I started making coats because I couldn’t find one worth buying.  In 2014, I was shopping for a coat...one to replace my favorite wool coat, which was starting to show signs of wear after many, many, many years. I looked at designer brands and mass market options alike. What I found was poor construction, no transparency into where things made, and frankly a lot of polyester. I thought: why isn’t there anything better? So I decided to make a coat for myself and put it to the test here in Chicago.

About Me: I graduated from Parsons School of Design and spent years sewing costumes for some of Chicago’s most iconic theaters. That work taught me two things that still shape every coat I make: what quality construction actually looks like, and how undervalued the people who make garments tend to be.

I’ve always been drawn to outerwear as a means of expression. A good coat protects you from the elements, makes you feel ready for whatever you have to tackle that day, but most importantly, a good coat tells a story. I wanted this line to tell a story about the importance of quality and care.

About The Checkroom: I had just finished making my handmade coat, and had decided to wear it out for a night on the town, when the coat check attendant at the restaurant inquired about it. She worked with coats all day, every day. Her compliment (from someone who handled more outerwear than almost anyone!) told me I was on the right track. It’s there when The Checkroom was born.

About The Materials: In 2020, I started asking harder questions about my own fabric supply chain. What I found wasn’t encouraging. The US wool industry was on the brink of extinction after  decades of offshoring. Most domestic mills were gone. The knowledge and craft had followed. I found American Woolen, one of the few remaining wool mills in the United States and started sourcing from them, small amounts at first. By 2023 I had made the full transition: every coat I make is now cut from 100% RWS + NATIVA Regen™ certified wool, grown on regenerative American farms, from the Shaniko Wool and woven in at American Woolen.

From fiber to finish, it never leaves the United States. 

About The Sewing: Every coat is made as ordered, cut and sewn here in Chicago after you purchase it, in your chosen size and color. No bulk manufacturing. No excess inventory. No coat made for nobody. We work right here in the USA, often hand-carrying pieces from one place to another. We worked with skilled craftspeople that can complete a beautiful coat from start to finish. We make fewer coats than mass market brands and we make them better. The goal has always been the same: a coat that you can feel good about purchasing, one that will keep you warm and protected for years to come.

Shop the collection (HERE)

Read more about our wool (HERE)