Bryan Norris, Founder of Forager Co. And the Refugee Makers Project

Story by Diana Keeler / Photography by Kyle Ferino, Brad Stein, Bryan Norris and David Chow

Lancaster County native, Bryan Norris, is the founder of the company, Forager Co., a small batch clothing and leather goods company that incorporates foraged materials into designs. He also founded the Refugee Makers Project, which provides skilled refugees with meaningful work commensurate to their experience.

Bryan Norris spent much of his career traveling the world while working in the fashion industry. When he left fashion to return home to rural Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, he found that the world came to him. The name of his small-batch clothing and leather-goods brand — Forager Co. — speaks to that influence; his pieces regularly incorporate vintage and historic textiles, old-stock denim, and salvaged leather.

Photo: Kyle Ferino

Shown left: Tools of the trade at the Amish workshop in Lancaster, PA. Forager Co. goods bear “the mark of the makers hands” as shown above. Shown at right above: Salvaged denim ready to be recycled into Forager Co. garments

Shown above top: Tools of the trade at the Amish workshop in Lancaster, PA. Forager Co. goods bear “the mark of the makers hands” as shown above middle. Shown at bottom above: Salvaged denim ready to be recycled into Forager Co. garments

“I joined a wild-food foraging group, which started me making things with foraged materials,” says Norris.

Founder of The Refugee Project, Bryan Norris, pictured with craftsmen Remmy Kasongo and his family.

“Years later, speaking about this at a non-profit, I met an unemployed, recently resettled refugee tailor, and I wanted to help.” That refugee was Remmy Kasongo, who, with his family, had spent 15 years in refugee camps. Resettled in Lancaster County, Kasongo found himself with minimal English language ability, limited physical strength, and a lifetime of tailoring skills. Powerfully motivated to find an outlet for Kasongo’s talent, Norris also founded the Refugee Makers Project, which provides skilled refugees with meaningful work commensurate to their experience.

“I work with the Amish, the first refugees to Lancaster County in the 1720s, and now the most recent, from Africa,” Norris says. “There is a wonderful lesson in there about immigrants spreading their beautiful culture and craft around the world.”

Shown at left above: The Refugee Project Studio. Shown at right: Handmade hats created by local Amish crafts people

Shown above: The Refugee Project Studio.
Shown below: Handmade hats created by local Amish crafts people

The two projects — Forager and RMP — are separate but philosophically intertwined, not least in how Norris collaborates with another community — Lancaster County’s Amish and Mennonites — for Forager products, which include zip-up denim chore vests, stitched leather wallets, and selvedge-denim utility bags.

For Bloomist, Norris has created an exclusive set of home accessories: a wood and leather dustpan and a hearth broom, both produced in collaboration with Amish craftsmen, using centuries-old techniques. “I’ve wanted a way where I could share more of the Plain Peoples’ craft, and I am thrilled Bloomist was interested in our wares. These pieces share a deep connection to the land, which resonates through many Amish-made goods. Their slow, hand-crafted production and natural resources embodies Bloomist ethos.” See Bloomist X Forager Co. goods here. And learn more about the Refugee Makers Project here.

Photos: David Chow

Above: Hand-crafted fireplace broom made by Amish craftsmen using centuries-old techniques. Hand-crafted dustpan made of wood and leather by Amish craftsmen.

14/01/2020

Brittany Reid