Skilled hands finishing a finely knit panel, a spectrum of spools lining the wall of a costume studio, prototypes crafted, confections cut, and concrete poured—glimpses of the many ways manufacturing lives and thrives in New York City.
Delving inside the spaces where this work happens, Jacob Grumulaitis, who will graduate with a major in photography this May, photographed 34 New York City factories during their internship with the Pratt Center for Community Development’s Made in NYC initiative last year. They visited decades-old factory floors, intimate studios of master craftspeople, coffee roasters, chocolatiers, and more, revealing the local ingenuity and expertise behind the objects we encounter and enjoy every day.
As part of the Pratt Center’s work toward a more just, equitable, and sustainable New York City, Made in NYC connects with thousands of manufacturers in the city to offer support in a variety of ways, including providing marketing resources like these behind-the-scenes images. Made in NYC has also been sharing the stories of makers and companies across the five boroughs in its Factory Friday series on Instagram (@madeinnewyorkcity). Here is an inside look at just some of their spaces.
Utleys in Woodside, Queens, produces prototypes and secondary packaging, with roots in model making going back to 1965.
Timberlake Studios, a costume shop in Manhattan’s Garment District founded in 1986 as the Studio, manufactures pieces for stage, screen, and fashion, ranging from personal projects to marquee productions (their work on Pratt alum Emilio Sosa’s designs for the Radio City Rockettes is highlighted on their website).
Pricilla Terrero, owner of Morito Chocolates in Red Hook, Brooklyn, crafts vegan, organic, gluten-free chocolates by hand.
Working on a machine-knit piece at Accurate Knitting, which fabricates sweaters in the company’s Brooklyn Navy Yard mill.
In her Bronx studio, Jeannine Carson manufactures ceramics in small batches for her eponymous company, Jeannine Carson Clay
Laying out pattern pieces at Ferrara Manufacturing, which produces tailored clothing for the fashion industry in their Garment District factory, established in 1987.
Putting finishing touches on a garment at Ferrara Manufacturing.
Extracting ingredients at Terre & Botanique, a plant-based hair-care brand in Brooklyn.
Oso Industries, a concrete-focused design studio located at the Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center, handcrafts furniture and architectural elements and fabricates art using concrete and materials like stainless steel, bronze, and colored glass.
Claire Fleury Studio in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, produces inventive, inclusive garments with sustainability in mind, using 80 percent surplus fabrics and trims.