Portland Garment Factory (PGF) is an independent, lady-owned, garment manufacturer in Portland, Oregon. As a full-scale factory, PGF provides a range of services from patternmaking and sourcing to sample construction and full-line production. These services are offered with low minimum orders and the capacity for high-volume production, making PGF an ideal manufacturer for both large-scale companies, as well as independent designers. In 2012, PGF launched HouseLine, a conceptual women’s wear line designed and produced in-house and sold throughout the United States and abroad.

Portland Garment Factory: Process/Progress demonstrates the intricacies of garment construction through a selection of installations. On view in the Community Showcase Gallery is The Design Process, a glimpse into PGF’s production process from initial concept to ready-to-wear item. Throughout the Lab, the Dictionary of Details catalogs seams and finishing embellishments, the Panel of Sleeves spans history and culture to show the scope of sleeve design, and the Cutting Display showcases a crucial tool of the garment production trade. Together, these elements speak to materials and processes that honor fine craftsmanship over fast, throwaway fashion.

Not only is PGF a production house, it is also a creative hub where collaboration occurs daily, and a place where designers can witness an idea transforming into tangible reality. PGF believes that all clothing carries a history—a story of where and how it was made. In an era when more than 90% of clothing sold in the US is produced abroad, PGF is on the front lines of reimagining the fashion system to become an industry that values sustainability and conscientious consumption.

The Community Showcase and Lab exhibits outstanding community artwork and featured partnership projects. Portland Garment Factory: Process/Progress was organized by Sarah Margolis-Pineo, Associate Curator, with Britt Howard and Rosemary Robinson, Owners of Portland Garment Factory, in conjunction with Fashioning Cascadia: The Social Life of the Garment, on view through October 11, 2014.

museumofcontemporarycraft.org/fashioningcascadia

portlandgarmentfactory.com

Banner: Ashley Anderson Photography