Partner-Produced Customer FAQ

We started ARTIFACT to make well designed, high-quality, small batch goods in our studio in Omaha, NE. As we’ve grown, demand for select styles has outpaced the capacity of our small studio. To keep up with this demand, we have partnered with a small, family owned manufacturer based in India that has decades of experience and shares our unwavering commitment to craft, quality, and ethical manufacturing. This partner sews these select styles. Once received, we finish these goods by hand and inspect each piece to make sure it lives up to our high standards.

This partnership allows us to keep our high volume, core styles in stock year round and affords us the opportunity to focus on new designs, limited edition colors, and our other small batch styles.

What does “Utility Goods” mean at ARTIFACT?

“ARTIFACT - Utility Goods” is the tag we use for products that are partner-produced outside our Omaha studio.

It distinguishes these items from those tagged “ARTIFACT - American Handmade” or “ARTIFACT - U.S. Handmade,” which are designed, and entirely cut, sewn, and finished in our Omaha shop.

Both follow the same design and material standards—the difference is where the final assembly happens and how availability is managed.

What does “Partner Produced” mean?

Most of our goods are made in our Omaha studio in small batches. Others are partner-produced domestically or overseas when demand exceeds what our studio can physically make.

Both follow the same design and material standards—the difference is availability. Our studio production is limited and often sells out. Partner production allows us to keep proven styles in stock for customers and retailers.

Products that are partner-produced will carry the “ARTIFACT - Utility Goods” tag.

Why not make everything in your Omaha studio?

We would love to—but demand now exceeds what our shop can sustainably produce while maintaining quality and fair working conditions.

Partner production allows us to meet that demand without turning our studio into a factory.

How do I know which version I’m buying?

There are three clear indicators:

• Product tags

  • “American Handmade” / “U.S. Handmade” = Made in our Omaha studio

  • “Utility Goods” = Partner-produced abroad 

• Product titles

  • Studio Made: Entirely made in our Omaha, NE studio

  • Partner Made: Origin of manufacture noted in the product key details

• Product page details

  • Every product page discloses Origin of Manufacture in key details

Will you stop making studio versions?

No.

Our Omaha studio remains the heart of ARTIFACT. “American Handmade” production is where:

• Limited colors are made

• New silhouettes are developed

• Small-batch experimentation happens

Partner production exists only to support availability—not to replace the shop.

Why do studio colors sell out so fast?

Studio production is limited by the real people who make each piece.

We intentionally keep those runs small so our shop can focus on:

• Quality

• Experimentation

• Long-term sustainability

Scarcity is not manufactured—it reflects true human-scale production.

Who makes your Utility Goods?

Our Utility Goods are made in collaboration with a small, family-operated manufacturing facility in India that specializes in sewn canvas and utility goods for global brands.

We work directly with this team—not through an open-market broker. Every production run is built from our patterns, our materials specifications, and our construction standards.

We chose this partner for:

• Consistency

• Communication

• Shared respect for the work

Not simply for speed or price.

If you ever have questions about where or how a product is made, we’re always happy to share more. Transparency matters to us—because how something is made is part of what makes it worth owning.