Heather Koonse is a designer, seamstress, and pattern drafter with a dream. The current owner and creator of clothing alteration shop The Rose Knot, Koonse possesses a deeper passion — to help local designers develop, create, and produce well-made clothing. Koonse’s business plan is to turn The Rose Knot into a resource center for independent local designers, renaming it the Charleston Garment Manufactory.
From design consultations and pattern drafting to sample garment construction and sewing classes, the center will provide an array of means to educate future seamstresses and designers. Collaborating with the existing foundation of local designers, the Charleston Garment Manufactory hopes to provide the infrastructure Charleston needs to support a growing fashion scene.
Koonse is enlisting fellow Charlestonians passionate about design to help finance the effort. Donations will go toward new industrial machines, tools, and seamstresses, and all contributors will enjoy perks of their generosity. Together, with the community’s help, Koonse hopes to transform Charleston into a unified hub of creativity, fashion, and style. Her goal is an ambitious $15,000, so let’s hope she gets some donations soon.
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