Copa Threads
Copa Threads makes small-batch, locally made women's pants designed as wearable art. Produced in Minnesota with high quality standards, each style is developed as a visual point of view—expressive, intentional, and meant to live easily in real wardrobes.
The Story
Copa Threads is a small-batch apparel brand based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, creating women's pants designed as wearable art. Founded by Jane Barthel in 2022, the brand emphasizes local manufacturing, high-quality fabrics, and thoughtful construction.
Each pair of Copas is fully pull-on, designed for ease, and made to move through everyday life with confidence and comfort. The pants are produced in small batches at a woman-owned factory in Minneapolis, with a focus on details that last.
Barthel, a full-time neonatologist, started Copa Threads after going through The Apparel Mentor program, combining her appreciation for beautiful design with a belief that how something is made matters. The brand appeared on NPR's How I Built This Advice Line in 2025, where Miguel McKelvey offered guidance on scaling while preserving the local manufacturing ethos.
Key Facts & Metrics
Products & Services
FEATHERWEIGHT
A graphic bird motif in black and ivory, punctuated with red. Light in name only. Designed to command attention while remaining impeccably made and easy to wear.
Blue with Matcha
Monaco blue paired with mossy green because some combinations make immediate sense and others become your favorites later. Calm, graphic, and unexpectedly easy to wear.
Lichen It or Not
A muted gray-green paired with deep navy. Earthy, understated, and difficult to categorize, which is part of the appeal. Lichen it or not, it tends to grow on people.
Company Timeline
2021 — Graduated from The Apparel Mentor program
Completed The Apparel Mentor program, gaining skills in fashion entrepreneurship and small-batch production.
2022 — Founded Copa Threads
Founded Copa Threads, a small-batch women's pants brand based in Minneapolis, creating wearable art from locally-made fabrics.
2025 — Featured on How I Built This Advice Line
Featured as a caller on NPR's How I Built This Advice Line, seeking advice on scaling while staying true to local manufacturing.
