A Smithsonian Establishment undertaking goals to indicate younger those who historical past isn’t nearly “presidents and wars” but additionally “pennants and T-shirts and the historical past of producing.”
The Alliance for American Manufacturing is a giant fan of Oxford Pennant, a Buffalo producer recognized for its high-quality wool felt pennants, banners, and flags. The Made within the USA maker focuses on making nostalgic merchandise, however it is usually serving to to carry new life again to one among America’s nice industrial cities. We’ve even had cofounder Dave Horesh on The Manufacturing Report podcast twice, most just lately in 2021.
Because it seems, we aren’t the one followers of the Buffalo model.
In fall 2022, the Smithsonian Establishment despatched Caroline Kilbanoff, director of the Made by Us undertaking, to go to Oxford Pennant to be taught in regards to the historical past of the pennant and the way the Buffalo firm is maintaining that historical past alive right now. In a collection of Instagram Reels, Horesh and cofounder Brett Mikoll give Kilbanoff a tour of the Oxford Pennant manufacturing unit, discuss in regards to the wealthy historical past of producing in Buffalo, and clarify how they take inspiration from the previous in making their merchandise right now.
Made By Us is described as an “unprecedented collaboration of nonpartisan historical past and civics organizations becoming a member of forces to ignite and inform youth civic participation.” Dozens of companion organizations are concerned, from museums throughout the nation to teams just like the American Philosophical Society and Technology Citizen.
So, it’s thrilling to see Oxford Pennant get acknowledged by Made By Us, particularly contemplating that an American producer is being held up as a part of outreach to youthful individuals. Getting a glimpse of Oxford Pennant’s modern, trendy workspace showcases what trendy manufacturing can appear like — and Horesh is ready to spotlight within the movies how Buffalo’s manufacturing historical past is now an enormous asset to trendy makers.
“Once we have been first beginning our firm, we had an concept however we didn’t know how you can make it,” Horesh explains within the first reel. “And so we have been in a position to make the most of the truth that Buffalo has a 200-year manufacturing historical past, and really quite a lot of corporations that manufactured attire and labored in stitching and distributed thread, and so Buffalo was an excellent market to begin our enterprise, just because there was the infrastructure right here for us to check out an concept. A lot of individuals to assist us, numerous consultants, numerous corporations that make various things that we in the end ended up utilizing in our manufacturing course of.”
Make sure you try all three reels on Instagram, and when you missed our podcast episodes with Horesh, you may pay attention beneath.
