Spotlight: Mile High Workshop
Business growth can be tricky. We want to make you all of the undergarments for every era. But the reality is that the corsets and custom theatrical orders keep us plenty busy in-house here at Redthreaded. We lack the setup to get into true batch manufacturing. I am OK with that, because our slower, meticulous approach is one of the things which sets us apart.
That's why I was so excited to discover local non-profit Mile High Workshop. I love their mission...to create employment opportunities and provide job training for members of our community seeking to rebuild from addictions, homelessness, and incarceration.
They back up their admirable mission with quality work. They have been making the Redthreaded wooden corset busks since 2015. Their laser engraving setup and wood shop makes their production a breeze.
Their sewing shop is also putting out extremely professional, efficient, and sophisticated small-batch work. This is all the more impressive when you learn that most of the employees only work for about 6 months before transitioning to other employment, and that some of them come into MHW with no production sewing experience at all. I believe much of the credit for this goes to Irma, the sewing shop manager. I've been impressed by her positivity, leadership, and teaching skills every time I have visited the shop.
Sewing collaboration has been on my mind for over a year. Now it is a reality. Mile High Workshop will be making skirt supports for us. This means you will soon be able to purchase bustles, bum rolls, false rumps, and more! I went to check production today and I am so impressed with their work.
They are able to streamline many of the processes including cutting and assembly in ways we simply cannot at Redthreaded. This means I can offer the skirt supports for less than I would have to charge if we made them in-house.
We couldn't resist having a bit of fun in the shop. I must be their weirdest client with my wooden busks and fake butts, ha!
The pre-order for the short lobster tail bustles (which we are affectionately calling "the prawns") is open now at a special introductory price. I have given the green light on late 18th century false rumps and multi-period appropriate bum rolls, so those will be next.
We are proud to partner with such a worthy cause in the quest to bring manufacturing back to the USA! Go team!