Lately it seems I hear about a new fashion e-commerce site all the time. Some are misses, but there are a few that I really love — Of a Kind and True&Co. come to mind right away. Companies like Everlane intrigue me, although I’ve never purchased from them myself. I like the way these sites are connecting consumers more directly with products and sharing stories about the people who create them.

A couple weeks ago I heard about a brand new one that’s based here in Chicago. It’s called Stock Manufacturing Company, and its business model is like a Kickstarter for fashion.

I spoke with Jim Snediker from Stock by email, and he told me, “We knew we wanted to create a premium made in the USA clothing company, we wanted to design and manufacture it ourselves, and we wanted to sell directly to customers, without traditional retail markups and with full transparency.”

There are two ways garments and accessories are produced and are sold by Stock. Products labeled “inStock” are designed and manufactured in house. They are available for immediately for delivery. Items with the “& Stock” label are collaborations with outside designers. Consumers vote with their dollars during a two-week period by purchasing garments they would like to see manufactured. Once a garment meets a minimum number of orders, Stock manufactures the product, sends it out to the customers, and the designer receives a commission.

I asked Jim how Stock’s location in Chicago might affect their business rather than being located in a more traditional fashion metropolis like New York. He said, “Being a manufacturer out of Chicago, we are much more interested in making high quality, well fitting, stylish pieces of functional clothing than we are in ‘fashion.’ We don’t really immerse ourselves in the runway show/couture world. We identify much more closely with manufacturers and craftsmen (or craftswomen) than we do with ‘fashionistas.’”

I’ll be keeping my eye on Stock. I like its dedication to returning the garment industry to the United States and focusing on high-quality pieces instead of disposable fast fashion.

photos courtesy of Stock Manufacturing Company