NYC factories, this one is for you.
The CFDA & NYCEDC’s Local Production Fund is now accepting factory applications. Get on the approved manufacturer list and get matched with fashion brands committed to making it here.
Deadline: May 20 at 5PM ET
Apply at 🔗 /forms/2026_lpf_factoryapp
We are honored to share that Closely Crafted is part of the USA launch of Homo Faber Guide, a global platform by the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship devoted to celebrating the finest contemporary craftsmanship around the world.
For this partnership, Closely Crafted recommended a selection of US-based artisans whose practices embody innovation, material excellence, and cultural significance within American craft today. We invite you to explore our Ambassador page, now live on Homo Faber Guide, and discover the makers shaping the future of handmade work in the USA and beyond.
@homofaber #HomoFaberGuide #CloselyCrafted #ContemporaryCraft #Craftsmanship #MadeByHand
What does it feel like to learn from a master artisan? Auden Mucher (@auden_mucher ) was our organization’s first apprentice, and she received training from George Kalajian (@internationalpleating ) of Tom’s Sons International Pleating, a historic studio of the craft in New York’s Garment District.
This National Apprenticeship Week, we’re highlighting these special moments that happen when knowledge is shared from hand to hand.
#CloselyCrafted #NationalApprenticeshipWeek #Craftsmanship
A journal of growth, handwork, and what happens when opportunity meets craft.
This month, we’re proud to highlight Cyerra Latham’s training journey with Project Threadways and Alabama Chanin, a three-month experience supported by Closely Crafted that became something even more meaningful: a pathway into employment, skill-building, and creative belonging. Through her journal, Cyerra captured the quiet beauty of learning by hand and the power of being immersed in a place where craft is still deeply valued.
Read the full story and explore her journal now on our website at the link in bio
A woman at work, 1906. Spreading collars by hand, one precise movement at a time.
These were not just tasks, they were skilled practices built on patience, repetition, and deep knowledge of the craft. Women like her formed the backbone of early American garment production, shaping an industry through labor that was often overlooked, yet essential.
This Women’s History Month, we honor the hands that built fashion and the generations of skill that still live on today.
Photo courtesy of @nypl
The problem isn’t the material. It’s the system.
When garments are designed with care, repaired, reused, and eventually recycled, they can live many lives beyond the first wearer. Supporting thoughtful design, skilled makers, and responsible production helps keep textiles in circulation instead of in landfills.
The future of fashion isn’t about making more. It’s about making and doing better. ♻️
Source: Cincinnati Goodwill
A return to materials, memory, and the hands that make. We sat down with Ashley Moubayed, founder of @dontletdisco to explore the new fine jewelry collection handcrafted in NYC and presented at NYFW. This collection is where ancient forms of adornment are reimagined through thoughtful, small batch production and revived techniques. Each piece reflects a commitment to longevity, human touch, and the belief that beauty should never be separated from origin.
“What makes the work strong is that I design in collaboration with the materials, honoring their character while shaping them thoughtfully. That attention to detail, combined with a willingness to embrace small irregularities, is what gives each piece its specificity and sense of presence,” she shares.
Discover the full story behind the brand and collection at the link in bio.
Gen Z wants to wear their clothes longer, but there’s a catch. According to a survey by @levis , 35% say they would keep pieces longer if they knew how to fix them, yet 41% don’t have basic repair skills.
Learning to mend, patch, or personalize doesn’t just help your clothes last longer, it also keeps them out of landfills.
The Levi’s Wear Longer project encourages people to fix it, remix it, and make it yours. That’s how we wear longer and stay green ♻️🪡
As we look ahead, we’re slowing the conversation down and asking a simple question. We invite you to ask where your clothes are made, or who made them next time you’re shopping. Every label has a story, and every purchase is a chance to support real people, real skills, and real places. Curiosity is a powerful first step toward change.
2025, stitched together by craft, community, and care.
This year, we amplified USA-made designers and artisans, released Four Empty Walls, and gathered our community at Move the Needle to push the future of American manufacturing forward. From workshops to museums, including seeing the legacy of master pleater George Kalajian honored at the Cooper Hewitt, this year proved one thing: American craft is alive, evolving, and worth protecting.
Thank you to every maker, designer, partner, and supporter who showed up and made this possible. Onward to 2026. Follow along on our socials for more stories from the people shaping what comes next.
A master of American craft, honored where it belongs.
We are proud to share that Leon Kalajian of Tom’s Sons @internationalpleating and the master craftsman featured in our documentary Four Empty Walls, now has his portrait on display at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum as part of @christopherpaynephoto ’s Made in America exhibition.
Leon’s life work shaped the American garment industry through discipline, precision, and an unwavering commitment to craft. A master pleater, designer, technician, and industry builder, he pleated millions of yards of fabric and carried generations of knowledge in his hands. The portrait captures what those who knew him always understood. Craft was never casual. It was a lifelong devotion.
This moment is not just a personal honor. It is a powerful reminder that behind American fashion are artisans whose skill, labor, and legacy deserve recognition, preservation, and protection.
If you’re in New York, we encourage you to visit the exhibition and experience the human stories behind American industry.
Legacy lives on. Craft matters.
