When I started my business I didn't really think about the idea of manufacturing--I was just excited to make things I was passionate about. But when I got some larger orders last year I realized I needed figure out how to manufacture on a larger scale. I guess the easy route would have been to find a factory that already existed, but I really wanted to tell a story through my production.
I was lead to a group of artisans in New Bedford, MA. My assistant and I traveled there to train the group to make samples and it was very clear we had found our answer. They are a group of women and men who are extremely skilled with their hands. They make beautiful back-strap weavings, do embroidery work and were eager to learn how to block print.
Over the last year we have built a working factory that I am immensely proud to be a part of. Without this amazing group of individuals I couldn't do what I do. They give me purpose and drive me to continue to create well designed products. Perhaps that is the wrong way of thinking about design but I have always been interested in people and their stories. And because I think of myself as more of a painter than I designer I always knew it wasn't enough for me to make things just to make them. I found my answer in New Bedford.
