SPONSORED CONTENT
By Henry Netherland
As clothing becomes produced more and more rapidly, quality during the production process can be the first to be compromised for some companies. This is not the case for Akinz, however. Akinz is a clothing store in Fort Collins started by Suzanne Akin. Many of their products are made in-house by the employees right in front of the customers. This gives the customers peace of mind of where the clothes are coming from and how well they are put together. Akin descriptively transcribes the process of how all of her clothes are made.
Verse Hooded Cowl ($48.00)
Made completely out of Acrylic, the verse hooded cowl operates amazingly as both a hood and a scarf to provide an additional layer of warmth. This is especially ideal for bikers and skiers who love staying active in the winter but hate the cold. All cowls are handmade on a vintage knitting machine. The machine is hand operated and requires an employee to run a shuttle back and forth where it feeds the yarn through and creates a new stitch according to Akin. Once one piece of fabric is completed, another is made as well. The two fabrics are then woven together creating the cowl. The entire process takes about 45 minutes altogether. Leggings ($74.00)
Introduced earlier over the summer, the new Akinz leggings line is loud and eye-catching with its beautiful bright colors in a variety of designs. The leggings are manufactured outside of the store, however, Akin provides all of the original designs where she then ships them out to a manufacturer in Denver. Each pair is made of recycled water bottles and spandex, providing the ideally proportioned materials needed to create leggings that are comfortable, flexible and environmentally friendly.
Fortlandia Tee ($25.00)
Inspired by the “Dream of the 1890s” Portlandia sketch, the Akinz Fortlandia t-shirt is a not-so-subtle nod to the critically acclaimed tv show. Similar to the leggings, every blank t-shirt is received from a US manufacturer. Shirts are then designed and screen printed in-store ready for sale. Any ink used is industrial-level meaning it will only dry if it is heated. If a design has two or more colors involved, then the employee will flashdry one color in order to prevent it from bleeding onto another color. After being heated to 325 degrees, the shirt is ready to be put on the floor.
Akinz merchandise checks all the boxes; environmentally friendly, locally produced and ideal for the adventurer who wants to enjoy Colorado’s outdoors in the winter. Akinz is located at 15 Old Town Square Ste 132, Fort Collins, CO 80524 so stop by today and check them out.
