Just as a chef crafts a meal from handpicked ingredients, Annemarie Furey, founder of Product Think Tank , designs each garment with the same care—sourcing ethical fibers, reclaiming existing materials, and turning them into pieces meant to be lived in, not just worn.

In fact, just as the farm-to-table movement challenges us to think about where our food comes, how it’s made, and by whom, Product Think Tank reimagines how we engage with clothing. The process matters.

In an era of mass production, Annemarie chose a different path, one rooted in natural fibers, traceable sourcing, and micro-batch production. Step inside the boutique, and you will find a combination shop and studio, where fibers are treated like ingredients and garments are crafted in small runs, thoughtfully and without excess. “I make clothing for people, not closets,” Annemarie says.

 At Product Think Tank, Annemarie Furey's micro‑batch knitwear comes to life in color and texture. 

FROM 4-H’ER TO SUIT MAKER

Annemarie’s story begins in the Hudson Valley, where she learned sewing and tailoring in her local chapter of the 4-H Club. By the time Annemarie attended the Rhode Island School of Design in the 1980s, she was already hand-tailoring suits.

“While other students were focused on ball gowns, I was focused on knits,” Annemarie recalls. “I come to knitwear from a tailoring background. That makes me a bit of an odd duck.”

Most knitwear designers begin as hand knitters. Annemarie did the opposite. “I prefer sewing by hand and knitting by machine.” The result is knitwear that is structurally proportionate and built to last.

Over the course of her career, Annemarie has included work with brands such as Burton Snowboards and Turtle Fur, where she developed technical expertise in performance and cold-weather apparel. Those experiences shaped her understanding of materials, fit, and production, and sharpened her desire to rethink how clothing is made.

RETHINKING SOURCING

While working in China, Annemarie had a conversation with a factory owner that shocked her. He described how some factories were using North Korean labor due to labor shortages in China. Annemarie looked for validation of his claims and found it in a 2017 Reuters article. “At that point,” Annemarie says, “I decided I only wanted to work with small suppliers in democracies.”

But that moment also planted the seed for Product Think Tank. The idea was born out of Annemarie’s consulting experience and reflects her collaborative mindset. “I call it Product Think Tank because I see myself as the head chef, but I work collaboratively with my knitters. I don’t see myself elevated. If I don’t have the skill I need, I bring others to the table.” The name stuck as the consulting work evolved into a clothing line.

 Each piece is crafted from natural, traceable fibers and made to deliver the easy, everyday warmth that defines the brand.

INGREDIENT-FIRST DESIGN

Annemarie often describes herself as the “chef” behind her business, and the analogy is intentional. “This is a small farm-to-table restaurant as a clothing line, and I am the chef,” Annemarie says. “Rather than being told what’s in season and putting it on the menu, I take the ingredients based on the yarn supply and decide how to use them.”

Annemarie’s ingredients include Vermont baby alpaca, wool, boiled wool, merino wool, linen, cotton, silk, and regenerative viscose. Many of the yarns are dead stock, an industry term for leftover quantities from other production runs.

“I’ll get a color card from my knitter with small quantities left over from other production or rejected for being slightly off shade for a specific color. “I’ll use existing yarns and fabrics, figure out the ratios of what’s available, and do graphs, specs, and designs based on that,"

Annemarie explains. "Its the complete opposite of how designs are normally made. In most cases, you’re getting a piece that one of a couple of dozen or less produced,” Annemarie says.

A COMBINATION SHOP AND STUDIO

The space in Waitsfield that Product Think Tank now uses as a retail shop and a working studio was once a hair salon. “We cleaned it up, painted it, and found creative ways to cover up the plumbing still in the walls,” Annemarie says.

At first, Annemarie imagined running only pop-ups. But, she found, sweaters take up space. “My house was getting overrun.” Finding a permanent location made sense.

Even so, pop-ups remain part of the business model. This summer alone, Annemarie has ten scheduled events in the New York City/Brooklyn area and will add more in Upstate New York and New England.

 Soft color stories meet small‑batch craftsmanship: neatly stacked pastels

MICRO-BATCH AND CAPSULE-WORTHY

Unlike many retailers, Product Think Tank does not produce large volumes of any one style. Sizes range from XS to 2XL, though Annemarie begins with smalls and mediums and expands based on available yarn quantities. Customers range in age from teenagers to senior citizens.

“My products are exclusive,” Annemarie says. “The exclusivity comes from knowing where to find me and getting your size before it runs out.” But exclusivity is not about trend cycles. “My goal is to sell something that people can wear over and over again,” Annemarie says. “If you care for it, it won’t fall apart.”

Before finalizing a design, Annemarie asks herself one question: Can this item become part of a capsule wardrobe? Each piece should integrate into your daily life. “I put beautiful products out that last and become the customer’s favorite.”

 Acozy cardigan in the wild, and the quiet luxury of natural fibers.

CONNECTION AND COMMUNITY

“People make an emotional connection to my products,” Annemarie says. “They come in all the time wearing my pieces, and they are just glowing.” If a customer suggests a style and it aligns with her values, Annemarie listens. “If someone is looking for something and it fits with what I believe in, I’ll try to make it happen. But it has to align with my values.”

 From softly textured summer knits to riverside stripes

Product Think Tank’s pieces move effortlessly with the landscape, season after season.

LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE

After more than thirty-five years in the industry, Annemarie remains inspired. “Why do I keep doing what I’m doing? I’m driven to lead a creative life.” Textile design is one outlet. Gardening and cooking are others. “I don’t think there’s a day that goes by that I don’t have some sort of creative outlet,” Annemarie says. “I stay fresh by switching creative lanes.”

Much of the inspiration comes while Annemarie is gardening or preparing meals. The chef analogy is more than branding; It’s a philosophy. Going forward, Annemarie remains committed to small-batch production, close relationships with family-owned factories, and mindful material sourcing.

In an age when clothing is often disposable, Product Think Tank offers an alternative model, one rooted in natural, non-petrochemical fibers and trims, grounded in collaboration, and built on the belief that the clothes we wear on our bodies should be chosen as carefully as the food we put in it.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF PRODUCT THINK TANK

Product Think Tank

102 Mad River Green

Waitsfield, VT

www.producttt.com