Photographs by Shelly Strazis Walking into the Matteo factory in East Los Angeles is a bit like time traveling. There aren’t fleets of humming sewing machines or monster-size automated cutting apparatus. Instead, this manufacturer of fine linens, towels, and apparel relies on craftsmanship and people-power to create hand-rendered products that seamlessly converge the idiosyncrasy of art with the efficiency of science.
It all started about 18 years ago when Matthew Lenoci (the Matt in Matteo), decided get a loft in downtown Los Angeles and launch a bedding line. Lenoci, a trained engineer with a philosophical approach to both design and business, could have followed manufacturing trends by outsourcing cheap labor oversees. Instead, he decided to invest in his community and grow a business locally. “There’s no question that in the short term it would have been more profitable and certainly easier to manufacture somewhere else,” he says. “But that was never an option for me. I stubbornly stuck to my goal of keeping our base here in Los Angeles.”
“I don’t want people buying from us just because it’s made in America. I think people should buy from us because it’s a beautifully crafted product and great value. And of course, I do want them to be excited that it’s made here, too.”
Having spent his early years managing a plant that employed 500 workers who churned out bedding for big box stores like Target, Lenoci confirmed his passion for organization, innovation, and manufacturing. But it also inspired a desire to implement a more personal, artisanal approach that was closer to the manufacturing and design practices he saw when he lived in Italy as a child with his Italian-American parents. “There’s something about Italian old-world craftsmanship that you see in textiles, leather goods, shoes, and cars that I knew I could bring into factories here.”
This emphasis on quality over quantity drives the manufacturing process. Matteo products are sewn with 12 stiches per inch—double the industry standard—with an emphasis on tailoring, like fitted sheets with labor-intensive French seams and duvets with well-constructed zippers. Attention to every detail takes precedence over cheaper, fast-er, easier alternatives. Rather than mass production, all pieces are cut to order. Most factories pay employees per piece, but Matteo workers are encouraged to work at a pace that ensures quality and gives them ownership of a product well-made.
Without question, the lifeblood of Matteo is the textiles. Lenoci sources fabric worldwide—from China to Portugal, Vietnam, Brazil, India, and Italy—and in each locale he has a personal relationship with the producer. “For us, the raw material comes first, and then we focus on the poetry of craftsmanship,” he explains.
This means that Matteo products may cost a bit more than what seem like its counterparts, but based on its success, consumers are willing to pay more for a better-quality product that provides long-lasting comfort. That puts Matteo in the category of a sound investment, as opposed to a quick bedding fix. “We’re not here trying to be just another luxury line,” says Lenoci. “We spend a third of our lives in bed, so we’re trying to use the old ways in these new days to produce a very personal product that will touch people’s lives.”
