The Thread Union...slow fashion on demand bringing access to the future of fashion...made here! An enormous pool of talented fashion designers is challenged by the lack ofaccess to small-scale manufacturing, and the equipment needed to produce sample lines.These high barriers ofentry for start ups make it increasingly difficult to break into the business. New York’s Garment District is no longer a small designer’s paradise as fast fashion and getting the look for less have shrunk the manufacturing sector by 40% over the last 10 years. The vision of this project was a culmination of ideas from a fashion designer and educator, a specialist in 2D graphics management and production, and a number-cruncher. Together they helped turn this idea into a profitable reality. From 1-1000 garments, The Thread Union offers Slow Fashion on demand by providing tools for up-and-coming fashion designers to create, make, edit, produce, manage, and sell collections that are eco-efficient, meaningful, and authentic. The Thread Union is a place to facilitate a community for open source collaboration, a democratic house brand dedicated to sharing resources and materials. Designers are able to bring their collections to a wider public by exhibiting and selling through The Thread Union’s online showroom. Needles and Thread The Thread Union is a revolutionary new way to connect the constellation of fashion-based businesses through vertically integrated service offerings. The Thread Union is what happens when garment manufacturing meets blueprint reprographics. The Reality More than 1000 NY fashion grads enter the industry each year with dreams to start businesses, launch lines and become tomorrow’s fashion leaders. Combined with the 22,000 designers already working in the US, as well as graduates from the Bay Area, LA, and programs worldwide, the potential for fashion innovation becomes exponential.