My Manufacturing Glow Up is In Full Effect

If you’ve been following yarn&whiskey for a while, you know that I believe in doing things thoughtfully. I want to create pieces that last, support ethical labor, and bring a bit of craftsmanship back into our daily routines.

But I’m also going to be completely honest with you: scaling a small product brand is tough.

Last year, I won a wonderful grant from NEST that allowed me to manufacture a run of bags right in my neighborhood of Sunset Park, Brooklyn. It was a dream to produce locally, but the process handed me some hard, expensive lessons about scale.

The $99 Bag Problem

Manufacturing is a numbers game. To keep prices accessible, you have to produce in high volume. Because I chose to produce in smaller, local batches, my per-piece costs were sky-high. By the time I factored in materials, custom fabric printing, fair local labor, and a tiny profit margin, my small Eclipse Crossbody had to be priced at $99.

For a small bag, that price point just didn’t align with what most of my customers were comfortable paying—no matter how much heart and local labor went into it.

Instead of seeing that as a failure, I decided to treat it as a roadmap. I knew I needed a manufacturing model that aligned with my values and made sense for your wallet.

So, I packed 36 hand-cut sample packets, booked a flight, and headed to Colombia.

Why Colombia?

Colombia has a storied, highly respected textile industry and incredible labor protection laws—including health insurance, paid time off, and strong minimum wage enforcement. Several major cities in Colombia have thriving garment districts, incredible technical talent, and a deep culture of craftsmanship.

My goal wasn't to go offshore to find cheap, fast-fashion labor. My goal was to find a small-to-medium workshop that treated their workers well, respected my designs, and could execute small-batch production at a scale that actually made sense.

The Breakthrough

I’ll admit I was nervous when I landed. But after prepping my tech packs, translating everything into Spanish, and setting up meetings, I hit the jackpot.

I connected with an incredible, trustworthy manufacturing partner right away. They picked me up, toured me through their space, and took on my production run with the kind of precision and care every designer dreams of.

I just picked up the first finished batch, and to say I’m thrilled would be an understatement.

Here’s what this "glow-up" means for the future of yarn&whiskey:

• Better Scale & Pricing: Working with this team allows me to produce at a sustainable scale without pricing my bags out of reach.

• Higher Quality: The craftsmanship coming out of this factory is top-tier. Every stitch, zipper, and lining is dialed in. They pay attention to detail. Every call-out is addressed professionally and handled.

• Ethics Intact: I am proud to partner with a team that operates with integrity, fair labor, and pride in their work.

• More Design Energy: Now that I’m not bogged down trying to solve impossible local supply chain math, ya girl is in her design era. Expect new shapes, expanded sizes (yes, a larger Eclipse is coming!), and fresh ideas very soon.

What’s Next

I’ve already sold the first batch of samples and the factory is working on new samples for the next run. It will be a preo-order so stay tuned. 

To my Behind the Dream Patreon members: thank you for following the raw, unpolished video updates live from Colombia while all of this was happening.

To everyone who has supported yarn&whiskey through every pivot, lesson, and evolution—thank you. We just went international, and this is only the beginning.

Stay tuned. The new drop is coming fast.