Our Beginnings
RAGGEDedge started sometime in the middle of 1997, as an idea (and a dream) in
the mind of a smart and motivated individual - Suze. The idea was to create
useful stuff out of the pile of old sails she seemed to be collecting. The
place was a spare bedroom made over into a sewing studio. The dream was to make
something better then what was already out there by focusing on better designs
and more awesome materials.
Today
Now RAGGEDedge Gear is a full-fledged company, albeit a
small one. We create our gear in a workroom instead of a bedroom; and, instead
of just one person, we are three people. We accomplished our original mission
to make something better, and now our mission is to create awesomeness. This is
a standard that reaches infinitely higher and is ever changing, on purpose. It
forces us to stretch and grow and challenge ourselves on a nearly daily basis.
It is our opinion that there is always a greater level of potential to achieve.
At the core of our business, we focus on integrity.
Our Ideology
We have a small obsession with excellence. We demand it of
ourselves, our workmanship, and our products. We love quality the way some
people love chocolate (actually we love that too). When we create a wallet (or
any one of our products), we set out to delight you.
Our Designs
No design is ever really done, because every design can be
improved. New designs are rigorously tested before being sold, and even then,
we initially make small batches so that we can easily make improvements as we
see the opportunity to do so. Our materials are sailcloth laminates made from
woven hi-tech fibers, most notably Kevlar and Carbon Fiber. Our designs depend
specifically on the strengths and weaknesses of our chosen materials. Like most
materials, they are strong when their strengths are utilized, but can be weak
otherwise. Years of working with this specialty laminate sailcloth has made us
wise to their eccentricities. We update our designs regularly to improve
performance, as well as creating entirely new designs based on market demand.
We phase out other designs to keep our lineup a selection of only our best
work. Suze, our head designer, has a background in a wide variety of sewing
applications, including quilting, garment making, upholstery, pattern making,
sail repair, and canvas work, which give her a unique skill set that she brings
to every thing we do. At the core of our designs, we focus on functionality,
awesomeness, and durability.
Our Choices
We walk to work, we heat with wood, and we are in the midst
of powering our workroom with solar power. We shop local, small, and awesome at
every opportunity, thereby continuing the circle that our company itself
depends on. We do all of this because its what makes sense to us.
We are located in a rural area with a vibrant local community. We vote with our dollar to keep our small town thriving. We give back by contributing to local fundraisers. We support our small local post office with all of our shipping and we use a local printer that prints on recycled cardstock for all of our packaging. When we can’t source within our own community, we expand our circle and search for other homegrown companies, like ours, with good values, excellent products and integrity, both personally and professionally. Even our materials are sourced from companies that manufacture in the United States. When you choose to support us, you are choosing to help perpetuate this cycle, and you are acknowledging the power of your choice. And for that, you too, are awesome.
Our People
We are artists, dream chasers, and DIYers. Our lives are full of
creativity, beauty, opportunity and projects. We paint, weave, cook, garden, and make
music, among other things. Challenges excite us and our contribution to the world is important to
us.
Who exactly are we, you ask?
Let us introduce ourselves...
Susan "Suze" Bailey
Founder: The woman with the idea, the vision, an the perseverance
Master Seamstress
Custom Design Guru
Meredith "mud" Bailey
Daughter to that woman... and she is every bit her mother's daughter
Jackette of All Trades
Hank "Beat Radness" West
