Community Highlights: Meet Jennifer Lapka of Rightfully Sewn

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Lapka.

Hi Jennifer, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I founded Rightfully Sewn in 2015 with the goal of helping women secure well-paid employment in an industry that has high potential for growth as well as a need for skilled labor. Our community has a rich 20th-century garment-making history; in fact, Kansas City had an industry of 150 companies employing more than 5,000 people. I have forged relationships with many designers, owners, seamstresses, salespeople, and retailers from that era, as I believe Kansas City’s future fashion industry’s success hinges upon learning from those who came before us. While working at The H & R Block Foundation, I reviewed grant applications from social service agencies and saw the need for reliable paths to employment for women with barriers to full-time, well-paying work. With my experience in nonprofit management, I was inspired to create an organization that would combine my skills and interests, providing economic opportunity through fashion while promoting safe, sustainable practices in fashion manufacturing.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As with many small businesses and organizations, the pandemic interrupted our operations in 2020 since we could no longer host our Seamstress Training Program in person or continue our normal production services. We pivoted to producing fabric masks for donation to hospitals and healthcare organizations, and the local community responded, helping us raise funds to produce 40,000 masks to donate to 35 area entities. We were even able to hire current and former students of our training program to sew the masks. While the evolving safety protocols continue to present challenges in planning in-person events, we are adjusting and have even found benefit in moving some of our public education workshops for designers online, reaching a much larger audience than we would have otherwise.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
In the last century, when 95% of what Americans wore was made in America, Kansas City, Missouri was known nationwide for manufacturing suits, coats, and dresses. Our garment district consisted of over 150 companies employing more than 5,000 individuals, and the most well-known was the “Nelly Don” dress company founded by Ellen “Nell” Quinlan Donnelly Reed in September 1919. She sold dresses throughout the country, Canada, and Europe, outgrew three factories before designing and building the largest dress factory in the world and produced 75 million dresses over the course of her business life.

Ninety-six years later, spurred by Nell’s business acumen and a resurgence of interest for domestic goods, Rightfully Sewn was founded in September 2015. Rightfully Sewn developed its mission to meet two key needs in the Kansas City area: the need of individuals with obstacles to employment for stable, well-paying jobs to secure financial independence and the need of local fashion industry businesses for skilled seamstresses to expand their operations. Through skills training that provides a path to employment and various strategies to foster a well-connected, efficient fashion design and manufacturing community, Rightfully Sewn is laying a path to a contemporary version of Kansas City’s 20th-century golden era of garment design and manufacturing.

Rightfully Sewn opened its first seamstress training and fashion design atelier on June 1, 2018, enabling them to expand the Seamstress Training Program, provide access to state-of-the-art fashion technology to area designers, and establish critical, mission-related earned revenue through public sewing classes and small batch production. In October 2020, Rightfully Sewn announced it would become a subsidiary of Alphapointe, a 501(c)(3) that has been in business in Kansas City since 1911 with 400 employees in the Kansas City area and in Queens, New York. They are one of the nation’s largest providers of rehabilitation services and employment for people who are blind or visually impaired. Their missions are similar–to empower individuals with obstacles to employment with work training and job opportunities, all while advancing domestic manufacturing.

Who else deserves credit in your story?
Sarah Watts, Production and Operation Manager — Sarah is an inspirational team player and my right-hand woman. She understands the big picture, can see the future, and also dive deep into details. The way she leads her team is in line with our caring culture. In short, our organization would not be where we are today without her.

Pricing:

• $10 – Fashion masks

Contact Info:

• Email: info@rightfullysewn.org
• Website: www.rightfullysewn.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rightfullysewn/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rightfullysewn
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGxtrDqa1ab1xTqYIAk9y6A

Image Credits
Personal photo: Samantha Levi Photography Additional photo: Jeff Evrard Photography