Sailing as Fashion: Martha Stewart Gives Props to North Fork Sailmaker

Greenport, Long Island's, Wm. J. Mills & Co. has crafted sails and canvas products since 1880. A Scottish immigrant, Mills moved from Northport on the Long Island Sound to Patchogue, on the South Shore, and then to Greenport, a very busy port at the time, which fed New York City's demand for fish and catered to a larger shipping business.

Today, the company still creates a small number of sails, but it's core business comes from custom canvas awnings and other canvas products, which it sells mainly to local customers. However, Wm. J. Mills & Co. has an international reputation for its Boston Whaler canvas accessories. The company is also a growing reputation among the countries diva's of design for its canvas bags.

In the December issue of Blueprint, which is published by Martha Stewart Omnimedia,(and has ceased publication as of this post) it lists the Wm. J. Mills flight bags in the holiday gift guide. The bags, which are made of the weather-resistant marine canvas, used in their awnings, come with a lifetime warranty. Perhaps its both the quality and style the has Martha Hooked.