Four designers are currently participating in the Factory Fashion Small Batch Manufacturing initiative. To produce the clothing, sewing students are trained in skills ranging from fundamentals to high fashion. Lisa Ramfjord Elstun, one of the factory’s instructors, explains that the program allows local designers to participate in the vital “made locally” project.
“They want ‘made in Colorado,’ and it’s like the farm-to-table or craft beer industry,” said Ramfjord Elstun. “People want to know where their clothes are made. So if we can say they’re made here in Denver and in Colorado, it would be fun to see that happen.”
Hart Van Denbvurg/CPR NewsAnthony Heiman works on a sewing machine at Factory Fashion at Stanley Marketplace in Aurora on Wednesday, July 7, 2022. 
Hart Van Denbvurg/CPR NewsHandwritten notes on cutout patterns hang at Factory Fashion at Stanley Marketplace in Aurora on Wednesday, July 7, 2022.
Ramfjord Elstun is an award-winning bridal and lingerie designer who has worked on this idea for the last eight years, so he was excited when Barker Maa asked him to join the show.
“I would love to have all levels of experience to work with,” said Ramfjord Elstun. “And because the faster we can get to higher level skills, the faster we can attract more designers.”
And the clothing they make is as varied as the people of Colorado. Around the light-filled space, waiting for the next batch of artists to get to work, are rows of sewing machines, work tables, and overlockers.
One of the designers who works with Factory Fashion, Norberto Mojardin, said the program is more than an opportunity to grow his own business. The Mexican-born designer’s work draws inspiration from a wide range of Latino cultural elements and he is co-owner of Beto’s Hair Studio.
“Not only thinking of myself, but of my community, also opening doors for designers, our youth, our children, but also older people, who don’t consider themselves designers,” Mojardin said. “They say, ‘Oh, I’m just a seamstress. And I always tell them, ‘No, you’re not just a seamstress. You are a designer and you can create and you can do more than you think.
Barker Maa said the school not only helps people learn how to make clothes, but also shows their work to people who might buy it, to start building a following.
“I think part of the challenges facing young designers, especially local ones, is that when they try to get their clothes to market, they usually get sent to Los Angeles at the source,” said Barker Maa. you know, they’re running into people, manufacturers that want unbelievably high minimums. They may want to sell five to 10 pieces or 50 pieces, or less, like a small designer.”
Hart Van Denbvurg/CPR NewsLisa Ramfjord Elstun is the founder of Fashion Design Center Denver, pictured at Factory Fashion at Stanley Marketplace in Aurora on Wednesday, July 7, 2022. 
Hart Van Denbvurg/CPR NewsTape measures at Factory Fashion at Stanley Marketplace in Aurora on Wednesday, July 7, 2022.
And Ramfjord Elstun said that just having the opportunity to learn from others and gain experience with machines can make all the difference for new designers… just like what Factory Fashion offers.
“Designers really, when they’re starting their lines, don’t have access to the kind of equipment or skill levels that a facility like this will offer,” said Ramfjord Elstun. “And we have a wide range of teacher skills. and the workers here, as well as the designers, we can call on a lot of people to help us right here.”
The program is also part of larger conversations about bringing manufacturing jobs back to the US and reevaluating trade school education.
“What we were able to do and discovered during the pandemic is that sewers were, and are, an essential person that needs to be employable in this country,” said Ramfjord Elstun. “We have not had [home economics] in high school curricula for nearly 30 years. The technology that is available to bring back advanced manufacturing for the sewing goods industry requires much more than the mentality of your grandmother’s sewing machine on the kitchen table.”
And the net that Factory Fashion casts to attract more people to the industry is even wider. It also focuses on including refugee communities and those coming out of the prison population.
“You know, we have opportunities for these populations to start a career and a career that offers benefits and a career that offers financial stability,” Barker Maa said.
And Barker Maa dreams big: She said she even dreams that one day the program will be able to offer her students help on the path to citizenship, if they need it and want it.
“You know, we’re trying to train in a highly skilled environment,” Barker Maa said. “So we’re also working very hard with local nonprofits to provide a path to citizenship and a place of home, if that’s something you need as well. Those are things that are important besides the love of fashion and the excitement of what we do. But I think there’s a lot here that we’re trying to explore.”
Source: www.cpr.org