Two Locals Started an Eco-Friendly, Industrial Sewing Facility for Others | Cincinnati Refined

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Sew Valley was started in 2017 by Rosie Kovacs and Shailah Maynard, two former students who wished they had had access to industrial sewing equipment and a small batch manufacturing facility while in school. / Image: Shea Renusch // Published: 2.7.20

Through the process of producing her own clothing line, Sew Valley founder Rosie Kovacs recognized a need for small-batch clothing manufacturing in the Cincinnati area. She also wanted to cultivate a community that helps creators bring their products to fruition. / Image: Shea Renusch // Published: 2.7.20

The pair met when Maynard began working for Kovacs at Brush Factory. They linked up with the Haile Foundation to found their maker’s space focusing on the fashion industry in Cincinnati. This jump-started a trial period for Sew Valley in which their suspicions were confirmed—Cincinnati creators were in need of production services and studio spaces to transform their ideas into finished products. / Image: Shea Renusch // Published: 2.7.20

Noting sustainability as one of their core principles, Sew Valley is currently working to ramp up their efforts. Project Manager and Sustainability Officer, Aubrey Krekeler, not only optimizes Sew Valley’s processes to be more sustainable, but also assists and educates clients on how they can incorporate sustainability into their practices. / Image: Shea Renusch // Published: 2.7.20

Sew Valley has a goal to reduce their fabric waste to 5 percent by 2021. / Image: Shea Renusch // Published: 2.7.20

Four times a year, Sew Valley offers the free seminar “From Idea to Product.” The class walks attendees through what it takes to create a finished product and work with a manufacturing facility. The class is based on the most common inquiry they get: “How do I take my idea, and turn it into a product?” / Image: Shea Renusch // Published: 2.7.20

Sew Valley is located at 1010 Hulbert Avenue in Cincinnati, and shares a building with The National Flag Company. ADDRESS: 1010 Hulbert Avenue (45214) / Image: Shea Renusch // Published: 2.7.20

As part of the building inhabited by The National Flag Company, the space was already set up for sewing when Sew Valley moved in. / Image: Shea Renusch // Published: 2.7.20

Sew Valley has experienced rapid growth since their start in December 2017, and Maynard says she hopes they can continue along that course in 2020. They are hoping to take on more clients and produce more quickly, with the goal of helping more people. / Image: Shea Renusch // Published: 2.7.20

Sew Valley works to combat the wasteful impact of the fashion industry. Maynard says, “It’s a little known fact that fast fashion, and the fashion industry as a whole, is one of the top polluting industries in the world. What we’re doing as a small manufacturing facility, is trying to share our ethos with our clients. We hope that other brands work with us because of that.” / Image: Shea Renusch // Published: 2.7.20

This year, Sew Valley is offering two classes on sustainability: “Make Do and Mend,” focusing on how to sustain your clothes and reduce clothing waste, and “Waste Not Weaving,” on reusing fabric scraps to create beautiful wallhangings. / Image: Shea Renusch // Published: 2.7.20

Sew Valley is considered small batch manufacturing because they keep their minimums for producing between ten and one-hundred units. Maynard says, “We’re willing to help anybody at any stage.” / Image: Shea Renusch // Published: 2.7.20

Sew Valley is a nonprofit with a focus on bringing manufacturing expertise, training, and sustainability to the community. / Image: Shea Renusch // Published: 2.7.20

Sew Valley recognizes how difficult it can be to take something from idea to finished product. They are committed to providing know-how and resources so that no one has to do it alone. / Image: Shea Renusch // Published: 2.7.20

Production services are not just limited to members. Sew Valley employs a large staff to provide small batch manufacturing services to a number of designers, creators, and companies in the Cincinnati area. / Image: Shea Renusch // Published: 2.7.20

Maynard says that Sew Valley works with a range of clients—from small designers who are just in the idea phase and need to be guided through the production process, to larger companies who want to produce locally and take a more mindful approach to their manufacturing. / Image: Shea Renusch // Published: 2.7.20

Sew Valley works to reduce their ecological impact by producing as few scraps as possible, only manufacturing in small batches, and reusing waste. They are getting the community involved in their efforts by teaching a class on how to mend your own clothes, rather than buying new. / Image: Shea Renusch // Published: 2.7.20

Sew Valley recognizes that every client is different. Project Manager and Sustainability Officer, Aubrey Krekeler, works to help clients incorporate sustainability in ways that make sense for them, whether that’s sourcing materials, manufacturing efficiently, or the entire process. She says, “I think the most unique thing about us is that we’re so hands-on and so willing to help those people that don’t know what they’re doing. We want clients that are involved.” / Image: Shea Renusch // Published: 2.7.20

Their biggest difficulty is finding people who know how to sew in an industrial capacity. Because of this, Sew Valley is hoping to expand its educational offerings and implement more training for industrial sewing in the future. Their “Intro to Industrial Sewing” class teaches attendees how to use industrial sewing machines, and is Sew Valley’s most popular class. / Image: Shea Renusch // Published: 2.7.20

Designer Tessa Clark utilizes Sew Valley’s offerings to the fullest extent. Not only is she a member who uses their studio space to design, but she also uses their production services to produce 100 percent of her Grind and Glaze line. / Image: Shea Renusch // Published: 2.7.20

Sew Valley has seven membership spaces, six of which are currently occupied by local designers. / Image: Shea Renusch // Published: 2.7.20

Cincinnati fashion designer Tessa Clark was awarded one of Sew Valley’s first memberships. Clark was a contestant on season 17 of Bravo’s Project Runway and still utilizes Sew Valley’s membership and production services to produce her Grind and Glaze line. / Image: Shea Renusch // Published: 2.7.20

Sew Valley offers a range of classes four times a year as part of their education initiative. / Image: Shea Renusch // Published: 2.7.20

For more information on Sew Valley and their offerings, visit sewvalley.org

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