{"id":25893,"date":"2022-03-31T11:32:28","date_gmt":"2022-03-31T15:32:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/textiles.ncsu.edu\/news\/?p=25893"},"modified":"2024-04-10T15:19:35","modified_gmt":"2024-04-10T19:19:35","slug":"commitment-to-sustainability-passion-for-the-process-inspire-alumni-founded-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/textiles.ncsu.edu\/news\/2022\/03\/commitment-to-sustainability-passion-for-the-process-inspire-alumni-founded-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Commitment to Sustainability, Passion for the Process Inspire Alumni-Founded Business"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

By Sarah Stone<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, Caroline Cockerham<\/a> and Laura Tripp<\/a> want CICIL\u2019s rugs to make a good first impression. They want you to notice the unique shapes, braided design and zigzag stitching details. What\u2019s far more important to them, however, is something you can\u2019t see \u2013 how the rug was made. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere’s a real beauty in understanding the process,\u201d Tripp says. \u201cI feel like it’s the framework that feeds and defines our business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"CICIL
Photo courtesy: Bax Miller<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

She and Cockerham launched the sustainable-centric rug business in November 2021. Their partnership began years before, though, due in part to their shared alma mater: the Wilson College of Textiles. Cockerham has a bachelor\u2019s in fashion and textile management<\/a> and a Master of Science in Textiles<\/a>; Tripp has a bachelor\u2019s in textile technology <\/a>from the college, as well as a bachelor\u2019s of art and design<\/a> from the College of Design<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI reached out to my former advisor from NC State, Associate Professor Lisa Chapman<\/a>, to ask about any graduating College of Textiles seniors that would be a good hire for our lab at Patagonia. Dr. Chapman recommended Laura, and we ended up hiring her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few years later, they moved to New York City around the same time to further their careers in material and product development; the pair\u2019s resumes boast stops at Kate Spade, Casper and Gap, as well as a number of startups and consultancies. Living down the street from one another, the former colleagues became friends, and dinner conversation often turned to the progress they\u2019d like to see toward sustainability in their field. They decided that starting a business was the best way to affect this change, and CICIL was born. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Laura
Cockerham and Tripp don’t just share an alma mater. Both were born and raised in North Carolina, and they first connected while working at Patagonia. Photo courtesy: Ethan Messina.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfter working at a lot of different places,\u201d Tripp says, \u201cI just felt like I had a lot of ideas for how I’d like to try to do things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, Tripp and Cockerham worked backwards, using a set of what they call \u201csupply chain guardrails\u201d to determine what CICIL would make, rather than the other way around. That focus on ethical and sustainable manufacturing is something both founders attribute to their time in college. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt definitely sparked a curiosity in me to understand manufacturing and a love for manufacturing,\u201d Cockerham remembers. \u201cI think you’ll see that in our products and processes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"CICIL
The combing, carding, spinning, braiding and sewing for CICIL’s rugs all take place in North Carolina. Photo courtesy: Ethan Messina.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It definitely feels very personal to make something that\u2019s centered at home.
-Laura Tripp<\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

For Laura Tripp, that passion for manufacturing began with an internship at Cotton Incorporated. For Caroline Cockerham, it was the experience of interning at two textile mills \u2013 one in Reidsville, North Carolina, and the other in Peru \u2013 that opened her eyes to the innovation and creativity behind the scenes. While in Peru, she worked for Klaud, a consultancy that helps connect big brands with artisans for production. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe traveled all over Peru, and I realized that where the real magic happens is in the mill. And it’s truly hands-on. When you get to make things at that level and you get to see things being made and connect to how things are made, it’s a joyous experience,\u201d Cockerham says. \u201cIn many big businesses, you\u2019re so detached from the people who make things. They\u2019re a world away, and you have no idea what’s happening in their factory. You have no idea what inputs are going into the products that you’re making. I think you’re much more cognizant of what you’re doing in a supply chain when it’s closer to you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on those experiences, both founders knew that a small, East Coast-based supply chain was non-negotiable in order to reduce their footprint and to maintain close relationships with everyone who contributes to their end-product. Wool rugs were the best market-ready product for CICIL, but still presented some challenges. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur lives would be a lot easier probably if we had just allowed ourselves to source wool from Australia, which is where most of it comes from, instead of Vermont, New York and Pennsylvania,\u201d Cockerham says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They prioritized sustainability at each point in the product development process. That meant incorporating oft-discarded black wool into their designs, finding alternative scouring \u2013 or wool cleaning \u2013 solutions and offering the product made-to-order in order to eliminate inventory waste. <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Wool
Tripp and Cockerham incorporate black wool, which is often discarded, into their rug designs to reduce waste. Photo courtesy: Ethan Messina.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Ultimately, Cockerham and Tripp charted a production path for CICIL that stretches fewer than 1,000 miles and takes place primarily in the Carolinas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you’re going to attempt to make a supply chain small and localize it, this is the place to do it,\u201d Cockerham explains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the two born-and-raised North Carolinians, this choice is inspired by more than just sound business logic. CICIL honors the legacy of an industry that has played such a significant role in both their lives and their state. It\u2019s also an opportunity to advance that industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"wool
Photo courtesy: Ethan Messina<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wanted to come home,\u201d Cockerham says. \u201cAnd I think when you move around the world and you’re following jobs to all these different places building something here has a different significance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt definitely feels very personal to make something that\u2019s centered at home,\u201d Tripp adds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the sentimentality, they emphasize that this endeavor is anything but a passion project. CICIL is here to make an impact, not a statement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe don’t really have an impact if we’re just making five rugs,\u201d Cockerham says. \u201cOne of my biggest hopes is that we actually really do scale.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want to show that we can set up these guidelines for ourselves and work within them and make something that’s really successful and sustainable,\u201d Tripp says. \u201cBoth in the environmental sense and in the business sense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n