Meet Shailah Maynard.
Co-Founder and COO of Sew Valley.
"If you are determined enough, you can accomplish anything, but you'll never know until you try."
Sew Valley exists to help small apparel brands & designers build their brands via access to small batch production services, studio membership, and educational workshops.
Q: What is a lesson you've learned that has shaped your work?
A: That apparel production is slim to non-existent throughout the U.S. We are busier than ever, and do not anticipate slowing down any time soon. Now the problem we are attempting to solve is creating a training program for people to learn to work with industrial sewing equipment. A lost trade in the U.S.
Q: How did a grant from Main Street Ventures impact you and your business?
A: We were able to hire our first employee, our Project Manager, who is still with us today. We now have 11 employees on staff!
Q: What does a typical day in your life look like?
A: Every day at Sew Valley is different, but it is always fun! The start of each day our two Project Managers get the production team going with a run down of what the plan is for the day. While production is going, we are conversing with new clients, developing samples in preparation for production, sourcing materials, coordinating new educational courses, fixing machines, giving tours, conversing with our members, and more!
Q: What’s a recent book, podcast, or news story that you found interesting?
A: Check out a recent article for Atmos Magazine written by UC DAAP alum, Liz Ricketts. It articulates the environmental and social implications that come from the excessive fast fashion economy, and walks you through the second hand clothing industry in Accra, Ghana.
Q: What's next for Sew Valley?
A: We hope to introduce an apprenticeship training course for sewn industrial machine operators in 2021/22 to help provide jobs throughout our industry, as well as solve the shortage of trained help manufacturers need to keep moving forward. Follow along on our social channels to keep up to date!
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