Sewing change: Southwest Creations Collaborative

A partnership rooted in care and craftsmanship

We believe that every aspect of what we make should reflect care and craftsmanship. Working with local partners who share our respect for community, landscape and the makers behind each piece is central to our work. For more than two decades, we have been honored to collaborate with Southwest Creations Collaborative (SCC), a women-led social enterprise whose values align deeply with our own. Their thoughtful workmanship can be found throughout Los Poblanos projects, most recently in our Lavender Eye Pillows and Lavender Tissue Covers.

A women-led model for meaningful work

Founded in 1994 by Susan Matteucci, Southwest Creations Collaborative began with a small group of women sewing together at San José Parish. Over the past three decades, it has grown into a thriving contract manufacturing operation producing apparel, home goods, uniforms and soft goods for clients across the country. Today, SCC employs forty-five workers at living wages, offering consistent, year-round work while investing deeply in programs that strengthen families and expand access to education.

Unlike traditional manufacturers, SCC reinvests its sewing revenue directly into community programs that transform lives. About seventy percent of its annual operating budget is funded through production contracts, with profits supporting on-site childcare, adult education and family engagement programs that help parents and children thrive together. Their model demonstrates how stable work, quality childcare and access to education can create lasting, generational change.

The impact behind every stitch

The impact is extraordinary. More than 250 employees have been trained and employed, $19 million has been paid in wages to the local economy, and 350 children have received care through SCC’s on-site childcare program, which remains accessible at just twenty-five cents per hour. Through its Hacia: Toward the University program, SCC has supported over 16,000 students, parents and educators, with ninety-eight percent of participating seniors graduating from high school and ninety-five percent continuing on to college.

Operating from the South Valley Social Enterprise Center, Southwest Creations Collaborative stands as a national model for how purpose and profit can work together. Every product they sew for Los Poblanos represents far more than skilled craftsmanship. It reflects dignity in work, opportunity for families and a community investing in its shared future.