Dazed, confused and wondering where to make your lingerie collection?
The New York garment district, located in midtown Manhattan, has long been recognized as the center of fashion manufacturing. Alarmingly, there have been ominous reports in the media over the last few years that the garment center is dead and all the factories have vanished, the production work transferred overseas, and the buildings converted to luxury apartment buildings. Not true! To paraphrase a quote from Mark Twain, the reports of its death have been greatly exaggerated. You can still make your lingerie collection in NYC!
While it is true that a few buildings were converted over the last decade – mostly to hotels, due to the city’s complicated zoning regulations – with the help of the Fashion Manufacturing Initiative to preserve garment production in New York City, the garment center has valiantly resisted gentrification and remains to date the same seedy mecca of factories, fabrics suppliers, wholesalers, and design rooms that it ever was.
Ride the vintage elevator (which is still hand operated, by the way) in one tall building on West 38th Street, for example, and go from floor to floor, you will find it humming with sewing machines. You will also find fabric wholesalers, showrooms, and design studios. Up and down the block, there is a plethora of shops for the trade, including a custom covered button and belt maker, label printer (made with love), supplier of metallic ‘findings’ (your logo stamped in rose gold, an embroiderer (for your ‘days of the week’ knickers, thread seller, as well as a much-needed sewing machine parts and repair shop. (Read our post here with a list of 28 of the great suppliers you’ll find in the garment district.)
In fact, there are dozens of manufacturers of every possible kind in the midtown area. And we believe that nothing can compare to a NYC manufacturing experience due to the quality of the service and convenience of having the services done locally. It’s a unique and special organism, a tight community of small businesses all connected and intertwined. And now, more than ever, brands are relying on local production. Designers have the opportunity to get involved and make in-the-minute decisions. If you’ve ever tried to produce a collection remotely, you’ll understand this is the essential element to success. Every step is crucial for the final result of the piece and the smallest detail done incorrectly can spell disaster.
The biggest benefit for brands who make garments in New York City is hands-on collaboration – designers need a healthy relationship with manufacturers who are reliable, quick to respond, and excellent problem solvers. That being said, how does a designer actually find the right factory? The fashion industry is notoriously secretive, and designers guard their supply chain, especially their suppliers and production. In fact, so protective are they, some of the factories we interviewed asked us not to reveal their clients’ names for fear of incurring their wrath!
Best 10 Ateliers in NYC to Make your Kickass Lingerie Collection! Click To TweetFinding a small factory to produce your sample lines and fill your orders can seem rather like gaining access to a speakeasy during Prohibition. You’ve heard whispers about an atelier that can perfectly make your order of ‘100 pink silk demi-cup bras with chiffon ruffles, Chantilly lace, and 8 satin straps’, but you first must discover the camouflaged door, hidden behind a false wall – and of course the secret password that is needed to enter.
To help you, we have compiled a curated selection of the 10 best ateliers in New York City’s garment center that can not only produce your luxury intimate apparel collection from start to finish but are willing to work with emerging designers and new brands, as well as established brands. Still, it’s not the golden ticket. Each of them offers a different expertise, so you’re still going to need to do some legwork in midtown NYC and research which business best fills your particular needs. Price ranges will vary depending on services provided. For example, a bra sample cost could range from $150 to $250 – if the designer provides the finished pattern. Production prices vary, of course, depending on the details of the garment, fabrication, size range (including plus sizes) and quantity. Luckily, most of the factories are within a three-block radius!
Every designer knows that producing a collection is like a three-ring circus featuring a juggler, a magician, and a fortune teller/psychic. But we’ve put together the A-list of ateliers to get you started.
One word of caution: some designers approach local manufacturers expecting U.S. production prices to be competitive with overseas, which of course is just impossible. Just remember all of the benefits of producing your collection locally, including the small cutting tickets and ability to fill your boutique orders and don’t try to squeeze the small manufacturers too much for price.
10 top factories to make your kickass lingerie collection!
Atelier Amelia
247 West 38th St, 4th floor
646 820 3850 owner: Zhu Ru Chen www.atelieramelia.com
La crème de la crème! Atelier Amelia has twice been awarded a grant from the CFDA for “commitment to improving their services through innovation and technology.” It‘s a high-quality sample room and small batch production house specializing in intimate apparel, and swimwear, with expertise in underwire bras and sewing delicate fabrics such as French lace and chiffon, and they also do hand beading and hand sewing for bespoke pieces. They have no minimums with a total capacity of 3000-5000 pieces a month. As well as sample making and production, they provide full service from design, to sourcing, technical spec, fitting, and pattern making.
Design Incubator Inc.
306 W 38th St., 5th Floor
Phone:347-766-1810 , owner: Amy Fong
This is the one they don’t want you to know about! Design Incubator Inc. produces for certain NYC cult labels, and they are probably the independent local lingerie designers’ best kept secret. I’m not saying that we had to sign an NDA to include them in this list, but almost! Design Incubator Inc. specializes in making high end specialty intimate apparel made from fine fabrics and lace and have 30 years of experience working with some very creative NYC designers. That means they are flexible, patient and accommodating. They have no set minimums, will produce small to medium size runs, and are used to working on complicated projects. In fact, their motto is “If it is sewn, we can make it.”
Mei Pattern Studio
306 W 38th #802
Phone: 718-490-3599 – Owner: Mei Zou
This is an Haute Couture level design room. Lingerie patterns can often be just two pieces and all the details are put into the lace application (think: Carine Gilson). However, if you want to reimagine Gaultier’s bullet bra, or you’re creating an intricate collection of caged corsets and Bridgerton style nightgowns for your runway collection, or a celeb client’s over-the-top Met Gala outfit, you’ll need to partner with a studio that has more advanced pattern making and construction abilities like Mei Pattern Studio. It’s a full-service luxury fashion pattern and sample making studio. Mei Zou has 30 years in the industry and is highly skilled in constructing couture style garments – in fact, she specializes in samples for runway collections. Her studio can also do small run production. They offer the entire process, starting with draping, fittings, pattern making, and pattern adjustments, digitized through the CAD system, and turns out sample prototypes, and final SMS pieces for your showroom.
Stitch Luxe NYC
152 W 36th St. #803
718-349-2457 owner: Jene Stefnaik
StitchLuxe | Everything you need to bring your fashion ideas to life (stitchluxenyc.com)
If you’re an idea person but need guidance, get organized with the help of Stitch Luxe NYC. Their services cover the entire supply chain, from concept through development, sampling, and production. They cut and fit ultra-precise patterns and samples for intimates, swim and activewear with rapid turnaround, and offer small run production in-house or can coordinate larger runs with local partner factories. They are pleased to work with established brands and emerging designers alike, and will work closely with each brand’s specific guidelines for the target customer, to achieve the desired final cost of making, and release schedule. They also pride themselves on being very friendly, which is a definite plus in a high stress industry!
Zoila’s Sample Room
213 W 35th St #300
917-476-0040 owner: Zoila Cruz
Specializing in high end silks and fine lace, Zoila knows that more than almost any other type of apparel, intimates can be the most difficult to bring to market – and she has the expertise to create fine designer samples and small run production in house. Her small sample room is known for producing impeccable collections by luxury NYC labels. Zoila brings years of experience and resources to women’s intimates including loungewear, lingerie, bras, underwear & panties. They do full service pattern making, and free consultations. Bring her your sketches and she’ll bring your collection to life.
E & C Fashion Design
306 W 38th #802
212-564-4947 owner: Crystal May
Garments Patterns Samples Production | E&C Fashion Design | New York (encfashiondesign.com)
E & C specializes in lingerie, swimwear, and athleisure. Their client list includes such well-known brands as “Fleur du Mal”, and “Kiki de Montparnasse” and “Red Daisy Activewear”, to name a few. They offer pattern making, sample making, fitting, and production with the capabilities for small to medium size runs, boasting fast turnarounds at great rates. With the combo of specialized machinery specific to making lingerie and swimwear, and a team of experts, E&C Fashion Design is able to create unique and intricate designs. They have over 30 years of experience in apparel development and production. Bring them your completed tech packs with fit model references, and garment components and they will create your patterns and samples.
Funari Fashion Consulting & Manufacturing
1441 Broadway 5th floor
917-589-2902 owner: Janelle Funari
www.funarifashionconsulting.com
Funari Fashion Consulting takes great pride in assisting New York designers bringing their dreams come to life. They are experts in lingerie, swimwear, and activewear and you will never hear them say “it can’t be done” – but they’re very proactive in troubleshooting potential problems to prevent errors before they begin. They are a vertical operation that can assist emerging designers with the full process of product development from designing, sketching, tech packs, draping, sample making, fitting, with no minimums for production.
Grace Apparel Production
270 West 39th St. #1401
Phone: 646-269-7204 – owner: Claudia Amaya
www.graceaapparelproduction.com
A full package services production company for all garments “Made in New York”. They provide a full package of services in design, fitting, patterns, grading, marking, cutting, and sewing. Grace Apparel understands that deadlines must be met and they strive to ensure that all your production needs are met in a timely manner and boast “unmatched quality provided”. Orders can range from samples, duplicates, to production orders from small amounts of 20 units to 1500 units per style. They believe that the importance of relationships can’t be overstated, which is a truth that every designer must learn either the easy way or the hard way! The benefit of working with Grace Apparel goes far beyond what they can produce in-house; with their connections, they partner with many factories which means they can manufacture almost every style of lingerie, swimwear, and athleisure in knits, denim, woven, silk, and even leather.
Premier Apparel
306 W 37th St, 7th floor
Phone: 917-667-0590 – owner: Juan Carlos Guzman
Premier Apparel says “Bring any of your designs and we will make it” and to prove it they offer a free 1 hour production quote appointment! They’re a ‘one-stop-shop’ for full service fashion pattern, sample making and production studio, handling small and medium sized production in house with quick turnaround. They pride themselves consistently providing services to both mainstream high fashion brands and edgy independent designers.
Blank Canvas Development
30 Maujer Street
Brooklyn, NY
Phone: 347-661-8947 – owner: Anna McCraney
www.blankcanvasdevelopment.com
Last but not least, we have included one studio that’s outside the midtown grid – in Brooklyn – because Anna from Blank Canvas Development will come to you! She’s your go-to-person if you hate running around the garment center. Blank Canvas will be your production manager and they offer a pricing structure that can include tech design, pattern, and sample making, as well as production development services for both small lot and large scale production with their factory partnerships. They specialize in fair wage and sustainable development and production which is important in this day and age. Her ‘prix-fixe menu’ of prices can be a little daunting at first glance but don’t be dissuaded – Anna assured us that there is an ‘a la carte’ option for every project.
Read next: Find NYC Suppliers to make your lingerie collection!
