Last month, Made in Old Town (MiOT) opened its doors for the first time to an audience of stakeholders, creatives, and athletic and outdoor industry insiders. The $125-million project, envisioned as a hub for creative innovation, onshore production, and the democratization of design resources, is also a major step forward in the revitalization of one of Portland’s most historic neighborhoods.
All photos credit: Sam Gehrke
Envisioned as a design district, MiOT will feature several facilities housing material and process suppliers, specialty vendors, research labs, and brand offices. Other areas of the campus will serve to accelerate product development and sampling for brands and their partners. On the sample floor, members will be able to reserve blocks of time with specialized equipment, in-house technicians, and a product testing lab. The facility will feature strict IP protections and secure storage measures to ensure that brands are able to test and innovate freely.
MiOT offers a unique value proposition – increasing speed-to-market, unlocking cutting-edge, sustainable production methods, and fostering connections across the industry. This was carefully and collaboratively designed in response to the needs of brands, suppliers, professionals and entrepreneurs. The soft launch event showed how much this value proposition resonates: major industry leaders, including Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, Lululemon, On, Danner, and Keen were all in the room. The project has also drawn support from the state’s political sectors, who recognize MiOT’s potential as a major boon to one of its primary industries, as well as a jolt to a recently neglected neighborhood.
“I’m very excited about the future of Portland,” said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici. “We’ve been through some tough times, but there’s so many dedicated people working on bringing it back; and a lot of what we’re going to do is invest in and support creative industries. So I’m really excited to be here in Old Town, learning more about the ‘Made in Old Town’ space here…the whole area has tremendous potential.”
“What I love about Made in Old Town is that it’s capturing all the best of the city of Portland: our sneaker culture, our appetite for innovation. Activating our spaces, showing how beautiful the city is, and bringing people back to the core of the city.”
—Donnie Oliveira, Portland Deputy City Administrator
MiOT is poised to be an exciting, status-quo disrupting step forward in the world of athletic and outdoor, further cementing Portland’s role as a leader in the industry. By emphasizing local manufacturing and development, brands have the opportunity to pivot towards a more sustainable, fast-moving production process that greatly benefits local industry and economy.
Other stakeholders are particularly excited for what they perceive as MiOT’s democratization of creation: making production space, cutting-edge technologies, and state-of the-art resources available not only to big brands such as Adidas and Nike, but also emerging designers. Startup costs that may have historically proven prohibitive to small, independent makers will no longer stand as a barrier to entry.
“I’ve been in the industry for 30 years,” said Eric Liedtke, CEO and Co-founder of UNLESS Collective, “and this is one of the most exciting things I’ve seen happen.”
