What is it Worth? An experiment in the value of domestic labor and skill

During her career in NYC’s garment industry, Libby O’Bryan witnessed many sewing jobs move overseas and was haunted by the potential extinction of skill in the US. For the past fifteen years, O’Bryan has operated Sew Co. – an industrial sewing factory in Asheville, NC with socially responsible and creative business practices – in an effort to preserve the skill of sewing in our domestic manufacturing economy. Through examination of consumer values, worker engagement and deep personal validation, O’Bryan is asking the question “What is it Worth?” for a values-driven company to swim against the current of capitalism, global labor and disposable consumption?

This lecture is part of the , an annual program offered through the Design Studies Department in co-sponsorship with the Nancy M. Bruce Center for Design and Material Culture. Twice each academic year, a scholar and/or maker in support of each of the three design studies majors is invited to campus to present a public lecture. In conjunction with their lecture, they visit classes within the Design Studies Department, meet with faculty and students, and even host workshops for students connected to their practice.

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