One nonprofit is making 3,750 flags for BLINK — and trying to change the fashion industry at the same time

CINCINNATI — It’s loud.

Outside, Sew Valley’s West End building is covered with graffiti. Inside, there are mannequins, sewing machines and a large whiteboard with a goal written on it: 3,750 flags.

But more important than that number is how those flags are made — completely with scrap materials.

“It’s kind of like baking cookies. You cut your cookies out and you have all this excess material,” said Shailah Maynard, co-founder of Sew Valley, a nonprofit fashion incubator focused on sustainability. “That’s what’s in these bins.”

Those bins are full of fabric that would have been sent to a landfill if it weren’t for a collaboration with BLINK, the four-day festival featuring mural and projection projects. Maynard and her team are making reflective flags for the festival’s opening-day parade.

On the surface, they don’t look like much. Then, Maynard takes a picture. The flags light up.

In the back of the nonprofit’s warehouse, it’s loud. Because Sew Valley is one part incubator, one part sustainability advocate and one part manufacturer. The workers there have a mission that goes beyond just fabric.

“The fashion industry is quite problematic,” Maynard said. “We’re the second-largest pollutant on earth. Most garment workers are very poorly treated.”

With her organization, Maynard is working to change that.

“We exist to be that stepping stone for that small brand to create their product and build their brand here,” she said.

Sew Valley recently partnered with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra to redesign their famous red jackets. And with BLINK, it’s another opportunity to showcase those efforts on a bigger scale — while still keeping fabric out of landfills.

The flags will be passed out to patrons at BLINK’s opening parade, which starts at 8 p.m. by Paycor Stadium on Oct. 17.