"Labeling my blankets with my woven label from Wunderlabel is the most important part of my blankets."
I think we can all agree that a snuggly blanket is something we can all use. In a time where mass production rules the market, Thorne Blanket Company is like a breath of fresh air. Stephanie started Thorne Blanket Company with family tradition and quality in mind and we think she’s accomplished that goal. Thorne Blanket Company is a business with heart with the quality to back it up. We’re proud to be their label provider.
Introducing Thorne Blanket Company!
Tell us about Thorne Blanket Company
I got started with Thorne Blanket Company many years ago. My grandparents lived in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. Every summer I would spend the entire 3 months off from school with them just doing everyday things like going to the grocery store, paying the electric bill (back then they actually went to the electric company and paid the bill) and shopping in the local “seconds” stores of various manufacturing plants that dotted the landscape back then. One particular place that my grandmother and I would go is the Chatham Manufacturing Company in Elkin, North Carolina which made the "Chatham Blanket”. These were wonderful wool blankets with the traditional satin binding, sturdy, hearty and thick. The people who made these blankets lived in the Elkin community generation after generation and it was tradition that kept them going. There was something about these wonderfully woven blankets that always struck a cord with me. They represented warmth, security and strength.
Thorne Blanket Company was born out of that same spirit. I wanted to create some of that same traditional quality, strength and endurance that I saw with Chatham Manufacturing. I also wanted to create jobs back into my community when so many manufacturing jobs have gone overseas. I wanted to create a place that people could live and work in their small community and raise their families to carry on traditions that I grew up with.
What keeps you inspired to create?
I never lack ideas for blankets because to me they represent a blank canvas. There are so many wonderful variants like fabric, cut, weave, color, texture and all the great combinations that can come from that. It’s funny because I think you can see a lot of my moods in some of these creative blankets based on the color and tone of each blanket. There are so many places I want to go with these blankets as well. Woven materials, textures, fabric and colors that have not been explored yet leave a wealth of possibility.
What does labeling your blankets do for your business?
Labeling my blankets with my woven label from Wunderlabel is the most important part of my blankets. I researched other blanket companies and what their labels used to look like and I wanted a label that told the world that my product had weight, quality and tradition backing it up. I think my entire idea about this company came from the idea of this label being on my blankets. I wanted the world to WANT a Thorne Blanket because when they see that fantastic label they know that my product is one of significance and distinction. I don’t think there are many companies today to compare this concept to, maybe Woolrich or Pendleton but I don’t think their labels are as nice as mine (hehe - I am biased though) and the quality with which that label came back to me from Wunderlabel when they made it was very impressive. I was so impressed with the detail they could pull off in my logo (which I admit is not the easiest to reproduce - especially in a woven label) and I definitely think that it is the crowning touch of branding my product just as I had envisioned it.
Thanks for sharing Stephanie!