Inside a modest Tucson workshop filled with humming industrial machines and bolts of fabric, Sonoran Stitch Factory is quietly producing everything from apparel to shower curtains, all sewn locally by a skilled team of tradespeople.

Founded by Tucson native Erica Yngve, the cut-and-sew manufacturing company has become one of the only operations of its kind in Southern Arizona, blending fashion entrepreneurship with workforce development and sustainability.

Yngve, 47, has operated Sonoran Stitch for the past five years. She was born in Tucson and attended the University of Arizona before pursuing a graduate degree in business.

But she never could have guessed that her career would cross paths with her childhood passion.

“I’ve always enjoyed business. I had a degree in business and in German studies," she said. “I thought I would do something in international business, though it didn’t quite work out. But when I went to grad school, I did my MBA in operations management.”

Yngve said she has always loved figuring out how things work and creating efficient, tangible products.

“I’ve always sewn my whole life, but I didn't think it would be a career, midlife essentially," she said.

Before Yngve owned Sonoran Stitch Factory, she went through several life and career changes.

“We lived in Chicago for 10 years and moved back, and I was trying to figure out what to do,” she said. “My youngest was going into kindergarten and I had been doing an online business with another partner importing parts and accessories for another different company.”

Yngve decided to launch her first fashion line and found early success after winning Tucson’s 2019 IdeaFunding competition.

“I won a pitch competition that gave me a lot of energy and then a little bit of funding to get it going,” Yngve said.

Bralessly was Yngve’s idea, a fashion innovation designed for women who wanted to go braless while maintaining modesty. She started the brand through a nonprofit fashion incubator called FABRIC, which supports emerging designers and helps connect them with production facilities. However, the commute from Tucson to Phoenix quickly became unsustainable, forcing her to pivot to keep the business viable.

She connected with a Tucson-based manufacturer that was producing for the brand Dirty Girl Gaiters and asked about handling her production locally. That same year, the factory’s owner decided to retire, creating an unexpected opportunity. Yngve stepped in and took over the operation, becoming the sole owner.

“I had an opportunity that I could make my own stuff at the lowest cost possible and then whatever,” she said. “I just essentially acquired her one client and her machines, and I started Sonoran Stitch Factory.”

Sonoran Stitch Factory grew quickly, with Yngve taking on multiple clients. However, maintaining steady revenue proved challenging when much of the work consisted of one-time production runs.

Sonoran Stitch has embraced innovative production ideas, but shifts in the fashion industry have created challenges. One such idea involved repurposing damaged or old martial arts uniforms, known as gis.

“That just takes hours and it just depends on who’s willing to pay for it,” she said. “It’s great material and they can make, you know, really cool things with it, but it also comes at a cost. And companies need to understand that there is something that they’re going to be putting out there. They’re paying skilled laborers and so that’s one of the things that I think is a struggle.”

Yngve later acquired another brand, Postcraft, which specializes in shower curtains and pillow covers. The company produces items for cruise ships and university dorms across the country.

Because the two brands rely on the same equipment and skill sets, Yngve can shift employees between projects as demand fluctuates, a flexibility that supports her broader mission of strengthening the local workforce. Yngve’s focus remains on community improvement and creating sustainable job opportunities in Tucson.

“My goal is to employ people here,” she said. “Sewing, industrial sewing is a skilled trade. And our employees know a lot. And they’re all cross-trained.”

Sonoran Stitch Factory employees handle shipping, sewing, quality control and order preparation, among other responsibilities.

“They’re very skilled and I’m very passionate about helping people who are underserved and getting jobs in this industry,” she said.

In January 2021, the city of Tucson and local nonprofit Moonshot established a workforce development program, enlisting Yngve’s help and expertise to lead the Arizona Stitch Lab.

In December, Arizona Stitch Lab discontinued services in Tucson but relocated to Phoenix, allowing people to continue accessing the program in-state. Yngve said she hopes to launch a similar initiative in Tucson in the future.

The program received grant funding for four years before it ended, creating job opportunities and helping strengthen Tucson’s workforce. Some of the program’s alumni now work for Yngve, while others have gone on to jobs elsewhere in the industry.

“The first two years we trained over 90 people,” she said. “And in the last two years, it was about 40 to 45 each year.”

The lab also helped reduce waste at the factory. Yngve has made sustainability a priority at Sonoran Stitch.

“I’m a big thrifter. I’m a big reuse it, let’s find other uses for it. I try to find other ways of using our scraps. Sometimes somebody will take something,” Yngve said. “Our stitch lab was great because they used some of it for practicing and testing. So that was at least one part of a reuse or something.”

Yngve also prioritizes educating the public about fashion, business and the industry’s environmental impact by offering factory tours. She said the tours help people better understand the production side of the business.

To foster educational dialogue with the community, Yngve participates in a variety of public events and encourages her team to do the same.

“I take a lot of opportunities that are sent my way,” Yngve said. “I talk to middle schools. Maggie has done a bunch of career days, high schools, leadership programs, panels.”

Maggie Marquez, Sonoran Stitch Factory’s production manager and head of apparel development, has long been drawn to fashion and design. After years of working various jobs, she finally had the opportunity to pursue her dream of working in fashion and eventually owning a store.

“I went back to Pima, started taking some classes, and then found out that they had their fashion program and took my classes there. I found out about this place through other classmates that were working here at the time,” Marquez said. “I came in to do some sewing, but she needed a cutter and that’s where I started.”

Marquez has worked at Sonoran Stitch Factory for more than five years, fostering a close working relationship with Yngve.

“The stuff that we’ve learned together and here on the floor and on the job, it’s been a lot,” Marquez said. “(I’m) very grateful for the journey and the things that we do, the growth that we’ve come through, everything we’ve learned.”

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Tucson SpotlightKatlyn A Vargas

Through Sonoran Stitch Factory, Yngve has built an innovative and sustainable business rooted in the Tucson community. Throughout her career, she has focused on creating opportunities for others and plans to continue that work.

“We have an apprenticeship program that we’re almost finished with the first two apprentices,” Yngve said. “They’ll become journeymen and that’ll be a lot of opportunities for them.”

However, the local industry has been unpredictable and difficult to sustain in Tucson, largely because of limited opportunities compared with larger markets.

She said the challenge is balancing workforce development with industry growth. Without enough local companies to employ trained workers, they may leave for opportunities elsewhere, yet businesses also want an established workforce before relocating, creating a cycle she is still trying to navigate.

Yngve said her goal is to create a stronger future for workers, adding that the region’s ability to build a more stable job market depends on forming alliances with other companies.

“I’m the only cut and sew factory in Southern Arizona right now. And I’m not that huge,” she said. “There are plenty, there’s a good chunk in Phoenix, but like I was talking about before, this alliance. I need to find all the people who employ industrial sewers. Someday, if I get the capacity, the ability to do so, I will start working on that again, yes.”

Looking ahead, Yngve is focused on expanding the company while protecting the culture she has built.

“I would love to scale,” Yngve said. “I would love to bring more people in. I think building the core culture here is critical and maintaining that going forward as we grow.”

Katlyn Vargas is a University of Arizona student and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact her at katlynvargas@arizona.edu.

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