HOW WE BEGAN

Closely Crafted was founded by milliner and accessory designer Gigi Burris O’Hara in 2022. Burris O’Hara established the non-profit organization during the pandemic after witnessing firsthand how many of her local N.Y.C.-based factories closed, resulting in a loss of jobs for a talented workforce, many of whom were immigrants. Burris O’Hara, who relies on some of these skilled workers to help her preserve the craft of millinery, was particularly disheartened when the 30-year-old Bantam leather factory, a local institution, closed in 2021. Salvaging the multi-generational knowledge about the art of craft was another impetus for starting Closely Crafted. 

By engaging a network built over years of working in the industry, Burris O’Hara has rallied a like-minded community of American designers, retailers, and stakeholders to support Closely Crafted’s initiatives. The organization is influenced by European standards where artisan equity is celebrated, consumers invest in locally crafted luxury goods, and savoir-faire is respected.  Closely Crafted is as much about saving craft in America as it is about making fashion more sustainable and establishing economic stability. And although New York is considered one of the main capitals for fashion, American craftsmanship extends way beyond its cityscape. Los Angeles has a thriving community of makers and designers shaping the conversation, Texas continues to foster the legacy of boot making, North Carolina remains the origin for quality-made denim, and Alabama is home to a pocket of highly skilled craftsmen and women with niche hand sewing skills. 

To learn more about the Closely Crafted initiative - visit our MISSION page.