Photos by Jae Grumulaitis, BFA Photography ’22

Skilled hands finishing a finely knit panel, a spectrum of spools lining the wall of a costume studio, prototypes crafted, confections cut, and concrete poured—glimpses of the many ways manufacturing lives and thrives in New York City. 

Delving inside the spaces where this work happens, Jae Grumulaitis, who will graduate with a major in photography this May, photographed 34 New York City factories during their internship with the Pratt Center for Community Development’s   initiative last year. They visited decades-old factory floors, intimate studios of master craftspeople, coffee roasters, chocolatiers, and more, revealing the local ingenuity and expertise behind the objects we encounter and enjoy every day.

As part of the  toward a more just, equitable, and sustainable New York City, Made in NYC connects with thousands of manufacturers in the city to offer support in a variety of ways, including providing marketing resources like these behind-the-scenes images. Made in NYC has also been sharing the stories of makers and companies across the five boroughs in its Factory Friday series on Instagram (). Here is an inside look at just some of their spaces.

Workers wearing PPE airbrush prototypes

in Woodside, Queens, produces prototypes and secondary packaging, with roots in model making going back to 1965.

Garment maker works with pattern pieces at table behind row of dress forms

, a costume shop in Manhattan’s Garment District founded in 1986 as the Studio, manufactures pieces for stage, screen, and fashion, ranging from personal projects to marquee productions (their work on Pratt alum Emilio Sosa’s designs for the Radio City Rockettes is highlighted on their ).

Person in apron pours liquid chocolate over a chocolate slab

Pricilla Terrero, owner of in Red Hook, Brooklyn, crafts vegan, organic, gluten-free chocolates by hand.

Hands guiding a knit green and blue panel

Working on a machine-knit piece at , which fabricates sweaters in the company’s Brooklyn Navy Yard mill.

Artist places unglazed ceramic pieces on a shelf in front of a kiln

In her Bronx studio, Jeannine Carson manufactures ceramics in small batches for her eponymous company,

Garment maker lays out pattern pieces on a work table

Laying out pattern pieces at , which produces tailored clothing for the fashion industry in their Garment District factory, established in 1987.

Hands moving a sleeve through a Juki sewing machine, attaching a button

Putting finishing touches on a garment at Ferrara Manufacturing.

Hands squeezing juice from a blood orange into a clear glass jar

Extracting ingredients at , a plant-based hair-care brand in Brooklyn.

Cement with chips of colored glass

, a concrete-focused design studio located at the Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center, handcrafts furniture and architectural elements and fabricates art using concrete and materials like stainless steel, bronze, and colored glass.

Spools of thread reflected in a square hand mirror

in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, produces inventive, inclusive garments with sustainability in mind, using 80 percent surplus fabrics and trims.