A new stitch in the talent pipeline
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Illustration: Gabriella Turrisi/Axios
That hole in your pants represents a hole in the market, and a new Northwest Arkansas business is here to patch it up.
State of play: Robin Atkinson, former CEO of now-dissolved fashion nonprofit Interform, is launching what she sees as necessary for building a viable apparel and fashion workforce and industry in the region — a tailoring and repair business that allows anyone in the nation to send in their clothes.
Why it matters: "The most sustainable garment is the one you already own," Atkinson tells Axios, noting consumers are more aware now that fast fashion is terrible for the environment.
- And most Americans toss clothes with a small problem like a broken zipper rather than get it repaired. Enter Rogers-based business Upkept.
The big picture: Tailoring and repair services are increasingly hard to find as tailors are aging out and not being backfilled because of a lack of apprenticeships in the trade, Atkinson says. She wants to train tailors and build in-house talent at Upkept.
- All the work is being done at the warehouse in Rogers, but the business may eventually have other fulfillment centers in the U.S.
How it works: Customers answer a series of questions online, upload a photo of the garment they want repaired or altered, agree to a price (usually $15-$45), and ship their clothes. NWA customers also have a few drop-off options.
The intrigue: Upkept is basically starting fresh and on the opposite end of the spectrum from where the region's other prominent fashion organizations began.
Flashback: Atkinson took over Fashion Week in 2016 and started the Arkansas Arts & Fashion Forum in 2017. Interform was a result of the 2021 merger of the two. Interform announced in March that it would close because of financial challenges, soon after Atkinson stepped down.
- Atkinson wanted Interform to be an apparel and fashion hub for the middle of the country, offering apprenticeships, professional development and a residency program.
- Last year, Interform launched a for-profit subsidiary, Rhizome, to manufacture designers' work. Rhizome is also defunct now.
Yes, but: Starting with fashion design and runway shows and then trying to build educational and factory components onto them didn't pan out. Atkinson says that disagreements with the board ultimately led to her resignation and that she had hoped the organization would continue without her.
- Atkinson says the "unsexy" stuff like tailoring and repair is necessary to build longevity and jobs.
- Nonprofits are at the behest of whoever has money, and the only way for fashion to thrive in NWA is for the region to find and build its own business models, she says.
Zoom out: Bentonville Fashion Week has formed since the closing of Interform. Atkinson says she's still supportive of those doing runway shows.
The bottom line: "I absolutely did not give up on the fashion industry. This is actually me doubling back and building what I think is going to be a better base," she says.