by Mia McManus and Dwight Carter

Reinvent, recreate, and reignite are three simple words, but put together, they read the motto of Evolution St. Louis. Named to align with their mission of building the supply chain of the future, Evolution St. Louis is reinventing the game when it comes to the world of fashion. “Evolution St. Louis is the most high-tech, highly advanced knitting facility in the United States,” says co-founder, John Elmuccio. With a long list of achievements behind him, Elmuccio puts his heart and soul into Evolution St. Louis, along with his co-founder, Jon Lewis.

Enjoy the article below, where Lewis and Elmuccio answered questions about Evolution, COVID-19 and the future, the St. Louis fashion scene, and Fashion Anarchy.

1. Give a brief description of Evolution St. Louis.

Lewis:

Evolution St. Louis is a high-tech knitting facility that provides innovative 3D, Knit & Wear complete garments, as well as fully-fashioned knitting with its industry leading, high-tech flatbed machines and the advanced knitting technology and knitelligence® software offered by STOLL.

2. What made you chose St. Louis as your headquarters and when did this process start? 

Lewis:

At one time, St. Louis was only second to New York City for fashion design and manufacturing. Leaders like Susan Sherman from the Saint Louis Fashion Fund have been working hard to revive the industry. As we were considering where to launch our company, we were introduced to Susan in 2017. We saw an incredible opportunity with the city’s existing fashion ecosystem and support for entrepreneurs. Since launching in May 2019, Evolution St. Louis is investing in the Grand Center Arts District to establish the city as a key player in the global manufacturing market and supply chain.

3. How long have you been in the fashion industry?  

Lewis:

John Elmuccio and I have both worked with Fortune 500 companies and in entrepreneurial environments. I have over 30 years’ experience as a leader in the fashion industry, serving in vice president, president and CEO roles for organizations like Warnaco, Ralph Lauren, Playtex Apparel and Christina Swimwear.

Elmuccio:

I’ve spent my 35-year career in the fashion and apparel industry. I’ve served as a senior sales executive for Fortune 500 companies and have directed global sales and supply chain operations in over a dozen countries.

4. Which major brands are you currently working with? 

Elmuccio:

Although we can’t mention specific names, the major brands we are working with are excited about Evolution St. Louis because our high-tech manufacturing facility meets the needs of the evolving fashion industry. Brands and retailers react to customer demand and new trends and locate production in the United States to shorten the supply chain.

5. Have you worked with any St. Louis designers? If so who? 

Lewis:

St. Louis is home to some amazing brands and designers, and we’ve had discussions with several about partnerships and other opportunities.

6. What do you think of the St. Louis design scene? 

Lewis:

St. Louis has a long history in the fashion industry and deep roots in manufacturing. Evolution St. Louis is investing in the Grand Center Arts District to establish the city as a key player in the global manufacturing market and supply chain. We’ve really appreciated the partnership with local leaders and designers, such as the Saint Louis Fashion Fund and Fashion Anarchy.  We need to continue to collectively create an ecosystem that both supports and attracts new designers to St. Louis.

7. When you judge events such as Fashion Anarchy, what are you normally looking for? 

Lewis:

As a judge for Fashion Anarchy, I’m looking for creativity and innovation in design and attention to detail in construction.

8. How do events such as Fashion Anarchy help our local fashion scene? 

Lewis:

Events like Fashion Anarchy help bring awareness to St. Louis’ growing and evolving fashion industry.

9. As a city, how can we help the industry grow into fashion cities such as New York? 

Lewis:

For Evolution St. Louis, it’s about creating good-paying, sustainable manufacturing jobs in the fashion industry. These high-tech, high-skill roles are the jobs of the future. Through investment in other companies like Evolution St. Louis, we can put St. Louis back on the map as a destination for advanced manufacturing and production.

10. What is the state of retail since COVID-19? Do you see an improvement? 

Elmuccio:

COVID-19 revealed just how fragile our economy is and how our dependence on foreign manufacturing is a major detriment to businesses. The fashion industry has suffered, but businesses with domestic manufacturing partners have fared better. By shortening supply chains and locating production in the United States, brands and retailers have a better chance of success. Evolution St. Louis is working with fashion brands to locate advanced apparel manufacturing in the United States during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

11. What changes or concepts do you see happening in 2021 as we come out of this pandemic year? Or do you think we will come out of it? 

Elmuccio:

Prior to COVID-19, over 95% of clothes sold in the United States were imported from overseas because of higher profit margins with foreign manufacturing. Due to the pandemic, billions of dollars of clothing orders have been canceled and many brick-and-mortar stores have closed.

Brands are coming to Evolution St. Louis because we are nimble and collaborative in our approach to the industry. Evolution St. Louis can produce niche batches using our 3D and Knit & Wear complete garment technology, pivoting to meet customer demand for relevant styles. Labor-intensive cut-and-sew manufacturing and the 12- to 15-month production cycle in Asia just aren’t sustainable. When brands base production in the United States, they can more easily control inventory without committing to specific styles. This provides new products that are shipped in a matter of weeks instead of months.

12. Where do you see Evolution St. Louis five years from now? 

Elmuccio:

Evolution St. Louis is reinventing, recreating and revitalizing the knit sector. We are using STOLL’s high-tech flatbed knitting machines and other innovative technologies to re-establish the United States as a leader for advanced manufacturing and production. Evolution St. Louis is also creating new opportunities for companies interested in domestic manufacturing, smaller batches and complex products using the technology of the future.

Lewis:

We also have long-term plans to help the Grand Center Arts District continue to grow and thrive by bringing together government, education, businesses and local organizations to connect different facets of the community to create jobs, foster innovation and spark new small businesses. We expect to create 50 to 60 jobs within the first three years in operation, with additional jobs added as the company expands.

For more information about Evolution, check out their website: www.evolutionstl.com