Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Laura Treas. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Laura, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

After building the manufacturing department for a local garment company and running it for 5 years, I was let go with the rest of the staff when the son took over the business. After my initial panic, my first thought was “I love doing this! I want to keep cutting big layers of fabric with a giant saw and finishing several hundred garments a day with a team of stitchers. I’m going to start my own small batch manufacturing business!” Literally the next week I was in an auto accident on the highway when a pick up truck popped in front of a semi and was spun into me. I hit him head on and was in bed for 6 weeks. We were both okay somehow but I had severe bone bruising. There’s no good time to get in an accident but I couldn’t even receive compensation for lost wages since I had just lost my job. I decided to put my bedrest to good use and studied all the different social media outlets and how you write on each one. This was 14 years ago. I started accounts on each one after I felt confident enough to do so as it was very intimidating to put yourself online. I also ordered business cards to hand out when I could started networking. I have had several businesses throughout my life so I had confidence that I could do this new idea. There was the problem of not having anyone to consult with since I didn’t know who else was doing this kind of manufacturing. Like most entrepreneurs I started in my basement and set to networking. I assumed I would just let all the designers in town know I could sew their designs and get started. That didn’t happen for various reasons. They had a lack of funds for this kind of growth etc. I was getting worried as I had invested in industrial machines and making those payments. In the meantime, friends and family kept telling me to just get a job. But there weren’t any jobs that required my new skillset so it was really frustrating. And most of the companies required some type of computer skills which I’m not proficient at because I’m a creative first and hadn’t worked in an office setting since the invention of Word. I just kept putting myself out there knowing I just needed my first client. It was very hard going to events without knowing one single person but I went to 13 different schools growing up and fell back on those skills of always being the new kid. No one knew what Small Batch Manufacturing was so it gave me something to talk about, explaining the difference between overseas versus local. Most people don’t know that high end clothing is frequently made domestically because they don’t need thousands of garments. This fact is what kept me going. Also knowing I live in a city that was second to NY in manufacturing until production went overseas. I just had to find that first client. All my networking finally paid off when I received a call from someone that heard about me and needed production. They had started with a large batch manufacturing company and were so happy to find a company that would sew under a thousand items. That’s when I knew I would be okay and that my idea was going to help clients. Since then I have amassed national connections and know other small batch manufacturers for referrals of products I don’t do.

Laura, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I went to college for fashion before we had technology and have been sewing my entire life. I have been in fashion in various positions and would always study the construction of garments. I also had been shopping vintage before I could drive and would take the bus to the thrift stores and would remake my finds. I opened a shop based on upcycling before we had that term or social media. Customers would always say “You should be on Melrose!”. I believe in buying quality garments that last but sometimes might need a tweak. No one understood what I was doing so I closed after 3 years but learned a lot. Several years later a friend that was the lead sales for a garment company with national sales suggested me to the owner. The owner wanted to stop buying from vendors and use their warehouse for manufacturing their own garments. I started with one machine, one garment and built a team of 13 women sewing 200 finished garments a day. I was in charge of 20,000 yards of fabric and 168 different components and loved every minute of it. When I left and started my own company I quickly learned that I also needed to walk clients through the process of product development and coach them on launching their lines. My clients are not always people with apparel, some just have good ideas. I have had 5 clients get approved to pitch for Shark Tank as start-ups and 3 have patents pending and 1 has an approved patent. So now I call myself a Sewn Product Engineer. What sets me apart is that I do the entire process including the small batches.

All of this experience has led to giving back to my local sewing industry by helping women build their own micro factories in their homes so they have flexibility and autonomy. I cut and bundle orders for them and coach them through the business steps. From opening bank accounts to meeting them at the local industrial sewing company to purchase machines. I have taught immigrants how to sew everything from hockey jerseys to basketball shorts. This is what I am most proud of.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I had moved my business into a bigger space and spent several months getting it set up while also working. 6 months later there was a huge ice storm and I had everyone stay home of course for several days. But I went in the next day to water melting in everywhere! There was product on machines, patterns on the cutting table, rolls of fabric here and there. Luckily I use plastic bins and always cover a lot of stuff with plastic, just in case. I’m responsible for my clients investments. I realized I didn’t have time to stress out but that I needed to get busy saving everything. A call to the landlord got me into a space right next door. Lucky! Except it was only temporary. I had to move my entire factory for only a few short months while I looked for another place. The landlord had to move me back into the leaky place because he had rented it. I still had not found a place. I finally found another place and had to move for the 3rd time in a few short months. It took me months to find everything and get reorganized in the new space since I had packed so quickly. The men in my life said I will have to hire movers if I ever move again.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Going out of my way to make connections and also to see people in person. If I’m out of town, I’ll go meet industry professionals. Reaching out to keep in touch. Referring clients to companies/sales people.

Also, as someone that had to start from scratch not knowing anyone and spending many, many hours networking I believe in showing up for others’ events if I can. I make the effort even if I’m tired at the end of the day or if I have to stay late to make up hours. When people go through the effort to hold an event I try my hardest to be there and am always glad I did when I get there. It’s appreciated.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://fashiontechkansascity.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauratreas/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laura.treas
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-treas-93984216/

Image Credits
Last Image: Tiffany Marie Photography First Three: Startland News