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As part of their mission to support emerging designers in the sustainable fashion space, small-batch, cut-and-sew manufacturing facility Made X Hudson has taken big steps to expand their reach by moving into retail. In the past year, the full-service design atelier has not only added a shop to the downstairs of their Catskills factory location, but they’ve also recently opened up an entirely new storefront in Hudson. These brick-and-mortar shops offer handmade items from the Made X Hudson factory line as well as various partner designers in the Hudson Valley.
Creating a Comforting Atmosphere
The aesthetic of Made X Hudson’s shops evokes sustainability and luxury at the same time. Featuring color palette of greens and warmer tones, the Paris-inspired retail spaces make you feel like you’re stepping into another world while still nodding to the brand’s upstate origins.
Courtesy of Made X Hudson
The interior of Made X Hudson’s Catskill retail shop.
Including Midcentury Modern light fixtures with a bit of Parisian chic, these shops’ interior design also makes use of repurposed deadstock fabrics—discontinued leftovers from the fashion industry that are often burned or thrown into landfills—using them as wallpaper and decorations. The shops include fresh and dried flora from KADŌ FARM, a Hudson-based flower farm.
“The main goal of our design structure was to make a place for inclusion and inspiration,” says Made X Hudson cofounder Sergio Guadarrama. “Sometimes those things don’t go hand in hand. We wanted to meld a special place where people can come and find something that can inspire them in many different ways.”
Courtesy of Made X Hudson
Made X Hudson’s new storefront in Hudson.
Although recent attention has focused on the new Hudson shop, the Catskill location is their larger space and home base. The site of Made X Hudson’s events, classes, and production, the Catskill shop is also home to Atelier Ku-Ki, a husband and wife team who serve farm-to-table Japanese food with a focus on bento boxes. Along with clothing, both Made X Hudson shops also sell bags, shoes, candles, homegoods, and art.
A Network of Artisans
Made X Hudson works with a small network of local businesses and artists to release specially curated products. This includes brands like La Vie Apres L’amour, which recently opened in Kingston and makes French-inspired styles using upcycled materials. They also distribute products for Brosgé, which offers organic, safety-tested, repairable, and biodegradable plus size clothing.
Courtesy of Made X Hudson
Made X Hudson employees at work in their Catskill manufacturing facility.
“They are a supportive outlet for my clothing,” says Jennifer Wilkerson, founder of the Schenectady-based Brosgé. “They give me important feedback about what people gravitate toward and buy. I love that they are open to carrying my plus-size clothes and integrating them seamlessly into the stores. Their merchandising is really lovely. Every item feels special.”
Additionally, Made X Hudson will produce pants for Hudson Valley Eclectics, a fashion project by artist Amelia C Williams that combines influences from California skate culture with Afro-Caribbean diaspora. “I wanted to make extremely small batches of items, from the perspective of art, and make sure they were created tailor-ready so they are customizable and feel personal to each client,” says Williams. “Working with a local manufacturer made this idea more possible.”
Courtesy of Made X Hudson
The checkout counter in the Catskill shop.
Another collaborative venture was the production of a bucket hat with Battenkill Fibers in Greenwich. By collaborating with local farmers, Made X Hudson ensured that all the steps—shearing and weaving the wool, designing the hat, and selling it—took place in the upstate area.
Industry Challenges
Getting into retail was not without its challenges. “We always planned on doing retail, and we wanted to have a space for community,” says cofounder Eric De Feo. “But we probably did it faster than we were planning to. We first started as a nonprofit and quickly realized there was little support or grants for manufacturing facilities. It’s getting more and more impossible to produce wholesale in America.”
On top of the lack of government support for domestic garment manufacturing, the Made X Hudson staff also worry that fast fashion and unsustainable trends warp public opinion on ethical fashion prices. “I just saw an article mentioning a $12 Primark dress,” says De Feo. “People don’t think about the environmental costs to get a dress down to that price. A lot of people can’t afford to think about it; they just need clothing. But at the same time, sometimes fashion trends make consumption too accessible.”
Courtesy of Made X Hudson
“It’s important for our customers to know that when they see something that’s higher priced, it’s not because we’re trying to make a lot of money off of it,” says Made X Hudson interior designer Kade Johnson. “We’re trying to pay our people properly.”
Sustainable Fashion Education and Awareness
As part of their diversified revenue stream, Made X Hudson offers sewing workshops at the Catskill location. In these nontraditional classes, students can focus on any project they like, from simply learning to use a sewing machine to creating complex contour garments.
Courtesy of Made X Hudson
These classes offer an opportunity for students to gain a greater awareness of the difficulties of the industry and the realities of why clothes cost the amount they do. “Once our students start breaking down the anatomy of pattern making, it allows them to understand how much work making a garment actually is,” says Johnson.
More broadly, the Made X Hudson staff hope that they can promote manufacturing education to fill community needs and provide jobs to the local area. “We’re retraining a generation for a skill that died out when our country offshored manufacturing to other places,” says Guadarrama. “We want to keep the money local, provide education, and really figure out what is needed in the communities.”
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