American Made at Whispirit

What a coincidence. Launching our new website and this inaugural blog happens at the same time Consumer Report’s issue devoted to made in America hits the newsstand and Martha Stewart announces that the 2015 Made in America awards are now open for nominations. As well, the 4^th of July is just a few days away.

If Whispirit is anything, it is made in America and mostly made in New Mexico (For those geographically challenged, New Mexico IS one of our 50 states.)

Besides our goal of creating wearable art, we were and are determined to do everything here. In America. Before that first shot was fired astride the rude bridge between Lexington and Concord, we were a confederation of small businesses supporting one another. And who rose that fateful morning to impede the British? Small businessmen, farmers and craftsman. Believing that it’s time to turn “off-shore” back to “on-shore” we began Whispirit.

Our alpacas were born and raised on our ranch in the East Mountains of New Mexico just south of Santa Fe and east of Albuquerque. Our garments are created from the fleece of those alpacas, harvested once a year with help from volunteers, our friends and neighbors. Several “mom & pop” fleece mills in Washington, Colorado and Kansas process that fleece into batts. We turn those batts into sheets of fabric utilizing the FeltLOOM, a 100% American invention from a farm in Kentucky. We then create prototypes from the patterns Sandy has designed. Yup, right here at the ranch. Those prototypes are then expertly sewn by local, small business, seamstresses. What could be more American?

Please follow our adventure right here, every week.

Thanks ……. Lee