Minnesota's Best Locally Made Clothing & Accessories

This Minneapolis-based jeweler’s sawing, forging, and soldering takes its cues from “the natural world and the movement within it.” For shoppers, that translates to wave- and sunrise-inspired cuffs; asymmetrical snake studs, comet danglers, and squiggly crawler earrings; and delicate necklaces with cresting moon pendants. 

The material varies with the piece, but Wendy’s go-tos are brass, sterling silver, 14-karat gold fill, and mixed metals for the best of all worlds. Her twisty hair pins and customizable mantra bracelets are particularly noteworthy, and she recently added sun-catching mobiles and plant trellises to her oeuvre.

This popular apron line was founded by Kate Meier, a mother of three boys who work in the restaurant industry. What began with a simple request from her kids for a product that didn’t yet exist has snowballed into an internationally renowned brand, beloved for its durable, versatile, and eminently stylish aprons. 

We’re talking full aprons, waist aprons, heavy-duty waxed canvas aprons, floral-tipped cottagecore aprons, and so on. Though good enough for the pros, the aprons also make thoughtful gifts for avid home cooks and bakers.

Duluth Pack has been Minnesota’s go-to expedition outfitter since 1882, but a newer homegrown brand takes outdoor adventuring just as seriously. Founded by Steve Emerson in 2001 and later revived by current owner Chris Benson, Frost River Trading Co constructs each of its rugged packs, duffels, totes, shoulder bags, and carry-ons from scratch in a solar-powered HQ in Duluth’s Lincoln Park. 

The classically styled gear is fashioned with solid-brass buckles and snaps, leather straps from a tannery in Red Wing, and a USA-made brand of waxed canvas that’s been around since the 1830s. Each item also comes with a lifetime guarantee — testament to the quality craftsmanship.

Tamas “Zen” Pomazi has been putting pep in Minnesotans’ steps since 2011. The Waconia-based master cobbler sources and deconstructs pre-owned shoes, including boots and chukkas, and then rebuilds them with colorful inserts and hand-poured outsoles. 

Each pair is made to order, and wingtips are his favorite medium. Some incorporate jungle camouflage or Pendleton backstock; others bring in brightly hued laces and electric blue soles. The shoes can take anywhere from two to six weeks to make, but it’s worth the wait for truly one-of-a-kind kicks.

Lisa Hackwith launched her ethical fashion brand in fall 2013 with a single limited-edition design. Today, Hackwith Design House includes size-inclusive seasonal collections and swimwear, with lines featuring simple scoop tanks, ruched tubes, and cropped tops; V-neck kaftans and strapless maxi dresses; and fun balloon pants cut from deadstock technical fabrics. 

All garments are designed and sewn in St. Paul and made to order to reduce waste. Even better, the Sustain Shop buyback program helps maximize each piece's life cycle.

The jewelry designs of Jovy Rockey, a self-taught, Winona-based artist and metalsmith, are an exercise in contrasts. Some pieces are big, bold, and demand attention (Exhibit A: agatized dinosaur bone bezel in sterling silver). Others are slim and subtle, just a little something-something to catch the eye (Exhibit B: angled hoops ringed with Dalmatian jasper). 

Her unisex bolo ties, fashioned from fossilized peanut wood or coral and hung on braided full-grain leather cords, are especially fun — not something you see every day in the Upper Midwest.

There are two names every Minnesotan should know when it comes to local milliners. One is Celina Kane, maker of chic fedoras and sassy headbands. The other is Karen Morris, the Minneapolis-based hatter whose haute, extravagant creations look like they were plucked from Millionaires Row at the Kentucky Derby. 

Morris studied millinery under the biggest names in the business, including Edwina Ibbotson and Judy Bentinck in London. Her travel- and architecture-inspired head coverings have been rocked by everyone from Rebel Wilson to Nicki Minaj and showcased by the American Craft Council, the Smithsonian, and Vogue. Her materials (ostrich plumes, satin orchids) are showy yet refined; some designs are even customizable, coming in a variety of colors and trims.

Devin Johnson, the upcycler extraordinaire behind this Northfield gallery and studio, has a knack for transforming old artifacts into functional accessories. His Military Collection features brass money clips with spent shell casings from World War II, Vietnam, and the Korean War. A separate collection recasts salvaged machine plate tags from John Deere Horicon Works and General Electric into cuff bracelets. For car enthusiasts, there are money clips riveted with the brass hubcaps of 1920s Ford Model-Ts. Brass cymbals, antique carpenter folding rulers, 1939 World’s Fair tokens, and silver-plated serving trays salvaged from estate sales also factor into his work. 

Certificates of Authenticity are included with each purchase, and every patina tells a story.

As soon as Madison Rae Holler could hold a needle and thread, her mom taught her how to bead. Today, the Sauk Rapids-based jewelry designer looks to her Dutch, Swedish, German, Norwegian, Anishinaabe, Ojibwe and Chippewa roots for inspiration, painstakingly producing each peyote-stitched piece by hand. 

Made off-loom with glass and metal seed beads, it can take Holler seven hours to make a single bracelet, 12 hours to craft a pair of earrings, and 25 hours to finish a double-sided peyote pouch with 20,000 beads. Every adornment is a collectible, which explains why they sell out within minutes of each new shop drop.

Understated elegance and meticulous Midwestern craftsmanship — that’s what customers have come to expect from this luxury menswear brand over the last half century. Bernhard Brenner founded the company in Europe in the early ‘60s and opened its first production house in the scenic bluffs of the Upper Mississippi River Valley in 1964. 

At first, he did everything himself: designing the clothing, producing the samples, running the machinery, and selling the garments. Nowadays, Saint Croix employs some 200 craftspeople in its 90,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Winona. 

The line includes breezy camp shirts, preppy seersucker polos, traditional fishermen cable crewneck sweaters, and other staples of a timeless wardrobe. Cotton hoodies and color-block quarter-zips keep it casual, or you can lean into date night with a Merino wool and cashmere knit Italian blazer. Silk neckties and calfskin belts round out the look.

While this Minneapolis studio maintains a small amount of stock, most of founder Martha McQuade’s kettle-dyed scarves are made to order using sustainable, environmentally friendly materials. The Cotton Giant — a gauzy, billowy 54-by-100-inch scarf made with raw-edged cotton — is a fan favorite, available in 35 dreamy hand-dyed colors. Her 100 percent organic cashmere scarves are available in 48 colors, and the zero-waste organic cotton neckerchiefs in 32 colors.

Minneapolis-based fashion designer Scott J Lehmann was 8 years old when his grandmother taught him how to sew. After working for a few different brands in New York City, he returned to Minnesota and launched a decidedly anti-fast fashion label.

For Lehmann, that means sleuthing out high-quality natural textiles and producing his garments in very small batches (sometimes one and done). Most designs are unisex and geometrically inspired, toying with color and form unexpectedly; picture oversized canvas welder jackets with square-and-circle pockets or long-sleeve kimono cardigans with shapes popping off the back. 

Got an idea you’d like to see his wizard brain bring to life? Lehmann commissions custom pieces.