Rebecca Raggs Clothing Line Brings Cupertino Designers to a National Market

When Cupertino resident Nancy Orton decided, along with her mother and sister, to appliqué a few t-shirts for a Christmas boutique in Saratoga, she never thought the project would turn into a full-fledged business.

“We made up some t-shirts and when the boutique opened, we were sold out in a couple of hours,” Orton says. “So after that we took them to children’s shops in Los Altos, and we started making outfits, and that’s how it began.” 

Almost 30 years later, Orton and her mother, Glenda Wood, are still running , a Cupertino-based children’s clothing line, out of their own home. Their clothing is known for its intricate appliqué designs, which, says Orton, she trains their employees to do by hand. The company manufactures almost all of its clothing in the Bay Area, with the exception of their sweater sets, which are made in Peru.

That their clothing is locally produced is integral to the Rebecca Raggs business, says Orton. “Back when everybody was moving offshore [for manufacturing], we decided we didn’t want to do that—we wanted our clothing manufactured locally."

The clothing line utilizes a special method of sewing to preserve the line’s trademark handmade appliqué designs. Employees use a technique known as freehand machine embroidery, which ensures that each piece is created individually. The labor-intensive work that goes into the clothing line, says Orton, ensures that they create a product that will last.

“We have a very identifiable signature look,” says Orton, referring to the line’s use of handmade appliqué. “We have a pretty loyal following, and we like everything to be easy to care for and we want it to hold up. We always get comments from people who’ve had our clothing go through multiple children.”

Orton and Wood previously sold their line out of a location in Cupertino, but decided to move their business to their biggest customer, the Wooden Soldier catalog.

Based in New Hampshire, the Wooden Soldier is a children’s clothing catalog that allows Orton and Wood to extend their customer base beyond the Bay Area. They have also begun working with Zulily.com, a website that offers deals and discounts for children’s and women’s clothing.

However, each year during Thanksgiving weekend, Orton and Wood rent out the Knights of Columbus Hall in Cupertino and hold an outlet sale for local customers. 

Although the move to sell their clothing online has caused Orton and Wood to consolidate their business—they used to create 110-piece lines for their customers, but now must follow the catalog’s smaller requests—Orton has no plans to slow down.

“I love designing,” she says. “I love that my mom and I still design together—doing this kind of thing, it gets in your blood. I truly love the process of creating.”

For more information about Rebecca Raggs, visit www.rebeccaraggs.com