what we do
vision
Rightfully Sewn is laying a path to a contemporary version of Kansas City’s 20th-Century golden era of garment design and manufacturing.
Mission
Rightfully Sewn provides seamstress training for women so they can thrive in a specialized workforce that will reestablish Kansas City as an epicenter of garment manufacturing, while at the same time, propel Kansas City fashion designers to market so they can supply the burgeoning demand for high-quality, American-produced garments.
guiding principles
equity, diversity, accessibility, acclivity, positivity, efficacy
impact statement
Rightfully Sewn creates jobs and opportunity through the business of fashion.
Key Strategies
A. Empower women by teaching them a trade and assisting them with job placement, thereby elevating them out of a systemic situation
B. Cultivate Kansas City fashion designers through competitive, two-year long residencies and access to fabric trade shows, professional development workshops, speaker series, documentary screenings, and other related events
C. Offer small batch garment production services, including pattern making, sample sewing, sourcing assistance, production management, and more
D. Foster a well-connected, efficient fashion design and manufacturing community by hosting an online Industry Directory and Jobs Board
Testimonials
“Without community support for women with barriers to employment, 67% of at-risk women will relapse to their harmful situations within three years. The seamstress training and placement model Rightfully Sewn is proposing is timely and promising. Women’s Employment Network looks forward to a potential partnership because we can bring our proven expertise to their table. Together, we can provide more options for our city’s at-risk women population with the goal of positively impacting a systemic situation.”
“I started sewing dance leotards in my basement...fast-forward five years, I’m shipping them worldwide from my Crossroads location. I would scale my business if it weren’t for the serious skills gap that exists in Kansas City - and across our country. We need seamstresses who are fully trained on industrial sewing machines.”
“I used to think I had to move to the coasts to be able to work full-time in my chosen fashion profession. But I’ve made a wonderful life for myself in Kansas City, and I want to stay here. So do my peers. We just need more support and access to cutting edge production technology.”
RIGHTFULLY SEWN TEAM
STAFF
Jennifer Lapka
Founder and President
Lisa Laney
Contractual Grantwriter
Godfrey Riddle, MPA
Vice President of External Affairs
Pamela Lucas
Director of Curriculum and Instruction
Sarah Watts
Production and Operations Manager
ADVISORS
Patricia Shipp, Production
Lee Jeans
Brooklynn Love, Promotions
Brooklynn Creative, LLC
Brianna Reynaud, PR
The OutCast Agency
Taylor Barber, Promotions
Lee Jeans
April Dion, Promotions
Driven to Inspire U, LLC
Roger Figueroa, Promotions
Roger Figueroa Designs
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
Barbara Bloch, Community Leader
Isabella Emmack, Voices& / DNA Model Management
Aengus Finnan, Folk Alliance International
Belinda Harrison, B.L. Harrison Law
T'Risa McCord, Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, Missouri
Regina McKinney, Sheffield Place
Dawn Taylor, American Institute of Architects Kansas City
Jordan Williams, Keefe Cravat
Erik Wullschleger, WeWork Corrigan Station
Vanessa Zambo, Terracon and STOMP
SEAMSTRESS TRAINING program MENTORS
Carrie Habib, Rachel Neuman, Patty Vedros
AMBASSADORS
Jennifer Birzer, Kyla Cherry, Kiana Godsey, Trey Hyde, Danielle Meister, Kyle Milligan, Dylan Schoening, Victoria Simpson, Ritambhara Srinivasan Mishra, Maegan Stracy, Shelley Wehmeyer
WE WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE THESE COMMUNITY LEADERS WHO HAVE BEEN SUPPORTIVE OF our organization:
Suzie Aron, Aron Real Estate
Josh Best, IFF
Hillary Beuschel, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Molly Bingaman, Ladybird Styling
Bob Bloch, Marion and Henry Bloch Family Foundation and The H & R Block Foundation
Rachel Carlton, Marion and Henry Bloch Family Foundation and The H & R Block Foundation
Lisa Choules, Elevé Dancewear
Bernie Darter, Veronica’s Voice
Harvey Fried, Historic Garment District Museum
Kim Foster, Francis Family Foundation
Pascale Henn, Pascale Henn Business Law Advisors
Joan Israelite, National Endowment for the Arts and Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
Larry Jacob, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Carly Manijak, The HALO Foundation
Chad Martin, VML
David Miles, Marion and Henry Bloch Family Foundation and The H & R Block Foundation
Julie Nelson Meers, Missouri Bank
Danny O’Neill, The Roasterie
David F. Oliver, Berkowitz Oliver
Tom Paolini, Paolini Garment Company
CiCi Rojas, Tico Productions and Tico Sports
Mike Slack, The Tax Institute at H&R Block
Debbie Sosland-Edelman, Sosland Foundation of Kansas City
Tina Sterling, Business Donation Advisors
Brande Stitt, Women’s Business Center
Sherry Turner, OneKC for Women, Women’s Employment Network, Women’s Business Center, and Women's Capital Connection
Paul Tyler, ArtsKC
Kim Verhoeven, Mosaic Life Care
Lacy Voight, The HALO Foundation
Nick Ward-Bopp, Maker Village
Carey Wilkerson-Looney, Marion and Henry Bloch Family Foundation and The H & R Block Foundation
Pedro Zamora, Hispanic Economic Development Corporation