Samuel Hardeman
Kathleen Gillespie
St. John's University
Charles Wankel
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Knickerbocker's values take inspiration from the American Manufacturing high point in the 20th-century. Those values are high quality, accessible price points and quality of life for employees. Knickerbocker will move its production to Portugal to better align with those traditional values.
Andrew's goal for Knickerbocker is to provide customers with the best product possible at a price point that is accessible to most. Andrew's hands-on approach to production has led him to create transparency for customers to see where and how their clothing is made. Knickerbocker is a part of a movement to support ethical and responsible clothing production. In reevaluating production in the US, Knickerbocker will be transitioning its production to Portugal in pursuit of supporting factories with better products, lower price points, and sustainable production practices. This transition provides decent work and economic growth, responsible consumption and production, and good health and well-being.
Andrew's earliest inspiration for clothing came from his childhood as a sponsored action sports athlete. He would receive clothing from action sports brand Billabong and quickly noticed that the products were not well made. Early on Andrew choose to approach design from a production standpoint in order to make high-quality items. After a successful Kickstarter campaign to raise the money needed to purchase the factory space and equipment in Brooklyn, Andrew started Knickerbocker MFG with the goal of building upon traditional American Made values.
By moving the production to Portugal, Knickerbocker will be able to better uphold its company values. With access to new factory technology and better fabric sourcing, knickerbocker's products will be higher quality than previous items. Pricepoints will become more accessible as factories in Portugal utilize larger teams in conjunction with lower costs of living. The factories Knickerbocker will use in Portugal also provide a quality of life for their employees as well as practice more sustainable methods of production. This impacts both the end consumer as well as supports a global movement of transparent and ethical production.
In addition to lowering the retail costs for customers, Knickerbocker is able to make a larger margin on the new products. Because there are more specialized factories in Portugal, Knickerbocker is able to expand its product line. Portugal's location also allows Knickerbocker to pursue new markets in Europe.
Knickerbocker is a part of a movement to create sustainable, ethical and transparent supply chains. Knickerbocker creates awareness for both consumers and other brands to think about where and how their products are made.
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Knickerbocker MFG is a menswear heritage brand that produces clothing in its factory in Brooklyn New York. They are currently in the process of transitioning their production to Portugal to sustainably create better products at lower price points.