If this is the first post you are reading in this blog, then you are in the right place. It recently occurred to me that most people who land on my site are probably wondering what this blog is all about. Who are we? What do we do? What’s our shtick? So I figured a post that explained the point of this blog and what to expect in future posts would be helpful.
Who Are We?
We are a pleating contractor located in New York City. If you don’t know what pleating is… simply put, it is a form of fabric manipulation. Clients send us their fabrics or we source fabrics for them. We provide this service and many others to several industries from fashion to home furnishings, just to mention a couple. What makes us unique is that we originally manufactured our own products, so the scope of our technical experience is extremely broad. We have already experienced and solved many of the technical “boobytraps” in the manufacturing process, and we are most willing to share these experiences with our clients.
Objectives
There are several objectives that inspired me to create this blog. Originally it was just going to be a platform to discuss pleating. However, that thought quickly expanded. Below is a rough breakdown of the categories you will encounter in the future postings on this blog. Many of them are for the general public, however one of them is exclusively for me! They are as follows:
Technical Information
The primary purpose of this blog is to educate and enlighten readers regarding the subject of pleating. I will also discuss other subjects that are complimentary to fabrics and textiles such as cutting, sewing and pattern making. Fashion designers, interior designers and industrial designers can successfully incorporate pleating and other forms of fabric manipulation into their designs with the least amount of technical difficultly. Personally, I feel that a designer cannot push the envelope of design if they do not understand the technical principles which govern it. So yes, you should understand math, science and geometry if you want to be a good designer.
Operations and General Business
This will be a subject area I will cover in future posts. I will address topics that will be of interest to small manufacturers other than just the actual process of product development. Many startup companies have not yet realized that the actual process of “producing” is only a small fraction of the things they need to be concerned with. If not sufficiently prepared in several areas, there are many opportunities for failure. We strongly believe that small business and domestic manufacturing are the staples of the US economy. We are very passionate about helping our clients to successfully grow their businesses. When you become our client, you will quickly realize that the value we add to our services goes well beyond the realm of just providing pleated fabrics.
Documenting My Family History
It is not uncommon to get to a point in life when one starts to wonder about your past. Where did we come from? How did our families get here and what did they endure through the years? I had always heard stories as a child but like most children, I guess I didn’t appreciate them at the time. However, in recent years, the subject of how my family got into this industry has intrigued me in. This part of the blog is about revisiting all the stories I have heard and connecting the dots. To see how and why, and what decisions led my family to where I am now. As I have been digging into the past I have discovered many fascinating things – the most recent being that I am actually the 5th generation in the textile industry. I discovered this over Thanksgiving with my Aunt Rita, when she showed me a piece of silk fabric woven by my great great grandfather’s textile factory approximately 120 years ago!
Documenting My Father’s Knowledge
I know I am stating the obvious, but I guess I was born into this business. Everything I know I either learned directly from my father or with my father because I was standing next to him. I consider myself lucky because of that. About two years ago someone called and asked some technical question. I don’t remember what the question was but I do remember that I had no clue what the answer was. I turned to my father and asked him, and to my surprise he had the answer. I don’t know why I was surprised… I mean he always had the answer but it ignited a spark. I realized I have A LOT more to learn and I need to learn it fast. Personally, I don’t consider myself a beginner… at that time I was in my late thirties. I had created collections and owned several businesses, but compared to my father, I realized I probably knew only 15% of what he has stored in his brain. I thought I must extract this information before it is lost forever. Officially he is already retired so I must move fast. By writing this blog it is in a way forcing me to think about and organize my father’s knowledge. Thinking about all the random pieces of data I have accumulated over the years and sorting them in a logical manner is helping me ask all the questions I need to ask today. As this part of the blog evolves you will understand how my father’s mind works and why I respect and revere him so much. However, not all this information is for publication. Regretfully, there are many secrets that are staying in the family. Some of these secrets won’t even be written down as they are only shown to me behind closed doors. Sorry guys, but it’s what makes our pleating unique. However, I do promise what I share will be information never published before.
Yes…that’s a picture of my father and me at the Parsons “First Eighteen” Fashion Show.
