We were honored to be a switchboard operator connecting Taylor Johnston, Founder of Rhode Island-based Gamine Workwear to her supply chain for the amazing Hope Vest!

I’ll let Taylor tell her own story about the vest:

“Rewind to the summer of 2020, during a ‘lull’ in Covid cases, I found myself with a 100-year-old Brown’s Beach Cloth vest (thanks to Sam!) headed for Peggy Hart’s studio in Shelburne Falls, Mass. While sitting in her garden, I had a look at an old textile book that explained tricot weaving while Peggy used her magnifying glass to inspect the structure of Brown’s proprietary, double-faced knit fabric.  With Peggy’s deep knowledge of textiles, wool and wool producers, we discussed a regional production strategy for a modern version of this textile.  With cost and functionality in mind, we realized we could make a textile using a warp of cotton, linen and our fave Merino wool from Jagger Spun in Maine, along with a custom weft made of local, outerwear wool. Knowing that Brown’s vests were originally made of shoddy, recycled wool in Rhode Island, we were excited to take an opportunity to tap the Southeastern New England and Western Mass Fibersheds to see how genuine we could be…”

Read the whole story here on the Southeastern New England Fibershed.