The Apparel Agency
1. How long have you been in business?
The Apparel Agency officially launched in 2010 at a partnering factory on the West side of Chicago. We moved our offices into the ICNC building later in 2011. Although the company was slowly making it's way to being what it is today since 2009.
2. How did you get started?
After retiring my children's clothing line I was asked by other brands to consult and run production with my Chicago resources, adopting more of a freelance business model. It was the experience of building my own brand from scratch paired with helping others that really cemented the fact that there was a market for pre-production development and management services. As individual clients started adding more requests, I started building out more identifiable processes and uniquely shaping The Apparel Agency's offerings to what they are today.
3. What’s unique about your story or business?
I've really put a huge priority on our clients having a full service environment. From concept to consumer we aim to provide each client with the resources, tools and expertise they need to launch, grow and sustain their business. Although we are still a small business, we offer a lot and really approach each interaction or project as a partnership with a goal of long term success. As a result we've assembled a truly unique assortment of the best resources, makers, and industry experts under one roof.
4. What is the biggest challenge you have faced in business and how did you overcome it?
There have been so many! Currently our biggest challenge is growing our community of skilled labor. It seems like the cutters and sewers are a dying breed in America and yet, they are the essence of the entire manufacturing process. We hope to continue our crusade for American made products at accessible prices - but we need the commitment to come from all sides, including the designer, the consumer and the community/government.
5. Please list a few of your most recent accomplishments.
Our latest excitement is the launch of our new website where we will be featuring 2 new sides to our business; The Shop - where DIY makers can purchase industry tools, templates and pattern blocks, and The Line - our own private label manufacturing line where businesses can customize and buy trend forward "blanks" without having to develop and produce them. And last but not least we are expanding our core services to include a consultant network so that freelance designers can work through our plans with their clients and provide the services and support they need to launch their clothing lines! There's so many great things happening for The Apparel Agency in 2016 - we are thrilled about our future and reflect fondly on the growth of the company over the last 6 years - we could not have done so without the support of the ICNC!
The Apparel Agency officially launched in 2010 at a partnering factory on the West side of Chicago. We moved our offices into the ICNC building later in 2011. Although the company was slowly making it's way to being what it is today since 2009.
2. How did you get started?
After retiring my children's clothing line I was asked by other brands to consult and run production with my Chicago resources, adopting more of a freelance business model. It was the experience of building my own brand from scratch paired with helping others that really cemented the fact that there was a market for pre-production development and management services. As individual clients started adding more requests, I started building out more identifiable processes and uniquely shaping The Apparel Agency's offerings to what they are today.
3. What’s unique about your story or business?
I've really put a huge priority on our clients having a full service environment. From concept to consumer we aim to provide each client with the resources, tools and expertise they need to launch, grow and sustain their business. Although we are still a small business, we offer a lot and really approach each interaction or project as a partnership with a goal of long term success. As a result we've assembled a truly unique assortment of the best resources, makers, and industry experts under one roof.
4. What is the biggest challenge you have faced in business and how did you overcome it?
There have been so many! Currently our biggest challenge is growing our community of skilled labor. It seems like the cutters and sewers are a dying breed in America and yet, they are the essence of the entire manufacturing process. We hope to continue our crusade for American made products at accessible prices - but we need the commitment to come from all sides, including the designer, the consumer and the community/government.
5. Please list a few of your most recent accomplishments.
Our latest excitement is the launch of our new website where we will be featuring 2 new sides to our business; The Shop - where DIY makers can purchase industry tools, templates and pattern blocks, and The Line - our own private label manufacturing line where businesses can customize and buy trend forward "blanks" without having to develop and produce them. And last but not least we are expanding our core services to include a consultant network so that freelance designers can work through our plans with their clients and provide the services and support they need to launch their clothing lines! There's so many great things happening for The Apparel Agency in 2016 - we are thrilled about our future and reflect fondly on the growth of the company over the last 6 years - we could not have done so without the support of the ICNC!