PMA VARSITY
There is quite often a shroud of secrecy in the clothing industry around suppliers or manufacturers, however with this post we would like to shed some light on an amazing family run business who we are lucky enough to work with.
Varsity Jackets are a classic style of outerwear, so we wanted to make sure we worked with someone with a specific expertise in said style.
We came across them by luck, driving one day I saw a rather old but classic street sign advertising Varsity jackets, I stopped looked through the window, to what I later discovered was their showroom, and immediately knew I’d found something special.
The walls are covered in chenille patches of all colours, sizes and designs, there were at least 100 jackets on display with no two looking the same, this is the place I never knew I’d been looking for. I quickly made an appointment to return and discuss all things Varsity jacket, this all took place prior to the Global Pandemic we are currently living with.
Upon my return I was greeted by Aaron , who was so welcoming that within what felt like 5 minutes he was already giving me a tour of the factory and introducing his team.
Whilst I was there I witnessed a few families come in to either collect or order their new jackets, the level of excitement on the kids faces must , I think looking back, have been matched by the look on mine.
Below is a conversation between myself and Aaron
EYES : So please introduce yourself and what you do at Settlemiers
Aaron: I am Aaron Settlemier, owner of Settlemier's Awards Jackets.
My family has been making wool and leather jackets here in Portland OR for over 50 years, ever since my Grandmother Dorothy Nelson left her South Dakota farm during the Great Depression to begin a life in manufacturing.
My duties cover all operations that are in the mix here at the factory. I sign the paychecks, I take out the garbage, and coordinate everything in-between for the 15+ employees who work here.
All these tasks and efforts are geared towards one goal: to cut-and-sewing the best varsity-style jacket possible.
One thing I noticed the first time I visited you was the real sense of Family especially as it was your mother that welcomed me in and showed me the studio. So was it natural for you to start working there too or did you try and steer away from the family business?
I never really tried to steer away from the family business, but at the same time taking it over never seemed inevitable for me. I was always given the chance to venture out elsewhere. My Mom always tried hard to keep me at a distance in this way-- to ensure I didn't feel obligated, to make sure I choose to go travel as far away from home as I wanted after high school, and to let me know just how hard running the factory would always be if I ever decided to give it my all.
Because of this I think my Mom is even prouder of me for making the decision to make this factory my life's work, and feels a lot more confident in how I run the business knowing I made that choice on my own (for the most part). She knows it wasn't forced, and that I have a genuine passion for the work.
She left me to grow on my own in this regard, but once I did jump on-board fully and we were working together she always challenged me and threw all she could my way. I'll never have to work as hard as my Mom did and I won't have to face the same challenges she did as a woman and an underdog in the industry, but she sure did show me what it would take and gave me those tools to succeed on my own.
There have been lots of arguments and lots of hugs over the years!
You touched on it briefly there but do you think the industry has changed regarding how women are treated ?
Hmmmm... I don't think I can accurately answer that question. I would like to think so, of course. But by the time I grew into my own in this very niche industry it was already shrinking so much that it feels somewhat isolated here in the Pacific Northwest, so my chance to meet other varsity jacket factory owners became rare very quick. Basically, my Mom survived and thrived while all those men who tried to sabotage her and who told her she would never make it when she got started have closed their businesses for various reasons.
I can say that the group of small businesses I wholesale jackets to definitely have a strong female representation, and ownership seems pretty near 50/50 if you want to consider a male/female perspective.
I think its great that your mum stuck to her guns and pushed on! So before venturing into the more commercial world am I right in thinking you were focused solely on the traditional meaning behind Varsity Jackets? For those people outside the US can you explain what a Varsity jacket is?
Historically the American varsity jacket get's its roots in wartime, where soldiers-- fighter pilots, most famously-- would decorate their leather jackets with paint and patchwork to represent their unique experiences fighting overseas. Those young men brought that style back home with them, where it became woven into the fabric of youth culture and the institutions of public education.
A varsity jacket is a trophy-- a showcase of accomplishments made in a person's high-school or college years (be that in athletics, academics, and/or other school activities such as art and drama). In this way it's a garment that can only truly belong to the one person it was made for-- their specific accomplishments, graduation year, name, etc. We don't stock any jackets for this reason, so each student can build their jacket from scratch as they want it to be.
It's an emotional product too. So much hard work goes into earning it-- and not just for the kids, but their parents and the grandparents too. I often have entire families arrive for the ordering process, where I get to meet 3 generations of the family and they all share in the process. Tears get shed often, which is my favorite part of this business. It makes is so rewarding, and also provides a whole another level of pride in what we do here at the factory each day. Every single jacket has the weight of this emotion behind it, so every jacket we make must be done as perfect as we can. You can't hide mistakes in the margins when each jacket is it's own unique product.
For all these reasons you rarely hear of a person's varsity jacket being throw away. It gets worn to shreds, lives from closet to closet, or ends up in a vintage store... They are just too special and have too much individuality to be thrown out like any other garment that I can think of.
Your mum told me some pretty wild stories around people you’ve made jackets for, is there one client or story that stands out to you ?
Our jackets have gone to many famous people, for sure. We've made jackets seen in major films, for grammy winning musicians, and even for U.S. President's. But a recent story that really sticks with me deals with a local high school jacket order...
Parents of a student athlete brought him in with a few of his friends/teammates-- and his younger siblings too. Two of the students were ordering jackets, while the third just wanted to "look around."
It became clear that this third kid’s family could not afford a jacket for him so he wasn't able to order one that day. He really wanted to at least be a part of his friends' experience and support them, so he agreed to come along.
After meeting the whole family and the friends, the Father of one of the boys started giving a speech to the young men. I knew right away what was about to happen, so I just stood back and hung on every word.
He started talking about how hard all three of the young men worked in school, and how each one of them pushed the other to do better. He said none of them would be there without all three, so the parents and the other two kids had all chipped-in to buy the third student a varsity jacket. It was a total surprise for him (and for me)!
The father was the first to shed a tear as he spoke, but it didn't take long for all of us to be crying for the moment. The three friends hugged and the parents hugged the young men too. It was a beautiful moment of generosity and really demonstrates how passionate people are for these jackets. It's probably my favorite moment in all the years I've worked here selling jackets-- one I will never forget. Once the jackets were done we took a picture of all three boys together and placed it front-and-center on our wall of pictures.
Clearly a moment those boys will never forget
With everything that’s going in the world right now im sure you guys have felt it from a professional point of view, what’s changed for you since Covid hit?
COVID has really hurt the high school orders. I'm seeing a 75% drop in orders for varsity jackets going to high school students, at least. It's hard on us, and it is really hard on the small businesses we deal with who sell jackets to the high schoolers in their areas. Those interactions have all but gone away.
The immediate impact is devastating, but long-term I am also concerned about the varsity jacket tradition suffering. It could take a while for the trend to.
Last year was so strong for high school varsity jackets. The trend cycle was coming back around very strong, and it was so glorious to see that! COVID has definitely cut it short.
On the other side of the coin I've seen a great increase in orders from clothing lines and "online heavy brands who have seen a rise in sales, which is really saving us right now. Between stimulus money the federal government issued earlier in 2020 that caused a bump in sales and an interruption in international supply chains that caused companies to look domestically for production, Settlemier's has been able to stay working.
It's been such a strong team effort here at the factory to stay open and productive. My employees deserve so much credit from deciding they wanted to keep working through this thing, and to dedicate themselves to staying healthy. I'm very proud of how we all have come together.
When COVID first hit we completely changed gears and started making masks. Jacket orders dropped suddenly to zero as stores closed and people had to stay home. We were able and willing to source a whole new set of materials and make masks for the community. It didn't make us any money, but it kept us all under employment and helped out the local community right when finding masks was a very hard task.
Sounds like you have a great team around you that are willing to adapt etc, so I take my hat off to your whole team. This isn’t an isolated story regarding Covid , but I guess a lot of people don’t think about other peoples businesses in situations like this, so it hits home even harder when you read it. Here in Europe kids are back to school with somewhat normality, am I right in thinking school in the US is “cancelled” for the year and everyone is home schooling? Are school sports still being played ? I know NBA, MLB and NFL have been playing .
Schooling right now really depends on which state you reside in. America is such a big country, governed locally based on politics rather than a shared concern for all citizens. So some states are allowing-- and requiring-- in-person schooling, while others are only allowing distance learning (learning from home via computer). There are also states which give the option between these two choices for each of it's smaller counties.
All school is being done remotely here in the state of Oregon. All sports and activities were cancelled for the year, as well as the last half of last year's class.
That affects so many people! I really hope some sense of the old normality can return asap, I know if it hadn’t been for some sort of sport as a kid I’d have lost my mind!
What are your plans for the future and Is there anything you think the world should now about Settlemiers ?
We have big plans for the future of Settlemier's!
Soon we will be introducing a brand new catalog-- our first catalog ever, actually. This catalog will take the very traditional varsity jacket we are constantly perfecting into a whole new, playful, modern area. We will be showcasing new design options, untraditional concepts, and a new exploration into patchwork that are all laid over the top of our old-school pattern sets. We feel like there is an un-tapped audience of creatives and makers out there who aren't yet aware of how far you can take the varsity jacket into the artistic realms, and we believe this catalog can unlock some major potential.
Settlemier's is also beginning to explore becoming a zero-waste facility. We are making a significant commitment towards this goal in 2021, and feel like we have a unique opportunity as a small factory to make the major changes it takes to achieve something so important for the fashion industry as a whole. Where it takes us we aren't sure of yet. We expect major bumps in the road along the journey. But the goal of zero-waste can change the world and we hope our little bit can help towards a better future.
Great, well this feels like a pretty good place to leave it, Do you have any final words?
Not much else. I really appreciate this chance to chat with you and tell our story over here in Portland, OR. With any major challenge-- like COVID-19-- a business can only hope to come out of it stronger. We are here trying our best to make sure that happens not just for us, but for the lettermen jacket trend/industry as a whole. Getting exposure like this can only help, so thank you!
And a huge thanks to you , it is a pleasure working with you and having this chat!
The PMA Varsity jacket will launch on Monday 15th February at 11am CET