America’s Best Factory Winner: Stitch Texas

Last week, we ran a search for America’s Best Factory. We asked you to give us nominees on social media, then ran a poll to choose a winner. The response was massive with of 1200 votes being cast!

And the winner is…

So, we spoke to Vesta Garcia, the factory’s founder, about the future of manufacturing, team, and more!

Congrats on being named America’s Best Factory! What sets you apart from other manufacturers in your industry?

Thank you so much! Over the years, we have honed a development process that irons out the most potential mistakes in production. This is critical in an industry where production mistakes easily run into the thousands of dollars, generally without recourse. Combined with our high-touch customer service style, this makes for the smoothest process from design concept through production.

Team is obviously very important to Stitch Texas, how do you cultivate a great team environment?

We love this industry and believe it’s a great way to make a living. Our priority is creating good jobs for our team members. We pay living wages; we foster a work culture that offers as much flexibility as possible for the lives that people actually lead; we engage in continuous training and development; we eat family lunches. Basically, we do whatever we can to create a workplace that demonstrates respect for the human beings doing the work.

What’s the most rewarding thing about owning a factory?

Working side-by-side with talented people to create tangible goods is incredibly satisfying. Years ago, I helped organize a demonstration factory for a living charrette. After two days of working with my colleagues, I knew I wanted to do this every day.

How can the manufacturing industry in the US change to become even stronger in the future?

The industry’s most critical shortcoming is a lack of skilled workers. I have talked to factory owners all over the country and all of them have said the same thing. Apparel manufacturing is a low-margin business. It is very difficult to absorb the months of costs required to train someone to perform with the speed and accuracy required in a factory setting.

Is there a type of client or brand you love working with?

We really enjoy working with contemporary brands. We feel like it’s a space where independent designers can shine and the price points can support American wages.

Do you have any plans to grow or improve the factory?

We just doubled our factory size in May to accommodate more production! Improvements on the horizon involve implementing the most modern technology in the industry so that we can continue to pay living wages while delivering value to our clients.