NW Sewn 2026 Strategic Priorities
Good Business Network of Washington is building regional coordination and infrastructure to support the textiles and sewing industries through our Northwest Sewn program.
Our priorities have emerged from a decade of working directly with businesses, research, and stakeholder convenings.
Use the tabs below to explore our five strategic priority areas, along with select milestones and in progress actions:
- Map the Ecosystem & Build Transparency
- Build a Clearinghouse of Resources
- Convene the Industry
- Regional Economic & Workforce Research
- Build a Regional Coalition
Map the Ecosystem & Build Transparency
Regional coordination can’t happen without knowing who’s doing what, what capacity they have, and how to engage. A transparent and connected ecosystem reduces isolation, duplication and enables collaboration across the value chain.
ACTIVITIES
- Continue to build our industry directory of manufacturers, designers, material suppliers, technicians, and service providers across the sewn trades and textiles sector
- Make connections and program offerings visible so businesses can find each other, collaborate, and access expertise and collaborative opportunities
- Expand our peer-to-peer communications platform to strengthen b2b and intra-regional relationships
PROGRESS
- In progress: Upgrades to Northwest Sewn Directory and website. Multi-phased rollout of updates to our site to better support industry matchmaking and asset visibility. Includes a revised application process and clearer directory listings.
Build a Clearinghouse of Resources
Businesses across the region navigate fragmented information, from training and technical assistance to market opportunities to funding pathways. A centralized clearinghouse reduces these barriers and helps businesses access the support they need to grow.
ACTIVITIES
- Compile and share resources that support industry growth: educational panels, training opportunities, technical assistance, policy updates, advocacy opportunities, market connections, and funding pathways
- Create a centralized hub where businesses and organizations can access timely, relevant information
- Maintain the directory as a core resource within this clearinghouse
PROGRESS
- May 2026: Textiles & Sewing Resource Library launch. Library to launch with 60+ resources from equipment rentals to sourcing guidance and more, housed publicly on the Northwest Sewn website.
Convene the Industry
Convene regularly across a range of industry issues—workforce, circularity, infrastructure, materials, policy, and market access—to surface gaps, challenges, and opportunities. Through ongoing engagement and relationship building, identify where coordination, collaboration, or collective action is possible.
ACTIVITIES
- Reactivate the Circular Textiles Working Group, panels, collaborative sessions, and knowledge-sharing events that surface gaps and opportunities across the value chain
- Build textile industry participation in WA Reuses, our online materials exchange platform (launching Summer 2026)
PROGRESS
- February 2026: Future of Flexible Product Manufacturing Reconvening. Cohosted with Mechanism, we presented our regional strategic plan in connection with the nation-wide effort that Mechanism is facilitating to strengthen domestic manufacturing.
- March 2026: Circular Textiles Speaker Series – Textiles Recycling with Looptworks and Homeboy Threads. Presentations and conversation in this event promoted education and solution development with textile recycling experts and attending businesses and organizations.
- September 2026: WA Reuses program launch. WA Reuses is a materials exchange program designed to keep hard-to-recycle materials out of the landfill and put them toward productive use. The marketplace platform will launch by early autumn 2026 and will be a tool that textiles-based businesses can use to find or dispose of materials. Programming is being designed by a working group of 53 partners across the state.
Regional Economic & Workforce Research
Without clear data on the industry’s current state and future needs, we can’t effectively argue for the resources required to strengthen this economy or ensure living wages and job quality. This research provides the foundation for coordinated regional action.
ACTIVITIES
- Pursue funding for a comprehensive study of the Pacific Northwest textile and sewn trades industry: surfacing data on business scale, revenue, workforce needs, and growth opportunities currently hidden in economic census data
- Work with Seattle Colleges and workforce development partners to align curriculum and training with actual industry demand
- Use research findings to inform policy advocacy, funding priorities, and infrastructure investments
- Compile existing training and education opportunities in our resource clearinghouse while identifying gaps
PROGRESS
- August 2026: Publication of industry research archive. Create public access to research conducted by Good Business Network of Washington and our partners to better inform new research and strategic advancement.
Build a Regional Coalition
A coalition provides the structure for coordinated advocacy and regional investment, while allowing our region to test and adapt solutions based on local context.
ACTIVITIES
- Convene organizations across the textile and sewn trades value chain—from fibershed networks to repair economy advocates and practitioners, manufacturers to material innovators, workforce organizations to policy groups—who share commitment to strengthening this regional economy
- Establish a coalition of equals to collaborate and identify shared policy priorities, coordinate advocacy efforts, and pursue joint funding opportunities
PROGRESS
- Summer 2026: Convene Northwest Sewn Advisory Council. To oversee advancement of programming outlined in this strategic plan.
- Fall 2026: Textiles Coalition. In partnership with peer organizations, formally establish a Northwest Textiles Coalition and convene its first meeting.
In November 2025, Good Business Network of Washington and Mechanism co-hosted “The Future of Flexible Product Making & Manufacturing” in Seattle.
The convening brought together manufacturers, designers, workforce organizations, policy advocates, material innovators, and circular economy practitioners to build a shared understanding of the Pacific Northwest’s textile and sewn trades ecosystem.
Participants identified clear priorities: the need for regional coordination rather than siloed efforts, concrete infrastructure to support manufacturing and circularity, workforce development that builds pathways into skilled trades while supporting fair wages and job quality, and collective action to advance policy and investment in the industry.
Our strategic plan responds directly to what we heard, while building upon a decade of industry convening through the Northwest Sewn program.