Local designers want to manufacture in Philadelphia—but it’s not always possible. by Justin Klugh An idea is born anywhere: scribbles on the back of a napkin, a daydream during a webinar, panicked fumbling for a bedside notebook in the middle of the night. While cleaning out her mother’s belongings after her passing, Maddie Flanigan found
MoreA Stitch in Time by William Beisley With garment manufacturing in Philadelphia at an all-time low, a brand like Norman Porter Co. appears like a denim-clad apparition from the past. The company’s jeans and other products have all been designed and produced with an almost bygone craftsman approach. Michael and David Stampler, brothers and co-owners
MoreOn the Make by Alex Jones Janell Wysock designs and makes knitted and woven garments. For most of the year, she’s a one-woman shop, using a combination of machine knitting and by-hand techniques to create one-of-a-kind pieces. However, demand from local and regional boutiques outstrips her ability to produce finished garments, and cash flow issues
MoreChau Tran, left, and Thao To, right, pose in their Port Richmond workshop. | photo by Jared Gruenwald
Thao To, the designer and manufacturer behind ToT, a new line of locally-made girls clothing, may seem an unlikely textile entrepreneur. The daughter of a Vietnamese couple who immigrated in 1986, To was an academic overachiever
A Chinatown company churns out tofu
Manufacturing is a centuries-old tradition in Philadelphia, but over the last 50 years, countless factories have left the city. In 1990, Yatsun Wen, a Chinese immigrant, started manufacturing tofu by hand in Chinatown. Now, 20 years later, his company Nature’s Soy has distribution up and down the East Coast, and