LA MADE: Midwest Design meets west coast construction
Michigan’s varied landscapes, waterways and innovative heritage has saint andro proud to call the midwest home. But when it came to finding partners to ethically & professionally produce our first small batch androgynous swim collection we were told there was only one place to go...
Ever since hannah & I joined forces to build this brand late last year we've been geeked to share more on our Los Angeles connection. Not a lot of humans are privy to the process of producing American-made clothing, and that's because the US currently makes 97% of its apparel overseas.
The LA Apparel Mart in the Los Angeles fashion District is an ecosystem like no other. The building was built in 1914 with a renaissance revival architectural style that has been very well maintained, housing a plethora of creative industries within its 130,000 sq ft. Its management prioritizes renting to fashion supply chain workers above all (ie. pattern makers, designers and raw material suppliers, etc). We got an exclusive tour of said ecosystem thanks to saint andro collection 01 pattern maker & product developer, @shilobyrd
Think of pattern makers like building architects; They translate a designer's concept into technical patterns, which serve as the blueprint for cutting and assembling the fabric. Shilo has been a pattern maker for 14 years, operating in the elevated sector. She is an experienced problem-solver with in-depth knowledge of fit performance (something that really matters in swim construction).
Just down the hall in the same building is Tania and her team’s sample-making studio. This is where all our 2023 prototypes were constructed. Tania also owns a production facility down the street that institutes ethical working conditions and fair-wages, which we value beyond measure.
”It's a very tactile industry. Sometimes an email isn't going to cut it, you need to be able to walk down the hall put your hands on a garment and talk it out in real time,” says Shilo. This old building is buzzing with activity and creativity. It was such an honor to photograph these artisans in their space on our first trip to the studios last June.
LA apparel mart bldg in the Garment District of Los Angeles, CA
Shilo Byrd (R) in her Studio
Tania and sa founder Hannah reviewing prototypes
scene from Tania’s sample studio, (get name) cutting patterns.
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We’ve worked with Shilo for over a year to get our first collection off the ground. With each prototype came fit testing (in studio and out in the world), making minor adjustments with each peice depending on how it performed with varied bodies and activities.
anything else about the process we should share from proto to final?
