Mandy Kordal, founder and owner of Kordal Studio talks about sustainable clothing, alternative education, doing business in the modern NYC fashion industry and what success is. Kordal Studio’s mission is to create garments in an ethical manner by paying workers a fair wage, designing garments that are not trend focused, and using natural and organic textiles whenever possible. Mandy makes some garments in her Brooklyn, NYC studio and collaborates with weavers in South America.
Mandy Kordal, founder and owner of Kordal Studio talks about sustainable clothing, alternative education, doing business in the modern NYC fashion industry and what success is. Kordal Studio’s mission is to create garments in an ethical manner by paying workers a fair wage, designing garments that are not trend focused, and using natural and organic textiles whenever possible. Mandy makes some garments in her Brooklyn, NYC studio and collaborates with weavers in South America.
In this episode we talk about...
Not your average college education
Mindset shift towards sustainability
“Abercrombie was a pretty big learning lesson because that’s when I
learned I didn’t like working for a corporate company, or really a
very large company. It was really helpful as an internship.” - Mandy
Kordal
Hand knitting vs machine knitting
“When I moved to NYC and started working full time, [the
sustainability or un-sustainability of fashion] started to click to
me because I’d see the full cycle of a garment. In my internships,
you wouldn’t necessarily here how you know, the fabric didn’t turn
out right, so we’re scrapping all of it, so I became a lot more aware
of sustainability when I began working full-time.”
“When you’re making a good product, if you put in the hours, it will
likely end up working out.” - Sarah Patter
Mandy's first hire, timing how that's working out
Starting your business off with a kickstarter
Visit Mandy's studio at 893 Bergen Street during open studio hours
Resources:
KordalStudio.com
Mandy’s instagram
Rebecca Burgess of Fibershed
Popup at the Wythe Hotel
SarahPatter.com