Madewell launches Hometown Heroes Collective to support American Artisans

As the slow fashion and artisan movement continues to grow at a steady rate, larger retailers are now taking part. Madewell, in partnership with Nest, a non-profit organization aimed to support artisans and ethical work environments, has launched the Hometown Heroes Collective. The new collective is an expansion of the brand’s Hometown Heroes program, which was originally established in 2010 as a way to offer independent designers a larger platform for the U.S. market.

“Madewell has always served as a destination for discovery. We started the Hometown Heroes program in our stores to highlight our favorite local creatives and introduce our customers to new brands,” Anne Crisafulli, Madewell’s Head of Merchandising, said to FashionUnited via email. “In partnership with Nest, we’ve created a program that will allow us to introduce our favorite makers to our entire customer base and give them meaningful support to help them grow their businesses.”

Each year, the Hometown Heroes Collective will announce four classes of select artisans and markers, whose works will be featured on Madewell’s website for a minimum of three months. The inaugural class features artisans who work in a range of mediums including clothing, accessories and lifestyle goods.