Winter Water Factory is a Brooklyn-based design and manufacturing company specializing in screen printed textiles and organic kids' clothing. Fresh, bold, and beautiful textile prints are the signature of Winter Water Factory. Printed on soft organic cotton and fashioned into classic designs, our line of kids' clothing has been a great success with retailers and consumers alike. We believe in creating high-quality products for a healthy planet. Every item is crafted from 100% organic cotton and is made in the USA—from the fabric to the final stitch.

The company is the brainchild of Stefanie Lynen and Todd Warnock. Lynen, the creative force behind the company and its compelling prints and designs, is a self-taught designer who draws inspiration from a variety of sources—from children's books to vintage wallpaper to envelope liners. She came to New York in 1999 from Germany after completing medical school. Starting out as a freelance crafter, Lynen fell in love with product design and quickly learned everything she could about it. In 2005, she rented a silk-screen studio and began exploring the possibilities of fabric design. The result has been a line of striking prints with just the right blend of bold graphics and whimsical illustrations. Todd Warnock, Lynen's husband, administers the daily operations and is in charge of sales and marketing. He is also the company's in-house photographer and graphic designer.

Oh, and about that weird name! The original “Winterwasserfabrik” was founded in the early 1980s in Eschweiler, Germany, where Stefanie and her sister bottled melted snow and sold it to their parents as “winter water.” The tradition of creating fine products from all-natural resources continues here in Brooklyn. And who knows? We might even bottle some winter water again someday!

WHY MADE IN USA?

At Winter Water Factory, we do everything we can to manufacture our items within our community, creating jobs for the people around us. We've consolidated all of our cut-and-sew operations to a factory a few blocks from our home in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY.

Producing our products within the United States keeps jobs and craftsmanship alive and helps to enforce ethical manufacturing. United States labor laws restrict unethical 'sweatshop' conditions and promotes responsible business practices such as paying workers a livable wage and providing safe and fair working conditions.

Reducing the ecological footprint of the entire consumer process is very important to us as well. Producing our products locally helps us reduce our shipping, packaging and waste output.

WHY ORGANIC?

Winter Water Factory is built on core values of promoting sustainability and manufacturing ethics, beginning with our raw materials.

Conventionally-grown cotton is widely considered to be the world's dirtiest crop. The staggering amount of evidence proving the harm of conventional cotton production cites reasons from contaminating drinking wells to regularly utilizing nine pesticides which are rated by the EPA as Category I & II - the most dangerous chemicals they classify.

Organic cotton, on the other hand, advocates safe and sustainable farming practices. To be labeled as "organic," cotton must meet strict federal regulations. According to the Organic Trade Association, "Organic production systems replenish and maintain soil fertility, reduce the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers, and build biologically diverse agriculture."

Right now, organic cotton represents less than 0.1 percent of all the cotton produced worldwide. We're proud to support this industry and our planet with our manufacturing choices.

For more information, visit the Organic Trade Association website.