, sometimes we make things. But it's not all fabric, it's accessories, art projects, anything. We're most well known for socks that have printed names of movie titles featuring female leads, mostly from the eighties and nineties, like 'Working Girl', "Fatal Attraction', "Basic Instinct', 'Mystic Pizza', stuff like that. People love them. I've had them for years. People can't get enough. We don't anymore, but we made pool floats in the shape of body parts. Those were called Hot Bod Floats. We have mirrors that we have laser cut that are called Vogue Mirrors. They're in the shape of voguing hand position. Then all sorts of tees, pretty much anything. It's more of a side art project for me. So like anything I think up and I feel like I have the means to make it or find a place to make it. We'll do that.
That's really cool. So you don't shy away from, if you have an idea and you want to make it, you might have to find someone to do it for you.
Sure, for sure. Because there might not be enough time for me to do it or maybe I don't quite know or I don't have the tools to do it. I outsource screen printing for our tees and our socks and stuff.
Where do you get those done?
I'm just downtown. There's some print guys that are really cool that I found that've been around forever. They're called Allscreen, they're really cool guys. They think my brand is really weird.
Really, why?
I don't know. I think they mainly do like actual merch for a lot of people. I made some resin products last year that I did by hand, but I'm trying to find someone to manufacture them for me because it's very time consuming and I need better quality. What I'm finding with resin, they're toilet seats, is that they need to be highly functional. And my quality of work is not up to par, but people really like them. So I'm actively trying to find someone to make them for me.
What scale do you usually produce at?
Small. I would consider it small batch, like we said. So Valley's at 10 to 100 units is what we consider small batch. Let's say a new product that I launch, I usually try to, just as a trial period, if I'm just gonna put it on my website and I don't wholesale it to other retailers, I'd probably order between 20 and 40 of something for a trial run, see how it does. So I don't waste a ton of money if it's a flop. Then I can always make more if it works out. So that seems like a fair thing, but each product's different. You never know what people are gonna like. So that's also a big thing that I've learned from doing this brand. I feel like when you're starting off your own thing, you never know what the one thing is that's going to resonate with your demographic.
Is there a demographic in particular that you try to speak to?
Yeah, I would say anywhere in 20 to 40 year olds. It's pretty wide range. Majority of them are women, but I wouldn't say all. My brand has always had a satirical undertone and a feminist undertone. But I wouldn't say that it is promoted as that. It's not a feminist brand. Just because this brand, Working Girls, is my own personal brand, my own side project. It's nothing more than that. It's just me. I personally feel that I want to promote women and support women. So it translates into my brand.
So how else do your your personal morals, your feminist instincts, how else does that fold into your business practices?
I WOULD SAY THAT ENCOURAGING DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN PHOTO SHOOTS, BECAUSE I LOVE DOING PHOTO SHOOTS HERE IN TOWN. I THINK IT'S A REALLY FUN WAY TO GET CREATIVE AND EXPRESS WHAT YOU'RE DOING IN A COOL, EYE-CATCHING AND FUN WAY. THE VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF WHAT WE MAKE IS SUPER IMPORTANT. THAT TRANSLATES THERE. MOST OF THE PEOPLE THAT I HIRE LIKE A PHOTOGRAPHER, OTHER THAN MY PRINT DUDES, MOST PEOPLE ARE WOMEN. THAT ONE'S NOT A CONSCIOUS THING, BUT I THINK JUST NATURALLY, THAT'S THE WAY THAT IT WORKS BECAUSE OF WHAT I'M TRYING TO DO AND WHAT RESONATES WITH ME AND WHO I WANT TO WORK WITH.
How else do you ensure diversity in photo shoots?
YOU KNOW, I'M TRYING TO THINK OF HOW ELSE I DO IT. JUST IN OUR MODELS MAINLY. I'VE NEVER BEEN THE TYPE OF PERSON THAT WOULD WANT TO GO TO A MODEL AGENCY, BUT ALSO I'M NOT A MAJOR FASHION BRAND. THIS IS JUST FUN, CREATIVE STUFF. SO I USE PEOPLE THAT I KNOW OR I'VE SEEN AROUND. SOME PEOPLE I'VE SEEN AT A COFFEE SHOP AND HAD BEEN LIKE, 'WHOA, THIS IS REALLY COOL. DO YOU WANT TO WORK WITH ME?' OR JUST SOMEBODY THAT I KNOW. SO EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH MODELS. I ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE THAT WHEN WE ARE SHOOTING, TO COME AS THEY ARE. I NEVER REALLY HAVE A TON OF REQUIREMENTS FOR HAIR MAKEUP. I WOULD RATHER PEOPLE BE COMFORTABLE HOW THEY ARE THAN FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE OR LIKE A PHONY OR LIKE THEY'RE WEARING A COSTUME.
Well that all sounds awesome. Do you have any plans for new ventures in the near future?
Don't have any plans other than, Sew Valley is very much growing and, like I said, we're looking to expand some training programs. I think our plan currently, as it stands, is just figuring out how we can pull it off, raise some money, find more people to help us and keep our clients coming and our members happy. Have you ever done, I don't know how to put a word to it, interpretive quilting, no pattern.
I haven't. But that's definitely something I want to get into. Have you seen stuff like that?
I have a friend who studied this and her thesis was actually, I think, titled 'Interpretive Quilting' if I recall. But I've never done it because I feel like I'm really good with a rule. This is the pattern. You must stick to it.
Definitely. I think, more and more these days, those types of things are becoming popular. That used to never be done. It used to be only people would make patterns. Do most of your members just do their large batch or do they do personal stuff there as well?
I think people definitely do their personal stuff there. I'm sure you'll find when you graduate, it's very sad that you no longer have access to facilities, let alone even just big cutting tables or the machines. We definitely fill that void for a lot of people. So, you know, and we do have people that rent our space by the hour and we've had people that are just making curtains that have come out just to use the big table cause they realized it would be easier to lay it all out on a surface that actually can fit it rather than like in their apartment.
That's cool. What's one of the more interesting small projects that you've seen recently?
Oh, I need to think about that. I'm trying to think. Well we have a lot of people that work there that have friends that are like, ''m in a wedding. I need you to alter my bridesmaid dress'. I feel like we get a lot of last minute alterations in there. But also I would say the actual answer is, our two project managers realized that they needed an apron that actually functioned how they wanted it to function while they're working. So they each made out of scraps, aprons with pockets where they needed their tools to go when they're sitting and standing. And they're made of scrap, which is great and they're really cute. That's probably my favorite one I've seen that came out of there that was not work related or brand related. We had a class called Make Do and Mend. Have you heard of it Do you know Taylor?
Yes, I do. We used to have a studio together actually at About Space.
Oh cool. Yeah, she's awesome. So she teaches that and she was promoting this stitch rather than knots. I don't even know what it's called. When you just doubled down. So I am using that today, which I never have used in the past on a quilt.
Why does she like that method better?
She thinks it holds better and also making a knot is super hard on your hands sometimes.
Yeah, Taylor is super cool. Especially all the stuff that she's doing with her reclaimed material.
She gave a great presentation. Definitely recommend anybody come and check out what she's doing or be a part of whatever she's doing out there doing. Are you familiar with the Gee's Bend quilts?
Yes !
Aren't they the coolest things ever?
Definitely. They are. That was a huge part of my research. Do you want to tell the recorder about Gee's Bend?
YEAH! SO IT'S THIS REALLY TINY KIND OF ISOLATED AREA IN ALABAMA WHERE RIGHT AFTER SLAVERY BECAME ILLEGAL, ESSENTIALLY SHARECROPPING REPLACED IT AND THEY, YOU KNOW, RE-INVENTED SLAVERY IN THAT WAY. BUT THE WAY THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE WOULD MAKE MONEY ON THE SIDE JUST TO FINISH FEEDING THEIR FAMILY WAS BY DOING THESE SCRAP QUILTS. AND THERE'S A REALLY AMAZING OLD PHOTO THAT LOOKS LIKE IT'S FROM THAT ERA OF THESE WOMEN MAKING THESE QUILTS. BUT IT WAS A WAY FOR THEM TO CLAIM THEIR OWN PROPERTY, TO MAKE THINGS THAT BELONG JUST TO THEM, AND TO MAKE MONEY OFF OF IT. COOL. AND A LOT OF IT IS SUPER INTERPRETIVE SCRAP QUILTS AND THERE'S STILL GROUPS OF PEOPLE DOWN THERE. THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, THEIR CHILDREN'S CHILDREN WHO ARE MAKING THEM TODAY. THERE'S ALL SORTS OF STORIES YOU CAN READ ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO MADE THEM ORIGINALLY. AND IT'S JUST A FASCINATING ISOLATED AREA BECAUSE THEY WERE SO ISOLATED BECAUSE OF THEIR LOCATION AND THEIR RACE THAT THEY CAME UP WITH THEIR OWN STYLES COMPLETELY AND MADE THIS WHOLE MOVEMENT OF QUILTS. SUPER COOL STUFF.
So cool. And they look like contemporary works of art.
They look extremely modern.
Yes! I love it.
My name is Shailah Maynard, she/her. I think you chose me because you learned about Sew Valley, perhaps through school, perhaps through your community, and you're interested in learning about how we started the organization and what its effect on the UC community as well as to the Cincinnati community is.
Yeah. I'm definitely interested in your work with Sew Valley, I'm gonna ask you a little bit about that. So feel free to volunteer information about that venture. Or if you just have particular knowledge on any subject or if you're passionate about talking about anything that's not related to that feel free to do that at any time. So why don't we start off by having you tell me about, Sew Valley and what it is.
SURE. SEW VALLEY IS A 501 (C)3 NONPROFIT FACILITY. WE'RE IN THE WEST END OF CINCINNATI. WE'VE BEEN OPERATING FOR A LITTLE OVER TWO YEARS NOW. OUR MISSION IS TO HELP DESIGNERS AND ENTREPRENEURS, SUCH AS YOU, EITHER BUILD OR GROW THEIR BRANDS VIA A FEW DIFFERENT AVENUES.
One is production services, so we provide small batch production. Small batch we define as 10 to 100 units per style. It's pretty hard to find manufacturers, especially in small batch, in the Ohio Valley region and the US as a whole. We also offer studio memberships for designers. So that is essentially semi-private studio spaces. They're approximately 215 square feet and you get 24 hour access to our full facility machines, tables, et cetera. And we also offer educational workshops for people to enhance their skills. And then we do hourly rentals as well.
Awesome. So when did that start?
We founded it in December of 2017 but we really got going, I would say, in March of 2018, which is when we moved into our permanent space in the West End. We're in the first floor of the National Flag Company's building. They are flag manufacturers and been sewing flags for 150 years. So it's pretty cool to be in a building of other sewn manufacturers as well.
That is awesome. So what type of people usually studio at Sew Valley?
I'd say all different types of people, different types of brands. So we don't have one certain demographic, a brand that hires us or is a member. So probably the most commonly known member that we have, her name is Tessa Clark, she's a DAAP grad. I don't remember what year she graduated but she is a member. She has a brand called Grind and Glaze. She was also recent contestant on Project Runway. She runs Idlewild on Vine Street. She uses Sew Valley in every capacity that she can. So she designs her line out of there. We produce it for her and then she sells her line on her website and at Idlewild. So I'd also say that we have other, maybe about 70% of people currently are DAAP grads. So we have stylists, we have people looking to start brands that are just getting going. We have people who do side projects, handbags, we have, other people who are looking to just have access to the facility and it makes sense for them to be a member and have their own studio space. We also have weavers, who are from the Weaver's Guild. They're a group of ladies who have been working out of there and they get together weekly and they teach classes at our space as well.
So was this project started because you saw the need for small batch production or why did you decide to?
It started because my partner Rosie, she obviously isn't here, she's the CEO. She's also in charge of our production arm. She is also a DAAP grad. She, for years, had her own clothing line, as a part of her other business called Brush Factory. Essentially she realized that there were no resources for someone like her in Cincinnati. So she was the only person that could do anything she was looking to do. She realized that that was something that she wanted and needed, especially at the starting point of her brand and could have really used those resources. So she and I got together through various connections and jobs. I worked with her at Brush FFactory for awhile. I have a different background, which we can talk about later, but she and I realized that the time was, now let's figure this out. We thought there was a need. So we worked together with the Haile foundation, which is a local foundation that supports a lot of cool creative endeavors in Cincinnati. They gave us some seed funding to see if our suspicions were correct about any type of designer's needs or wants here. Now two years later, we are still pretty rocking and rolling. Our team's really big. So we definitely proved ourselves right, that there's a lot of people out there who need production or need space or want to learn more.
What type of people are coming to your classes?
All types of people. We partner with UC's Communiversity class offerings. So a lot of people hear about us through there. Then we have a growing network of people who just follow us a lot, on Instagram or whatever. They just sign up for classes. So pretty diverse audience I would say.
So what's your favorite part about working with Sew Valley?
MY FAVORITE PART IS REALIZING HOW MANY COOL AND CREATIVE PEOPLE ARE HERE. AND THEY'RE ALL DOING SOMETHING UNIQUE AND DIFFERENT AND THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY, FROM LIVING IN NEW YORK, IT DIDN'T REALLY SEEM FEASIBLE TO BE ABLE TO START YOUR OWN BRAND AND AFFORD TO WORK IN YOUR OWN STUDIO. YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY COSTLY TO START YOUR OWN BUSINESS AND YOU KNOW, IT'S ACTUALLY POSSIBLE HERE WITH BEING ABLE TO HAVE A HANDS-ON RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR PATTERN MAKERS AND THE PRODUCTION SIDE OR JUST BEING ABLE TO HAVE ACCESS TO SPACE TO DO IT. I REALLY LOVE THAT AND IT'S REALLY COOL TO SEE SO MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE UTILIZING IT.
That's probably my favorite part, but it's also really cool because we have grown a lot. We have a team of eight people on staff now and it was just Rosie and I when we started it. Because we're busy with production and we need a lot of help and we hope to keep that growing with demand. I don't see any signs of slowing down anytime soon.
That's great. What do you think the next step for you guys would be?
Well, what we're learning is there are a lot of talented people here, but not everybody knows how to sew on an industrial machine. Most people have no idea what it takes to be an a sewing manufacturer. So we're trying to figure out ways to raise some funds to implement a training program, which would be called an apprenticeship program for people who want to get a job in this field. With us or with other manufacturers. There are a number of other places in Cincinnati that do sewing manufacturing, whether it's flags like our landlords or large scale bags for aircraft's, et cetera. There are a lot of places that you might not realize exist here in Cincinnati. And the common issue that we're all finding is 'where do you get your sewers that work for you?' Because it's really hard to find. So we're hoping that we can one: teach people how to do this because then that promotes local manufacturing again. And then two: we can actually ramp up production. We can get more projects done in a quicker amount of time, our turnaround will be faster. We expand, we grow, our clients grow, the designers grow, everybody wins. We're trying to figure that out right now. Why is local manufacturing important to you? It is important because one: job creation. Two: it's better for local economy. Three: it's really hard to have a brand with your manufacturers overseas. There's so much time lost in terms of communication via email or phone because of the time difference. You're waiting, waiting. You're waiting for your samples to be shipped to you. That takes weeks sometimes. So you're losing all this precious time. Where in Cincinnati, if your manufacturer is here, you can just actually go into the production space, see your sample as it progresses, get a hands on feel, know exactly what you're getting. One thing that could take a day with a local manufacturer could take up to a month to be completed or make a decision on if you were working with like, a manufacturer in China, for instance.
What sort of sustainability efforts do you guys do over there?
We have a growing sustainability effort. Our sustainability officer, she's one of our project managers, name's Aubrey Krekeler- also a DAAP grad. She leads that initiative for us. So in short, it's just any day-to-day practice that we can do to decrease our carbon footprint. But pretty much, in terms of manufacturing, we are trying to limit our fabric waste as much as we can. By making markers where there's not as much fabric waste when you're cutting and then, naturally, there still will be some waste in any fabric that you cut. One of our initiatives is separate it from all other ways from a project. Then we provide the weight to give to our clients so they know exactly how much they're wasting at the end of each project. So it gives them an idea of their impact. Therefore, when they design again, they're more mindful on what their designs look like and then perhaps when their patterns are made, they'll be more mindful on that as well. We have not located or nailed down as a place that will take our fabric scraps 100%. Thus far it's been, you know, finding people who need fabric scraps. We've posted on Craigslist, after school programs, or Indigo Hippo, stuff like that. A lot of places do want fabric scraps. So we've been able to unload it, but we can't guarantee what happens to that after. So we're still looking for a place that will reuse 100% of our scrap currently. But our other sustainability efforts: we have a huge recycling program. Aubrey has sustainability reminders and facts posted all over the facility. Pretty much the most important thing with sustainability, in terms of a fashion brand, or any company or business is just your daily culture and your practice. So if you're not wasting plastic products and throwing excess crap into the wastebasket, then it just translates to the other people who are working there. And then it just becomes a cultural shift. We have a compost system. We have a garden plot in our local community garden down the street. We've got a lot of stuff going on and it's growing. We've just got certified by the Hamilton County re recycle reuse center. I'm probably messing up that title. It's long. But essentially they came in, interviewed Aubrey to see what we were doing day to day, which also includes how people get to work. Rosie especially walks to work. So it's not necessarily just recycling your goods and having trashcan receptacles. We're just keeping on keeping on.
So you're thinking of all aspects, not just the fabric waste.
Exactly, yes. All aspects because we have a team in there. There's a lot of waste that happens in any place where a lot of people work. So it's not just fabric.
So what is the community like at Sew Valley?
It's pretty great. For our staff who are there most of the time when I'm there, a lot of them went to DAAP or studied fashion in some sort of capacity. It's pretty lax. It's really great. It's nice and open. We're a great team. We have little issues. People get their work done. Everybody has similar interests but also, everybody has their own set of skills. I'd say it's a pretty great place to work, and actually do the thing that you went to school and that you care for. Our members are all very different from one another and we make it that way. We want people to be comfortable to come here and do what they hope to do out of our space so we don't have requirements on our members. Some people just find it useful so that they can have access to our tables, et cetera. Other people utilize us for production and other people really just need a place to store their stuff and come in when their schedule allows because they do have other jobs. I'd say it's pretty great because there are no rules. What we want people to utilize our resources.
Is there a screening process for members?
As of right now it's just you need to be working with a sewn good. It's pretty low key. So we wouldn't bring a ceramicist and mainly because of dust, but it's also because that just doesn't make any sense, you know?
So you probably have a fairly wide variety of what people are making then.
Yes, a very wide variety. I'd say. No two people or brands are the same. And a lot of this especially goes for our clients. We have a ton of different clients who are finding us from all across the board. I'm not even sure how a lot of them hear about us. Which just proves there's really no song production resources at all in our region. All of our clients are very different from one another, which is also really cool to see what people are working on and how their brands exist or how they got started or what they're doing to start their brands and how we can help them. So it's pretty cool.
So you help a little bit with the business side of people who are using Sew Valley?
Yeah, we do if someone needs it. We don't really have any programs, I would say, but we have a growing resource list of people or serial entrepreneurs that want to help new entrepreneurs figure out how to think about their brand, being mindful about their brand, being smart about it so that they actually turn a profit and can keep it going. That could be anything from just seeking advice from our network or assisting with figuring out quantities or how to start it off. You know, a lot of people don't even really have any clue on what it is like to work with a production facility and what that costs because it is still costly to start a brand. We're there to guide along the way, but also be realistic with what is feasible. And then anything from website help or marketing, we're always there to lend a hand or lend advice or find or connect our members or clients with the right next person. That can give them the right insight towards the door they need to go. I also have a brand that is the side hustle project called Working Girls. We make anything. Sometimes we hire places to make stuff for us, sometimes we make things. But it's not all fabric, it's accessories, art projects, anything. We're most well known for socks that have printed names of movie titles featuring female leads, mostly from the eighties and nineties, like 'Working Girl', "Fatal Attraction', "Basic Instinct', 'Mystic Pizza', stuff like that. People love them. I've had them for years. People can't get enough. We don't anymore, but we made pool floats in the shape of body parts. Those were called Hot Bod Floats. We have mirrors that we have laser cut that are called Vogue Mirrors. They're in the shape of voguing hand position. Then all sorts of tees, pretty much anything. It's more of a side art project for me. So like anything I think up and I feel like I have the means to make it or find a place to make it. We'll do that.
That's really cool. So you don't shy away from, if you have an idea and you want to make it, you might have to find someone to do it for you.
Sure, for sure. Because there might not be enough time for me to do it or maybe I don't quite know or I don't have the tools to do it. I outsource screen printing for our tees and our socks and stuff.
Where do you get those done?
I'm just downtown. There's some print guys that are really cool that I found that've been around forever. They're called Allscreen, they're really cool guys. They think my brand is really weird.
Really, why?
I don't know. I think they mainly do like actual merch for a lot of people. I made some resin products last year that I did by hand, but I'm trying to find someone to manufacture them for me because it's very time consuming and I need better quality. What I'm finding with resin, they're toilet seats, is that they need to be highly functional. And my quality of work is not up to par, but people really like them. So I'm actively trying to find someone to make them for me.
What scale do you usually produce at?
Small. I would consider it small batch, like we said. So Valley's at 10 to 100 units is what we consider small batch. Let's say a new product that I launch, I usually try to, just as a trial period, if I'm just gonna put it on my website and I don't wholesale it to other retailers, I'd probably order between 20 and 40 of something for a trial run, see how it does. So I don't waste a ton of money if it's a flop. Then I can always make more if it works out. So that seems like a fair thing, but each product's different. You never know what people are gonna like. So that's also a big thing that I've learned from doing this brand. I feel like when you're starting off your own thing, you never know what the one thing is that's going to resonate with your demographic.
Is there a demographic in particular that you try to speak to?
Yeah, I would say anywhere in 20 to 40 year olds. It's pretty wide range. Majority of them are women, but I wouldn't say all. My brand has always had a satirical undertone and a feminist undertone. But I wouldn't say that it is promoted as that. It's not a feminist brand. Just because this brand, Working Girls, is my own personal brand, my own side project. It's nothing more than that. It's just me. I personally feel that I want to promote women and support women. So it translates into my brand.
So how else do your your personal morals, your feminist instincts, how else does that fold into your business practices?
I WOULD SAY THAT ENCOURAGING DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN PHOTO SHOOTS, BECAUSE I LOVE DOING PHOTO SHOOTS HERE IN TOWN. I THINK IT'S A REALLY FUN WAY TO GET CREATIVE AND EXPRESS WHAT YOU'RE DOING IN A COOL, EYE-CATCHING AND FUN WAY. THE VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF WHAT WE MAKE IS SUPER IMPORTANT. THAT TRANSLATES THERE. MOST OF THE PEOPLE THAT I HIRE LIKE A PHOTOGRAPHER, OTHER THAN MY PRINT DUDES, MOST PEOPLE ARE WOMEN. THAT ONE'S NOT A CONSCIOUS THING, BUT I THINK JUST NATURALLY, THAT'S THE WAY THAT IT WORKS BECAUSE OF WHAT I'M TRYING TO DO AND WHAT RESONATES WITH ME AND WHO I WANT TO WORK WITH.
How else do you ensure diversity in photo shoots?
YOU KNOW, I'M TRYING TO THINK OF HOW ELSE I DO IT. JUST IN OUR MODELS MAINLY. I'VE NEVER BEEN THE TYPE OF PERSON THAT WOULD WANT TO GO TO A MODEL AGENCY, BUT ALSO I'M NOT A MAJOR FASHION BRAND. THIS IS JUST FUN, CREATIVE STUFF. SO I USE PEOPLE THAT I KNOW OR I'VE SEEN AROUND. SOME PEOPLE I'VE SEEN AT A COFFEE SHOP AND HAD BEEN LIKE, 'WHOA, THIS IS REALLY COOL. DO YOU WANT TO WORK WITH ME?' OR JUST SOMEBODY THAT I KNOW. SO EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH MODELS. I ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE THAT WHEN WE ARE SHOOTING, TO COME AS THEY ARE. I NEVER REALLY HAVE A TON OF REQUIREMENTS FOR HAIR MAKEUP. I WOULD RATHER PEOPLE BE COMFORTABLE HOW THEY ARE THAN FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE OR LIKE A PHONY OR LIKE THEY'RE WEARING A COSTUME.
Well that all sounds awesome. Do you have any plans for new ventures in the near future?
Don't have any plans other than, Sew Valley is very much growing and, like I said, we're looking to expand some training programs. I think our plan currently, as it stands, is just figuring out how we can pull it off, raise some money, find more people to help us and keep our clients coming and our members happy. Have you ever done, I don't know how to put a word to it, interpretive quilting, no pattern.
I haven't. But that's definitely something I want to get into. Have you seen stuff like that?
I have a friend who studied this and her thesis was actually, I think, titled 'Interpretive Quilting' if I recall. But I've never done it because I feel like I'm really good with a rule. This is the pattern. You must stick to it.
Definitely. I think, more and more these days, those types of things are becoming popular. That used to never be done. It used to be only people would make patterns. Do most of your members just do their large batch or do they do personal stuff there as well?
I think people definitely do their personal stuff there. I'm sure you'll find when you graduate, it's very sad that you no longer have access to facilities, let alone even just big cutting tables or the machines. We definitely fill that void for a lot of people. So, you know, and we do have people that rent our space by the hour and we've had people that are just making curtains that have come out just to use the big table cause they realized it would be easier to lay it all out on a surface that actually can fit it rather than like in their apartment.
That's cool. What's one of the more interesting small projects that you've seen recently?
Oh, I need to think about that. I'm trying to think. Well we have a lot of people that work there that have friends that are like, ''m in a wedding. I need you to alter my bridesmaid dress'. I feel like we get a lot of last minute alterations in there. But also I would say the actual answer is, our two project managers realized that they needed an apron that actually functioned how they wanted it to function while they're working. So they each made out of scraps, aprons with pockets where they needed their tools to go when they're sitting and standing. And they're made of scrap, which is great and they're really cute. That's probably my favorite one I've seen that came out of there that was not work related or brand related. We had a class called Make Do and Mend. Have you heard of it Do you know Taylor?
Yes, I do. We used to have a studio together actually at About Space.
Oh cool. Yeah, she's awesome. So she teaches that and she was promoting this stitch rather than knots. I don't even know what it's called. When you just doubled down. So I am using that today, which I never have used in the past on a quilt.
Why does she like that method better?
She thinks it holds better and also making a knot is super hard on your hands sometimes.
Yeah, Taylor is super cool. Especially all the stuff that she's doing with her reclaimed material.
She gave a great presentation. Definitely recommend anybody come and check out what she's doing or be a part of whatever she's doing out there doing. Are you familiar with the Gee's Bend quilts?
Yes !
Aren't they the coolest things ever?
Definitely. They are. That was a huge part of my research. Do you want to tell the recorder about Gee's Bend?
I ACTUALLY FEEL LIKE MAYBE YOU COULD GIVE A MORE ACCURATE ACCOUNT. ALL I KNOW IS IT'S A COMMUNITY OF WOMEN IN ALABAMA IN GEE'S BEND WHO HAVE BEEN MAKING THESE MORE INTERPRETIVE QUILTS. I DON'T KNOW FOR HOW LONG, BUT IT DEFINITELY STARTED AS A NECESSITY RATHER THAN ANYTHING ELSE. AND THEY USE SCRAP, THEY USE ANYTHING. BUT MAYBE YOU COULD TAKE IT FROM THERE. CAUSE I DON'T KNOW MUCH AFTER THAT.
YEAH! SO IT'S THIS REALLY TINY KIND OF ISOLATED AREA IN ALABAMA WHERE RIGHT AFTER SLAVERY BECAME ILLEGAL, ESSENTIALLY SHARECROPPING REPLACED IT AND THEY, YOU KNOW, RE-INVENTED SLAVERY IN THAT WAY. BUT THE WAY THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE WOULD MAKE MONEY ON THE SIDE JUST TO FINISH FEEDING THEIR FAMILY WAS BY DOING THESE SCRAP QUILTS. AND THERE'S A REALLY AMAZING OLD PHOTO THAT LOOKS LIKE IT'S FROM THAT ERA OF THESE WOMEN MAKING THESE QUILTS. BUT IT WAS A WAY FOR THEM TO CLAIM THEIR OWN PROPERTY, TO MAKE THINGS THAT BELONG JUST TO THEM, AND TO MAKE MONEY OFF OF IT. COOL. AND A LOT OF IT IS SUPER INTERPRETIVE SCRAP QUILTS AND THERE'S STILL GROUPS OF PEOPLE DOWN THERE. THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, THEIR CHILDREN'S CHILDREN WHO ARE MAKING THEM TODAY. THERE'S ALL SORTS OF STORIES YOU CAN READ ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO MADE THEM ORIGINALLY. AND IT'S JUST A FASCINATING ISOLATED AREA BECAUSE THEY WERE SO ISOLATED BECAUSE OF THEIR LOCATION AND THEIR RACE THAT THEY CAME UP WITH THEIR OWN STYLES COMPLETELY AND MADE THIS WHOLE MOVEMENT OF QUILTS. SUPER COOL STUFF.
So cool. And they look like contemporary works of art.
They look extremely modern.
Yes! I love it.