We are two people who live, love and work together in Willimantic, CT. Our goal is to run an ecologically friendly business that promotes a sustainable economy. We use our skills as pattern makers, dressmakers, dyers and stitchers in the context of community life.
We want to make inroads to better working conditions for all the women and men who work in the textile industries. Today the benefits of human labor go disproportionately to the owners. Workers have had some successes in organizing (UNITE) and with grass roots efforts to reclaim ownership via cooperatives. Unfortunately for organizers, the garment industry is spread out across the world. The pattern and design might be made in New York, Paris or Hong Kong, the fabric cut in Mexico and the garment sewn in Russia. The decisions are dictated by where the cheapest prices for labor are and don’t consider the needs or commitment of the people who have learned the skills to produce the clothing.
We promise you, anything you buy from Clothworks was made by workers who are (more or less) in control of their workplace. We know this is true because we made it!
We hope you will love what we make too.
Sarah Winter
Mark Svetz
We design clothing and bags based on comfort, ease of care and our own sense of fun. They are not designed for models, nor are they mass produced. Our goal is to make it possible for you to purchase unique, well-made items.
Industrial Hemp has been our fabric of choice for just under a decade. The way hemp fiber takes the dyes is far superior to cotton. The colors are strong and vibrant. It is a pleasure to stir new dyes into the fabric. Equally important are the many ecological benefits of Industrial Hemp. Hemp is ideally suited for the US climate. It is a fast growing crop producing 250% more fiber than cotton and 600% more fiber than flax on the same amount of land. It has long tap roots which help prevent soil run off. It is naturally blight resistant and requires little or no pesticide use. In the course of using it we have come to love the bags and clothes it sews up.
