He settled on jeans, specifically denim jeans using fabric woven on midcentury looms at Cone Mills in Greensboro, North Carolina, and a new made-to-order market was born. He did so passionately and painstakingly, splitting his time between his parents’ basement and his college apartment in Clemson, tailoring T-shirts and sweatshirts before prodding himself to take on something more challenging. Bill Mitchell began his clothing business tailoring T-shirts and sweatshirts before moving to jeans. in Greenville, Mitchell, now 31, recalled how he emerged as one of the leaders of the local makers movement. Sitting among an array of new and vintage sewing machines in his shop at 205 Wade Hampton Blvd. Ten years after he burst onto the scene as the founder of Billiam, Bill Mitchell, one of the Upstate’s current pantheon of artisanal manufacturers, is stepping on the pedal and stitching together a new look for his business. That work ethic – to do things well, but to also try to do them better – is one reason the area remains a hotbed of manufacturing, both big and small. From the textile looms of yesteryear to the automation found in today’s industrial plants, the Upstate’s economy has evolved and progressed as a result of hard work, craftsmanship, management commitment, and a willingness to innovate.
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