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After studying at the Fashion Institute of Technology, and working for ten years in the fashion industry in New York, Libby O’Bryan wanted to do something else with her life—something more personal. Through her two companies, Western Carolina Sewing Company (Sew Co.) and BRANDcrafted, Libby is working to preserve both the craft of sewing, and the environment: two areas that can definitely use her support.
Sew Co. is a high-quality cut and sew business in Asheville, NC offering sewn product development, cutting and sewing services of discerning quality with socially responsible and unconventional business concepts. Started by Libby after she graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), Sew Co. is an effort to preserve the skill of sewing and our domestic manufacturing economy: “I love the diversity of workers I’m with everyday. I have women who are veterans of the industry here in the South. They were trained at their first job 50 years ago. They now work along side custom dressmakers and fiber artists. We all learn from each other finding balance between industry and craft, art and design.”
After getting Sew Co. up and running, Libby teamed up with her high school friend. Erica Younkin, to start BRANDcrafted. A division of Sew Co., BRANDcrafted repurposes old marketing materials such as tents, banners, t-shirts, and other corporate swag, and turns them into new goods for those companies to give to their audience. When we asked her what is the most surprising thing she’s encountered through BRANDcrafting, Libby responded: “What I’ve found most surprising in this process is how much material is actually available, sitting in warehouses, otherwise slated for the landfill. AND how many companies are grateful to learn about our services…It was so well recieved, we decided to launch BRANDcrafted and start offering the services to other companies.”
Through it all, she understands the importance of considering the performative aspect of her craft: “My dream for Sew Co. is for it to be a daily performance of labor. I would love to take the time away from the demands of production to choreograph the work that we do, so that our bodies are nurtured and the material moves fluidly through the space. My mission is for the working experience to be enjoyable, playful and visually interesting.”
