SEAMS Member Spotlight: BK Fabrics
In this edition of SEAMS Member Spotlight, owner Britt Moore shares the story behind BK Fabrics, a young company finding opportunities in specialized fabrics, military programs and the domestic textile supply chain.
Company headquarters: Eagan, Minn.
Year founded: 2024
Primary specialties/capabilities: Custom knit fabrics
Markets served: Military, Commercial (Apparel)
Brief company history:
BK Fabrics originated from the closing of Minnesota Knitting Mills. Minnesota Knitting Mills had been operating since 1908 but closed due to factors that are affecting all U.S. textile mills today; succession planning, aging machinery, loss of personnel expertise and import pricing pressure. Some of the programs being supported by Minnesota Knitting Mills were then transitioned to the newly formed BK Fabrics, due to the longstanding support and relationships that had been built over my almost 10 years at Minnesota Knitting Mills. The need for the programs remained, and BK Fabrics was born out of this need.
Types of fabrics and applications:
Currently, the primary area of focus is on glove programs for both the Army and Navy. The fabrics included are generally aramids, high-performance fabrics and other specific fabrics that are ordered in small amounts. The amount of fabric needed is generally too small for standard production runs; however, BK is able to bridge the gap between production requirements and contract demand.
BK Fabrics makes a point of taking on programs that may be too small or fabrics that may be too specialized for other suppliers. Why did you identify that as an important niche, and how does BK Fabrics approach those projects differently?
Even though the fabric programs are considered “niche,” the fabrics being supplied by BK are part of larger programs that the military depends on. Without the niche fabrics, larger programs and capabilities would be impacted. In addition, many synergies have been found with the niche fabrics across multiple programs – making the fabrics no longer niche, but instead mainstream. This in turn boosts the entire supply chain’s ability to support the military.
When a customer comes to you needing a highly specialized fabric, what does the development process typically look like from the initial idea or specification through production?
The first step is to always review 1) the desired specs for the program, 2) what specs have been recently used for the program, and 3) what is actually available in the market. Once specs are agreed upon, confirmation samples must be made to confirm the fabric will meet the needed specs and function correctly. Communication is then provided to the supply chain in order to determine obstacles and areas that may have gaps. In most cases, this process takes six to 12 weeks due to the specific materials needed.
How important is your network of domestic mills, finishers and other manufacturing partners to what BK Fabrics is able to offer customers?
The network of U.S. textiles is critical to the survival of BK Fabrics, as well as the rest of the industry. Since domestic mills know the capabilities of the other mills in the domestic network, costs and time are both saved for the entire supply chain.
BK Fabrics specifically promotes helping companies bring production back to the United States. Are you seeing increased interest in reshoring or domestic sourcing? What is driving those conversations?
There has been a lot of interest in reshoring and domestic sourcing due to the tariffs and other geopolitical turbulence. However, the “interest” has not translated into much actual reshoring due to the ever-changing rules/tariffs and predatory pricing tactics from offshore countries. To make the reshoring effort stick, I believe that there needs to be a consistent effort to bring production back to the U.S. instead of the knee-jerk efforts we have seen recently.
What are some of the biggest obstacles companies encounter when they try to reshore a fabric or textile product, and how can BK Fabrics and the broader U.S. supply chain help overcome them?
The biggest obstacle is to reshore a program to the U.S. is that the U.S. supply chain is more fragmented than most offshore options, resulting in more effort, time and expense from the customer. To overcome this, U.S. suppliers need to be able to be a single point of contact for a product – whether or not they are producing the entire product or just one of the components.
Government programs are an important part of your business. What opportunities do you see in the government and military markets for U.S. textile manufacturers and suppliers?
The Government and Military programs are extremely important to the U.S. textile industry as well as BK Fabrics. There are almost countless opportunities that could be realized if communication and collaboration between the two would increase. If mil-specs (military specifications) were updated and fabric details were more easily obtained, many more textile companies would be able to participate and the support from the industry would be much higher.
What are the biggest challenges and opportunities facing smaller and specialized U.S. textile companies today?
The biggest challenge for smaller companies is finding materials and production to match their needs. It is understandable that most mills want higher-volume orders; however, bridging the gap to the smaller and niche programs allows for future growth and possible synergies with larger programs.
What do you consider BK Fabrics’ primary differentiators — both in terms of capabilities and the way you work with customers and manufacturing partners?
BK Fabrics is more willing to say “yes” to newer, niche and custom programs. We are used to working with smaller, developmental projects and have the ability to shepherd those projects from startup to maturity.
How important are relationships and collaboration within the domestic textile supply chain to your business?
Without the relationships and collaboration within the domestic textile supply chain, BK Fabrics would not exist. The ability to work within the industry makes the production and development of these niche fabrics possible.
What is your outlook for BK Fabrics over the next several years? Are there particular markets, capabilities or opportunities you would like to expand?
The goal for BK Fabrics has always been to provide support of the textile industry for the smaller, niche programs. We see that expanding in the military arena as the FutureTEX alliance and other initiatives move forward in the next 12 to 18 months, followed by the commercial expansion surrounding the military fabrics.
More broadly, what is your outlook for U.S. textile manufacturing? Are you optimistic about the opportunities ahead for Made-in-America production?
The U.S. textile industry has a difficult road ahead; however, we remain optimistic about the future due to the awareness and understanding of product sourcing by the emerging generations – and that paying a living wage, providing non-toxic products to the market and the ability to support our domestic needs will win out in the long run.
What value does being part of the SEAMS network bring to your company?
The SEAMS network is the MOST important network with the U.S. textile industry, in our opinion. Even companies that are not yet part of the association know of the work that is being done and support SEAMS’ efforts.