Early on, my life shifted when my family moved out of the Bronx, NYC. Weekends spent playing in the confines of busy city neighborhoods gave way to open spaces and country air. One lasting memory from those formative days was of my Nana, whose skill with a pair of knitting needles led me to teach myself to knit and sew. After graduating from New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, I began my c
areer as a designer, traveling to Europe and Asia to get a backstage look at how well-crafted clothes are made, discovering traditions and techniques that are passed down from generation to generation. During my 30 years of experience in product development and knitwear design working directly for industry icons, I also experienced firsthand the devolution from American-made products to cheaply made and priced offshore goods. Attending Vogue, a hand-knitting show in New York I was inspired to finally return to my craftsman roots. I began by setting up my home studio in a more satisfying locale where the distractions and the hustle of the trade fell away—and I embraced the bucolic lifestyle of the Hudson Valley. I recently found an approach, which while making use of my skills and experience, answered my desire to “get back to basics”—when hired to design yarns and knit stitches for a Pennsylvania goat farmer. Enchanted by the farming lifestyle, beautiful animals, and a growing interest in the “Made in America” movement, I launched Farm2Fashion. Our company made its successful debut at the New York gift show in February of 2014. Nestled at the foot of the Catskills Mountains in a community of artisans and craftspeople, our intimate “American-Made” company neighbors with farmers, innovators and factory owners who all share a mission of substance and sustainability. Beautifully crafted, each heirloom-quality Farm2Fashion design recalls my early love of handmade products that we know will last a lifetime. All the best,
Laurie Perrone
Creative Director and President, Farm2Fashion
