Mechanism launches its podcast, and a return to Seattle for our flexible product manufacturing event.

Celebrating Our Return to Seattle

It was around this time eight years ago that nearly 150 manufacturing leaders gathered in Seattle for Mechanism’s 2017 annual Gathering (hosted under our old name, Urban Manufacturing Alliance).

The city was undergoing major investment - and change - tied to the tech boom, and our goal that October was to spark discussion on how locally-rooted production can create resilient and equitable economies that benefit communities.

Out of that gathering we also launched the Flexible Product Fabrication Collective, formerly known as the Sewn Trades Collective. Flexible product manufacturers from across the country joined us in-person to create the framework for a resource-sharing hub serving small- and medium-sized textile and flexible product businesses that is still thriving today.

All of that rich history is why we’re so excited to be back in Seattle this week!

Today and tomorrow (11/13-11/14), Mechanism is hosting a two-day event titled “The Future of Flexible Product Making & Manufacturing” in partnership with the Good Business Network of Washington. We’ll be joined by flexible product leaders to talk about circular economies and workforce within the soft goods, apparel, and textiles industries, plus how new industry practices can make the places we love more resilient.

After today’s event is our Mechanism happy hour celebrating the launch of our new name and vision. The first day of the event and the happy hour are free to register and attend.

We’re also leaning into the significance of our return to the Emerald City to make a major announcement: We now have a podcast!

The first episode is live, and available on all podcast platforms. This first series brings you inspiring ideas on labor, sustainability, and the hidden innovation happening in flexible product manufacturing nationwide.

Everything going on this week connects our past work with our future work in flexible product manufacturing. The fact that it’s happening in the Pacific Northwest again truly marks a full-circle moment for us. But it’s not the only moment like that we’ve had this fall.

Our staff and leadership have been hosting events, attending conferences, and visiting some of our favorite local production organizations across the country over the past two months, all with strong ties to our past as the Urban Manufacturing Alliance. We’ll have more in-depth stories to share about those meetings and what we learned from them in the next month.

Until then, we’ve been posting some observations and photos over at our Linkedin page - be sure to follow us there!

Listen to the Mechanism Podcast

Mechanism has officially launched our own podcast, and we’re so excited to share the first episode with you.

In this season opener, hosts Vincent Sagisi and Andrew Dahlgren explore the realities and possibilities of flexible product manufacturing in the U.S. Through conversations with industry leaders, they unpack themes of labor, sustainability, and the hidden innovation happening in small business manufacturing nationwide.

You'll hear insights and inspiration from:

• Shailah Maynard, Sew Valley
• Camilla Eckersley, Prairie Underground
• Jolene Quaintance, Wandering Ewe Fibers
• Ahshia Berry, Magpies & Peacocks

We’ll launch four more episodes soon and have new series coming out over the next few months, so be sure to subscribe! You can listen now wherever podcasts are available. Click here for the Apple Podcast version.