The Burlington apparel maker is set to roll out several new items over the next several weeks, starting with Thursday’s unveiling of “shackets.”
In the first half of the 20th century, Vermont was awash with textile manufacturers and woolen mills.
These businesses, large and small, dissipated by the 1950s. By the year 2000, most American apparel brands were manufacturing their products overseas.
There are a handful of companies today that are trying to resurrect Vermont’s garment-making past, including Darn Tough Socks in Northfield and Vermont Flannel Company in East Barre.
Joining the Vermont manufacturing resurgence is 4T2D (pronounced Fortitude), a maker of personal lifestyle apparel that is capturing the Green Mountain State’s trends of both summer and winter.
4T2D is the brainchild of Carey Strobek, a 50-year-old mother of four who founded the company in 2021 with the goal of manufacturing clothes that are American-made with a Vermont twist. All the company’s apparel is produced in a 12,000 square-foot factory on the South Side of Burlington.
“Everything takes place in Vermont, all the way from the ideation to shipping. We have technical designers, surface designers, graphic designers, prototype sewists, sample sewists, and production sewists,” Strobek said. “We even have printing technicians and a laser cutting machine.”
4T2D’s best selling items are its T-shirts and beanie caps, apparel that is indicative of the Vermont style.
Many a successful clothing manufacturer broke into the industry with the production of T-shirts. But now, four years since inception, 4T2D will release its first fall collection beginning with Thursday’s release of shackets.
“All of our outerwear that we are releasing over the next few weeks is reversible. We have what is called a shacket, which is a women’s kind of shirt jacket that is made of alpaca and wool,” Strobek said. “And we will also soon be releasing two types of vests for men and women.
“We will also be coming out with some coats for men and women that are reversible. The men’s line will have 100% cotton moleskin on one side that we print inhouse and the other side is recycled nylon. Our women’s line will have 100% velvet on one side and the other side will be the regenerated nylon that the supplier makes from old carpets and fishing nets.”
Always aware of ecological factors, Strobek and her team of 25 employees make poufs, a type of pillow that can be used for sitting on the floor or for people to put their feet on.
“We are fully circular so we take all of our material waste, and we have a fabric shredder, and we do make small poufs that can be used for sitting on the floor,” Strobek said. “We donate our poufs to local libraries, local kids’ centers, and we also have them available for purchase on our website.
“We are fully responsible with our waste. We do not throw out any of our waste. We are being responsible trying to be different from fast fashion.”
Strobek is dedicated to manufacturing top-quality, American-made apparel and abhors the waste that is incurred when fast fashion companies like Shein and Temu sell $6 T-shirts that are often used and washed only a couple of times before becoming trash.
“Our apparel is where fashion meets function, and we want our clothing to be fashionable and of high quality,” Strobek said. “I never even looked to have product made overseas. I really wanted it to be made in the U.S. and do our own manufacturing.
“I think fast fashion is just a different consumer and we are providing a niche for consumers to get quality made products. I think there is an awareness that is happening with fast fashion. I want to be part of a movement that is providing options for consumers, that quality is going to last you a long time.
“We like to say, ‘buy nice, or you are going to have to buy it twice.’”
Strobek has a degree in fine arts and a master’s degree in education and once worked as an elementary school teacher. And education is a large part of making 4T2D a reality.
The company factory also doubles as the Fourbital Factory, which makes off-label products including thousands of its signature beanies. The factory has a classroom where Strobek and team work to educate students on the forgotten facets of apparel manufacturing.
“We’ve done a lot of training of sewists on our own,” Strobek said. “We have a non-profit arm to our company called Continuing Thread where we offer sewing classes, and we have grant money that we utilize to train people in the skill of manufacturing.
“We also cross train all of our employees to be multi-skilled, multi-talented so that magic or tragic, whatever happens in someone’s life, we have the ability to rotate people through based on multiple skills or just the health of our colleagues. We have a team that can lean on each other when needed.”
As a former athlete, Strobek is conscious of the desire to be comfortable when outdoors while still looking fashionable. The coats and jackets in the upcoming fall collection were road-tested last winter by the entire 4T2D staff and friends to see what worked and felt good.
“Last winter we were wearing all the items here in Vermont to play in the snow and sometimes the rain, so it was a great opportunity to test the fit and material in all kinds of weather,” Strobek said. “We spent last year just doing that and we are now excited to launch those items in the coming days.”
4T2D will be releasing items from its fall collection each week from now until the end of October – just in time for the holidays. And, as a bonus, apparel from its everyday collection, including long- and short-sleeved T-shirts and beanies, is currently on sale and available to be customized.
Shop 4T2D products online.