We recently collaborated with the awesome women of the Portland Garment Factory to make a portfolio for taking Scout Books on the road with us! We travel to a lot of events, and having high quality samples to share is really important to us. We wanted the portfolio to protect the books as well as display them in a beautiful way that matched our branding. PGF put together a prototype that we loved, and made three high quality pieces that are exactly what we were looking for. We love getting to know local businesses better, so we asked PGF a few questions about creating these portfolios for us!
Much like Scout Books, Portland Garment Factory focuses on custom projects. Do you have a defined process that you follow for each project, or do you have to start over every time a new project comes across your desk?
Because of the vast variety of work that we do at PGF—from accessories and garments to large-scale installations—we do approach each project with fresh eyes. That being said, knowledge and experience gained from past work also plays a big part in how we move forward on a new project, as does our system of moving projects smoothly through PGF’s various departments. We are lucky to have a small, tight-knit and endlessly creative crew that loves to tackle new challenges together, from developing a complicated pattern to sourcing hard to find materials, it really is a team effort every time a new project comes through our doors.
How did Portland Garment Factory get started?
PGF started in 2008 when artist, designer, and then PSU anthropology major, Britt Howard, was looking for a garment manufacturer to produce her new line of baby clothing. When she was unable to find what she was looking for, Britt recognized a need within the Portland design community for a local garment manufacturer. She put the baby line on hold and opened PGF in a small studio on SE Belmont and begin working with Portland designers to produce their garments. Nine years later, PGF is now a full-scale prototyping and creative partner working on diverse projects for companies big and small.
Were there any unique challenges creating this portfolio for us?
The main challenge for this portfolio was working with the rigid support materials that are between the canvas exterior and felt interior. PGF is totally set up for materials that can be turned inside-out, but due to the kind of machines we have, stiffer materials can be more challenging to work with. We also had to ask ourselves: how can we create a case that is thick enough to hold many notebooks but can also be as compact as possible? After calculating various adjustments and making a few prototypes, we were able to find that sweet spot—it was a fun challenge!
We’re so happy to have these new portfolios! We’ll see some of you on the road with these in tow. Thanks to Gabi from PGF for providing photos and answering our questions. You can find more about Portland Garment Factory via their website.