Our Story

I'm Emily Rourke, the founder of Em’s Threads. At Em's Threads, our mission is twofold: to spread love and joy throughout our community, while diverting clothing from the waste stream. Every garment is upcycled from a unique blend of materials, resulting in one-of-a-kind masterpieces for our customers.

I began this journey in September 2023 during my senior year of college at Hobart and William Smith. What started as a fun project with my friends' sweatshirts quickly blossomed into a brand and a community. From sitting with my roommates, brainstorming company names, to Lizzie drawing up the logo… what started as a fun project with my friends’ sweatshirts quickly blossomed into a brand and a community. You can now shop our products at For Now (Nantucket, MA), Purple Poppy (Mashpee, MA, and Naples, FL), and Figgy (Rochester, NY). We’ll also be popping up around the East Coast all year long. I am supported by a team of women who help sew our designs from their own homes.

My inspiration comes from my mom, who has always found beauty in repurposing. Watching her infuse love and care into everything she creates has driven me to bring the same spirit to Em’s Threads. Our goal is to make each customer feel the love that goes into every piece of clothing we craft.

We’re thrilled to have you here and I hope you love your new threads as much as we do!

With love,

Emily