Our fabric architects continually advance expectations with their artistic designs, high-quality materials, and detailed execution.
Advancing fabric architecture for nearly 20 years.
With a highly skilled team of 30 employees, we are the country’s leading fabric architects, tackling projects both in the States and abroad. We are sought after by homeowners and commercial clients alike for a range of needs, from artful backyard awnings to restaurant canopies to grand event structures.
As fabric architects, we rely on and celebrate the unique qualities of fabric: its crispness, its movement, and its ability to be stored when not in use. But fabric is just one ingredient: our carpenters and welders expertly wield wood, metal, and rigging to support the resulting creations. Our approach requires a high level of detail, from the initial design phase, through to production, and especially on the final install, which is often multi-stage.
Our fabric architects work collaboratively with clients to create beautiful solutions to elevate outdoor experiences.
The Sperry Story
Our History
It started in a sail loft.
As a teenager, fabric architect Matt Sperry worked at Sperry Sails in Marion, Mass., learning the trade of sewing sails and marine canvas from his dad, Steve Sperry. Growing up in Marion, a quiet coastal town with a sailing-centric harbor, Matt’s summers were filled with sail making and sailing, including the occasional Wednesday night race with clients, New England regatta, or yacht delivery down the East Coast.
He took to the trade naturally, expanding the sail loft’s design capabilities until one adventurous interruption: a circumnavigation with his brother, Tim, and three friends. They departed in 1992 when he was 22. After this successful two-and-a-half-year, multi-continent voyage on a fixed-up hurricane wreck called Lazarus, Matt resumed work at Sperry Sails.
He further reinforced the loft’s reputation as a trusted resource for Southern New England boat owners. The business thrived, aided in part by its increasingly steady production of Sperry Tents sold to an expanding family of licensed partners.
Around 2006, Steve retired, and Matt decided to place his own stamp on the family business, launching Sperry Fabric Architecture as a separate entity and leaving Sperry Sails in the hands of his cousin, Ben Sperry. To solidify this bold expansion, Sperry Fabric Architecture put down roots in a post-and-beam barn in Rochester, Mass., where its team of fabric architects work today.
Here, our carpenters, welders, and fabric workers manipulate their respective mediums to form striking fabric structures for both commercial and residential use. Meanwhile, SFA’s tent manufacturing for a worldwide network of Sperry Tents partners is executed by dedicated production facilities in both Wareham, Mass., and Cornwall, England.
“Sperry Sails is my dad’s legacy—eventually I found myself craving some independence, something I could truly call my own. I’ve always loved woodworking and wanted to merge the creative potential of wood, metal, and rigging with our fabric capabilities.”
—Matt Sperry on the launch of Sperry Fabric Architecture
Our Team
Our strength is our crew. The expertise of nearly 30 skilled craftspeople and fabric architects is what sets us apart from the rest.
Leadership
Matt Sperry
A veteran sailor, sailmaker, and craftsman, Matt grew up in Marion, working at his dad’s sail loft Sperry Sails. A graduate of Old Rochester Regional High School, he spent his late teens and early twenties working at the loft before setting sail on a circumnavigation with his brother, Tim Sperry, and four friends on Lazarus. In 2006, he replaced Steve as president of Sperry Sails in 2006. In the same year, he launched Sperry Fabric Architecture as a sister company dedicated to the manufacturing of tents and custom structures.
Seth Worcester
Seth joined Sperry in 2016 and divides his time between sales, design, installation, and general operations. He enjoys the challenge of managing all the moving pieces of a project. He spent the first 25 years of his career in middle school education in western Massachusetts. During school vacations, he worked as a painter, carpenter, and framer and restored several houses. Seth now lives in Marion, where he enjoys spending time with his extended family and taking advantage of all that Buzzards Bay has to offer.
Finance + Technology
Amelia Heeley
Amelia lives in New Hampshire with her husband, Aaron, on a mini farm called Acres of Grace. Whenever possible, she spends time outside hiking, walking, and riding her horse, often as part of her community’s riding club. Prior to joining SFA in 2022, Amelia worked as an implementation and training specialist at a software company, which handled real estate closing documents and accounting. She jumped at the chance to work closely with her sister, Asia, on the company’s finance/technology side.
Asia Sperry
After earning a B.S. in Accounting, Asia set out to work in the field of finance. At SFA, she is passionate about improving operational efficiency, closely monitoring the company’s financial health, and assisting in continued growth. Her life is full at home in New Hampshire with her husband, Kyle, and their boys. They spend their winters skiing and taking part in school and church activities. They spend their summers outside swimming, biking, traveling, and gathering with friends and family.
US Operations
Robin DeSloover
A Michigan native, Robin received a BFA in Woodworking and Furniture Design from Eastern Michigan University. She continued her education at UMass Dartmouth, earning a Master’s in Artisanry with a concentration in Woodworking. After working various jobs, Robin followed her instincts to SFA, coming onboard in 2012. Now, she enjoys seeing design printouts and raw materials transform into extravagant structures. Outside the shop, she likes hiking, camping, and having bonfires and BBQs with her long-term partner and “the best dog in the world.”
Don Krawczyk
With a BFA in Furniture Design and Building from Boston University’s Program in Artisanry, Don is one of our go-to woodworkers. He’s worked for Boston-area furniture makers and cabinet shops, not to mention having owned his own wood shop executing fine furniture and commissioned pieces. An avid hiker, who travels to Italy whenever he can, Don lives in New Bedford and has two awesome grown daughters. Even though it’s his day job, he still does some woodworking for fun, mostly small projects for his apartment or gifts for family.
Eric Nascimento
A graduate of Wareham High School, Eric worked at a variety of jobs before joining Sperry Fabric Architecture in 2009. Working hand in hand with owner Matt Sperry on the fabric side, he advanced over the years and now leads our U.S. tent manufacturing. Eric ensures that tent orders flow smoothly through the construction process. When he’s not golfing, he’s spending time with his wife, Tiana, and their three children. He’s also well-known in the Wareham community as a volunteer football, baseball, and basketball coach.
René Nascimento
René graduated from Upper Cape Cod Voc-Tech in 1995, earning a “Top Shop” award in auto body. Since then, he has logged a variety of jobs, from auto mechanic at a collision center to sales for Verizon Wireless. He also served in the U.S. Air Force reserves for six years. An active member of his local community, René volunteered as a Pop Warner football and basketball coach for the Wareham Tigers. Now, as one of our lead tent fabricators, Rene is a master at sewing with industrial machines and keeping our Sperry Tents output running smoothly.
Seth Spark
Seth graduated from Old Rochester Regional High School along with President Matt Sperry in 1988. His varied background includes working as a licensed electrician and executing custom interiors for private planes. His sewing skills date back to a post-high school job at Sperry Sails during the ’90s, and he successfully transferred those skills to his current role as head of fabric work at SFA. He excels at keeping the fabric portion of custom projects flowing smoothly.
Pete Tamagini
Pete grew up working as a fisherman, and to this day owns a 40-foot commercial fishing vessel. He divides his time between fishing and working on the carpentry side of SFA, where he imbues each project he tackles with creativity, know-how, and resourcefulness. He is a go-to resource for design challenges and always has great problem-solving ideas. He currently lives in Wareham with his wife and two active teenagers.
Lee Westgate
After gaining experience at Cape Cod Shipbuilding, Lee decided to shift into a small family environment and has worked under the umbrella of Sperry-led companies for almost 20 years. He hit his stride at SFA and currently works in our tent manufacturing division, helping produce Sperry Tents for worldwide distribution. A graduate of Wareham High, Lee currently lives in Wareham with his wife, Kerri. He enjoys spending time with his friends and family, especially being “puppa” to his grandson, Kaiden Lee, and is a fan of craft beers and New England sports.
UK Operations
Brittany Bowater
Brittany joined the SFA UK team when the warehouse was more of a disused cattle shed than the busy workshop it is today. Previously, she'd spent 10 years at sea, sailing and maintaining traditional square-rigged vessels that participated in maritime festivals around the UK and Europe. Originally from British Columbia, Canada, she's bounced back and forth across the Atlantic over the years, but currently she’s settled on the south coast of Cornwall with her husband, daughter, and little dog Alfie.
Paul Glazebrook
Paul joined the company in 2017 just as SFA UK was breaking in its new machines in Cornwall. Paul served in the British Army for eight years after leaving school and saw operational tours in both Northern Ireland and Iraq. Since leaving the forces, he has worked as a security officer, a builder, bodyguard, fitness instructor, and surveillance operative. He even lived in the Caribbean for two years, running a bar in the jungle. Paul has made SFA UK his home and, after taking over the helm with Britt in 2018, hasn't looked back.
Leon Maillard
Leon joined the company as a staff member with plenty of knowledge working with sewing machines. Originally from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, he worked as an upholsterer from the age of 16, upholstering bespoke and traditional furniture for 20 years. Moving to Cornwall was a big decision, but Leon made the move in 2013 and was employed at Sharp's Brewery for the first couple years. He then moved on to timber framing before finding his feet at SFA UK in September 2018.
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