Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Stitching Solutions

A student start-up upcycles and remixes old clothing into one-of-a-kind designs.

BY COLIN SPENCER ’16

The fashion industry produces approximately 92 million tons of textile waste each year, as Emily Rourke ’24 pointed out in her presentation at the 13th Annual Todd Feldman ’89 and Family Pitch Contest.

Rourke’s winning startup, Em’s Thread, offers sustainable clothing options through a user-friendly platform, allowing customers to specify preferences for color, design, fit and style, resulting in a custom-made sweatshirt.

Since launching the business in the fall of 2023, Rourke has generated over $11,000 selling her wear online and through partnerships with Geneva businesses.

“We need a circular economy of clothing,” she said. “We need threads that last.”

Rourke was mentored by Lowell Kronowitz ’85, P’27, the president of Levy Jewelers. This year’s judges included Lydia Loizides P’26, the managing partner and CEO of Talentedly; Lee Jokl ’05, a director of growth strategy at T. Rowe Price; Paul Harden ’82, small business growth hub director at the Rhode Island Small Business Development center; and Khawar Khokar ’00, the executive director of SAKS Health.

Alongside Rourke, finalists included Cori Bohan ’27, founder of Stories We Tell; Lucas Johnson ’24, creator of 3Face; and Saugat Raj Joshi ’25 and Rex Eidlin ’26, developers of EcoPack.