We were lucky to catch up with Judy Wong recently and have shared our conversation below.
Judy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?
I got my first taste of sustainability when I studied Fashion Design in college. I took a course that was just about sustainability in the fashion industry, and I’ve developed a huge interest in it since. Sustainability back in college days was not big on social sustainability, which I eventually experienced through my professional career in apparel production. I witnessed a common theme in both overseas & domestic factories: waste and pollution as a byproduct of fabric & garment production, garment workers’ poor working and living conditions, and wage disparities. I felt a responsibility to make a change but did not know where to start. I let this fire sit dormant in me for 13 years.
In 2020, a few months into COVID19, I was working on an order my then employer had accepted shortly before the pandemic started, it was an upcycled production order for a well known retailer, and the due date was approaching. The factory had no experience doing an upcycled project, as with most factories that do manufacturing. This project was underestimated from everyone who had a hand in it. The work that goes into deconstructing garments, arranging colors, patterns, making sure the deconstructed pieces fit within the patterns, cutting, organizing, sewing etc. was so time consuming, expensive, and complicated, adding the inconsistent work force due to COVID19, that the factory had given up on the project. As a Director of Production, I had an obligation to make this order happen. The designer of this project, my head sample maker, Luis, offered their help, and we learned how to upcycle in “mass production” by becoming garment workers ourselves, working at the cutting tables and sewing machines until the project was done- 6 months later and full of blood, sweat and tears.
This experience traumatized me and I swore off another project like this. However, the outcome was very rewarding, and I felt very proud of our work, all made by our own hands. The garments looked great, and despite being only sold at brick and mortar during the height of the pandemic, when people were staying home, the collection was sold out within hours at all locations that were available.
Luis and I continued to work very closely during the pandemic, up to 12-14 hrs a day, making face masks and surgical gowns. The time we spent together uncovered the talents we have, and the passion we share: sustainability and garment workers’ rights. I pitched the idea to Luis to start a company that is completely against the norm and what we both know so well. I believe with our talents, experiences, creativity, passion, we can make one of kind pieces that are sustainable and beautiful. Pieced Together Couture was established in 2021.
To be honest, I’m not sure if Pieced Together Couture could succeed. Of course, there are “competitors”, or what I like to call them: allies. We all have the common goal of being sustainable and promote slow fashion. However, Pieced Together Couture is made from upcycled materials, made one piece at a time. I believe when people wear one of a kind pieces, they feel special. Each piece is hand made with intention, a lot of thought is put into it each design- whether it’s color placement, shapes of the pattern, or ways to utilize original components into the new garment (belt loops, zippers etc). I chose denim as a main fabric to use because it’s so durable, it often ends up in the landfill, and the fabric production is very wasteful. My aesthetics is less of the patchwork look, and more of the polished look that has hints of upcycling, which sets us apart from other designers.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
The earliest childhood memory of the fashion industry is being at a sewing factory in Hong Kong where my grandmother worked. I remember playing on stacks of fabric and had a great time. I loved playing with paper dolls, dressing them up in different outfits, and imagine having those outfits myself. That could have been why I wanted to become a fashion designer. Both my grandmother and mother had advised against it- they experienced first hand how difficult it is to be a garment worker. Being a rebel, naturally I did not listen- years later, I went on to study Fashion Design, and spent 15 years (and counting) in the industry.
Pieced Together Couture provides one of a kind, custom pieces using upcycled materials. I design the garments and they are made to order, or I can collaborate with my clients to create garments or design together either using their existing garments, or upcycled materials I have. Longevity of the garments is important to me, so we offer lifetime repairs caused by normal wear & tear on pieces I designed. We have done many different projects that are not a typical garment creation, such as memory blankets, upcycled newsboy hat, embellishing shoes, custom dog dresses, red carpet dress, custom designed garments for a celebrity etc., that we are happy to take on any fun projects we see fit.
What I’m most proud of is our mission. We believe in approaching social and environmental sustainability holistically. We go against mass production, which is proven to yield the most profit. Instead, we are making one garment at a time, the slowest, most labor intensive way, because intention is most valuable to us.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
My company is fully self-funded from my full time job. I try to keep my expenses low by doubling my garage as a car park and a working space. Since the materials I use are upcycled materials, I usual can get them at a fairly low price, or they are donated to me as people purge their closets. I didn’t buy all the tools I needed at one time, I staggered the expenses and slowly built my workspace. We are also very scrappy- for example, instead of buying weights to hold the fabric down, we use tape dispensers or anything else we can grab easily that can double as a weight. We made a beautiful Oscar’s gown before we got an ironing board donated to us. This minimalist approach keeps us from consuming more, and we are true to our mission: to be sustainable.
How’d you meet your business partner?
We met at a full time job a few years ago as coworkers. COVID brought us together- we spent tremendous amount of time together, making masks and surgical gowns, running production orders, and spending any of our spare time making surgical caps to donate to healthcare workers. We were truly the only 2 people running the company and kept the company afloat, which means we went through a lot of ups & downs together. We learned about each other’s pasts, shared many stories of our lives, values, beliefs, and I realized that if we had put our talents together, we’d make great things.
Contact Info:
- Website: piecedtogethercouture.com
- Instagram: piecedtogethercouture
- Facebook: pieced together couture
Image Credits
Johnny Depp (with guitar) photo credit: Instagram Stefan_nordlander