Danner is an American heritage brand, based in the Pacific Northwest to originally create superior boots for the logging industry. In 2019, they hired me to create web, social and catalog copy, including the copy around Danner Portland Select, and two specific season ambassadors, Britt Howard and Spencer Staley.
“.…There’s also something to be said for escaping the grind of the city and breathing in fresh mountain air. Britt Howard of Portland Garment Factory, as well as Spencer Staley of The Good Mod, know the need for that balance. As owners of two independently-owned businesses, they represent the spirit of craftsmanship and adventure in Portland, Oregon. Danner Portland Select was specifically created for the worker, the entrepreneur and the modern explorer. Made in USA, as they have been for nearly 90 years, of premium full-grain leather, waterproof GORE-TEX liners and rugged Vibram® outsoles, these boots are built for those who log the hours, in the workshop or on the trails of the Cascades and beyond….”
BRITT HOWARD
Founder of Portland Garment FactoryWhat defines the modern factory? Is it technology and equipment? The ability to produce a quality product with a short turnaround? Portland Garment Factory founder Britt Howard believes that to be a truly contemporary manufacturing shop means taking a direction from a progressive compass. PGF is guided by feminist business practices, striving for diversity, family values, and conditions in the workplace.
Since 2008, the factory has been designing and hand producing top-quality fashion pieces, art, soft goods and installations for a wide range of clients. With a family of 15 employees in their zero-waste facility, they not only set a standard of quality construction but virtuous principles.
PGF was recently certified as a B corp for their dedication to people, planet and sustainable profits. They collaborate with community organizations, educators and artists, support Blue Sky Renewable Energy and donate five percent of their profits each year to initiatives they believe in.
And as any entrepreneur will tell you, moving toward more ethical policies is an awful lot of work. It means longer hours, attention to your employees’ fulfillment. “I believe in starting with my own company, using my platform to create the kind of world that I want to see,” says Howard, “And that creates an added layer of work. That’s what I appreciate about Danner. I won’t have the energy to go that extra mile if I’m hurting by the end of the day.”
