Think Local
If you had to come up with a single term to describe 2020, after ruling out a lot of profanity-laced (but accurate) options, you would probably find yourself using the phrase “a year of change”. And indeed it was: a new virus made itself known and forced us to adapt to new ways of working and socializing, political strife kept us on the edge of our seats, and social unrest rekindled old divisions and stoked new ones. We found ourselves isolated from our family, friends, coworkers, suppliers, and even basic needs, yet new solutions sprang up to meet these challenges: Zoom brought us together even when we had to remain apart, work-from-home technologies kept us productive and using our time effectively, and delivery companies kept us (and restaurants) afloat even when dining out wasn’t an option. In a way, this is representative of how humanity has historically faced all kinds of adversity: we assess the situation, find unmet needs, and develop new ways to address those needs.
While the world is slowly mending from these challenges, we have had to come to terms with some harsh realities of our modern world. The international supply lines we have come to take for granted can, in an instant, become inaccessible to businesses and consumers alike. And so we find ourselves having to address this very new and very modern type of adversity: how can we keep production moving in an increasingly-globalized world when crises arise which sever our connections with the rest of the globe? How can we meet manufacturing needs when embargoes and sizzling international tensions leave us stranded from overseas infrastructure built up by years of outsourcing? The answer to these questions is the same as the foundation upon which the Edgington Studio was established: Think Local.
While it seems a distant memory now, it wasn’t so very long ago that the United States was the manufacturing hub of the entire world. American-made goods were known for their quality and durability, and with the domestic peace and political stability we enjoyed, companies and workers had high hopes that tomorrow would be at least as good (if not better) than today. As standards of living rose, so did salaries and manufacturing costs, and economics is a harsh mistress: it eventually became cheaper to manufacture goods elsewhere, and slowly but surely the main business of America changed from one of making quality goods to one of providing services, and manufacturing has been relegated to a backseat role ever since. This status quo has been kept for decades, though recent changes in the business and international landscape have made one thing clear: we need to restore American manufacturing capacity if we wish to avoid the business risks that have become increasingly apparent over the last few years.
Edgington Studio aims to be a part of the solution to this problem. By increasing local capacity to manufacture, this not only reduces the risks associated with an international marketplace, but also helps to support and foster the growth of skilled local talent that can serve as the basis for further expansion. With “in-sourcing” a growing trend, we hope to bring to sewn goods what is being brought to many other areas of domestic production: American-designed, American-made, and able to persevere no matter what fresh challenges the world has in store for us.
We’d love to have you along for the journey. If you have sewn-goods skills you’d like to utilize, please check out the “Work with Us” tab at the top of the page, or if you have a project you’d like to take the next step on, click on the “Manufacture with Us” page and we’ll be glad to have a discussion with you on turning your concept into a reality. Edgington Studio is here to help!
