So where does one buy clothes made in the US?

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Out of curiosity, I looked at a lot of the tags of clothing that I own.  The vast majority of my clothes are made in Vietnam, with China coming in third place behind India, Bangladesh, Myanmar. Dominican Republic and several others.  The brands of clothes I looked at include Talbots, Eddie Bauer, LLBean, Minnetonka, Vionic, NB, Taos, Royal Robbins, Duluth and Bali.  The only label not made there was those on my glasses, where the frames were made in Italy.  

I looked at labels on everything from jackets to shoes to underwear.  Not a single one said Made in the USA.

[Lizard Queen]

Believe it or not, I found some cheap maternity clothes on walmart.com that ended up being made in the US.

I also have seen a few t-shirts more recently made in the USA.

That's it.

[Tiny]

I found this: 


blog.cheapism.com/made-in-america-clothing-17496/


Not sure what exactly  "made in america" means in terms of clothing. 


Our love of 'cheap stuff' means our stuff isn't made here...   



(Is there some new headline/fear mongering about how America could be 'shut down' if the foreign imports stop??   the other night, my oldest brother was all about China could 'shut down' America if they wanted!  and I was like "yeah, it's a good thing they are our benevolent overlords and didn't screw us over during the worst of the Pandemic or anytime in the last 20 years . ::eye roll:: It's so nice of them to not play at "trade deals" with us and not hold our feet to the fire to get exactly what they want. ::eye roll:: some more. 

I'm guessing it will be a Republican fear mongering point for 2024...   And yes, I am NOT discounting the potential threats from the countries that supply our needs for cheap stuff - I'm just saying they aren't out to get us upfront.  ) 

[lurkyloo]

I looked into this several years ago for men’s clothes.  DH likes his Todd Shelton shirts pretty well, Allen Edmonds manufactured their shoes in the US but he found AE shoes weren’t very comfortable for him. I think American Apparel manufactured in LA, may have changed?  One problem I ran into: New Balance does some manufacturing in the US, from outsourced materials, but also contributed to political groups I find objectionable.

I found some of the suppliers I researched listed back then as US based were already starting to outsource to China et al, so these things may have changed.  Joseph Abboud for example was listed as a made in usa brand but I wasn’t able to find any shirts under that brand that specified they actually were made in the us.

I didn’t really look into women’s clothes; American Apparel and Pendleton woolens are the only women’s suppliers that come to mind. 

ETA After looking at Tiny’s link I think the other shirt I ordered for DH was from Gitman Bros.  It was a tent.  And we got swatches in the mail for years afterward.

[susana1954]

@athena53 is big on this so I will tag her.  I am retired so I don't need work clothes.  The few things I do buy are probably not American made.  

That's a complex subject since they are bought from American manufacturers and sold in American stores.  The chain is much longer than the starting point.  It is a little like cars that are assembled in the US, providing jobs, but made of foreign parts.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Mar 28, 2021 17:57:17 GMT -5 Tiny said:

I found this: 


blog.cheapism.com/made-in-america-clothing-17496/


Not sure what exactly  "made in america" means in terms of clothing. 


Our love of 'cheap stuff' means our stuff isn't made here...   



(Is there some new headline/fear mongering about how America could be 'shut down' if the foreign imports stop??   the other night, my oldest brother was all about China could 'shut down' America if they wanted!  and I was like "yeah, it's a good thing they are our benevolent overlords and didn't screw us over during the worst of the Pandemic or anytime in the last 20 years . ::eye roll:: It's so nice of them to not play at "trade deals" with us and not hold our feet to the fire to get exactly what they want. ::eye roll:: some more. 

I'm guessing it will be a Republican fear mongering point for 2024...   And yes, I am NOT discounting the potential threats from the countries that supply our needs for cheap stuff - I'm just saying they aren't out to get us upfront.  ) 

The thing is....none of what I listed is cheap.  The underwear I buy at Duluth is $16.50 a pair.  My slippers from LLBean were $70.  My yoga pants from Talbots are $80.  How much more does one pay to have it Made in the USA?  

And no.....no headline.  Actually, what I was thinking about was the soapbox that @athena53 got on about cheap China goods and started looking at the labels in my clothes.  The 2 pieces of clothing I have not made in the above list is a cashmere coat made in Italy, and my Burberry made in England.  Both of those coats are over 3 decades old, and when purchased were over $1000.  

[wvugurl26]

Yeah I looked at those slippers at LL Bean. Mom's husband gets new slippers/house shoes each Christmas. I was in the store buying shirts for my dad and I saw those. Then I saw that price tag and said hell no. For my dad, any day. For that waste of space and air, nope! And before it's asked, I buy him a couple gifts as a concession to my mom. She picks things he will use that don't break the bank.

My brother looks for made in the USA stuff. His line is it's expensive to be proud.

[lurkyloo]

www.rather-be-shopping.com/blog/american-clothing-made-in-the-usa/

Karen Kane and True Religion caught my eye as relevant, also Frye’s for shoes. Luckily TR didn’t have any straight leg or boot cut in my size.

I’ve been eyeing some Burberry coats lately, which apparently are now made all over the place, but “I’m bored” isn’t really a great reason to drop a grand or three on a coat.

[tskeeter]

Mar 28, 2021 19:38:50 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

Mar 28, 2021 17:57:17 GMT -5 Tiny said:

I found this: 


blog.cheapism.com/made-in-america-clothing-17496/


Not sure what exactly  "made in america" means in terms of clothing. 


Our love of 'cheap stuff' means our stuff isn't made here...   



(Is there some new headline/fear mongering about how America could be 'shut down' if the foreign imports stop??   the other night, my oldest brother was all about China could 'shut down' America if they wanted!  and I was like "yeah, it's a good thing they are our benevolent overlords and didn't screw us over during the worst of the Pandemic or anytime in the last 20 years . ::eye roll:: It's so nice of them to not play at "trade deals" with us and not hold our feet to the fire to get exactly what they want. ::eye roll:: some more. 

I'm guessing it will be a Republican fear mongering point for 2024...   And yes, I am NOT discounting the potential threats from the countries that supply our needs for cheap stuff - I'm just saying they aren't out to get us upfront.  ) 

The thing is....none of what I listed is cheap.  The underwear I buy at Duluth is $16.50 a pair.  My slippers from LLBean were $70.  My yoga pants from Talbots are $80.  How much more does one pay to have it Made in the USA?  

And no.....no headline.  Actually, what I was thinking about was the soapbox that @athena53 got on about cheap China goods and started looking at the labels in my clothes.  The 2 pieces of clothing I have not made in the above list is a cashmere coat made in Italy, and my Burberry made in England.  Both of those coats are over 3 decades old, and when purchased were over $1000.  

Before I retired I did some analysis of the cost to have one of our parts made in the US vs. South Korea.  The US cost was a bit more than $27.00.  The cost from South Korea was $3.27.  So, if other goods are comparable to what we were buying, merchandise with a Made in the USA label would cost about 8 times what you pay for not made in the USA.  On top of the cost differential, the order lead time from the US supplier was at least six months.  The South Korea vendor would deliver to our plant from 14 to 21 days after the order.

[Opti]

There are some. Here's one of them from a list.


www.michaelstars.com/pages/about

QUALITY

We take a mindful approach to our sourcing, manufacturing, and design. We use sustainable fabrics whenever possible and over 85% of our garments are made in our hometown of Los Angeles to ensure the quality of product and the reduction of our carbon footprint. We're proud to say that an average Michael Stars tee lasts for years… keeping them in closets instead of landfills.


www.michaelstars.com/products/3-4-sleeve-crew-neck-tee-9921


www.finder.com/made-in-usa-clothing

[irishpad]

My work clothes are obviously clerics.  The local church supply store has made arrangements in Ghana to have shirts made there, all salaries are living wage, health insurance included.  The local store could have just has easily contracted with a larger company but considered this as a social justice project.  

[Tiny]

Mar 28, 2021 19:38:50 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

Mar 28, 2021 17:57:17 GMT -5 Tiny said:

I found this: 


blog.cheapism.com/made-in-america-clothing-17496/


Not sure what exactly  "made in america" means in terms of clothing. 


Our love of 'cheap stuff' means our stuff isn't made here...   



(Is there some new headline/fear mongering about how America could be 'shut down' if the foreign imports stop??   the other night, my oldest brother was all about China could 'shut down' America if they wanted!  and I was like "yeah, it's a good thing they are our benevolent overlords and didn't screw us over during the worst of the Pandemic or anytime in the last 20 years . ::eye roll:: It's so nice of them to not play at "trade deals" with us and not hold our feet to the fire to get exactly what they want. ::eye roll:: some more. 

I'm guessing it will be a Republican fear mongering point for 2024...   And yes, I am NOT discounting the potential threats from the countries that supply our needs for cheap stuff - I'm just saying they aren't out to get us upfront.  ) 

The thing is....none of what I listed is cheap.  The underwear I buy at Duluth is $16.50 a pair.  My slippers from LLBean were $70.  My yoga pants from Talbots are $80.  How much more does one pay to have it Made in the USA?  

And no.....no headline.  Actually, what I was thinking about was the soapbox that @athena53 got on about cheap China goods and started looking at the labels in my clothes.  The 2 pieces of clothing I have not made in the above list is a cashmere coat made in Italy, and my Burberry made in England.  Both of those coats are over 3 decades old, and when purchased were over $1000.  

But you are buying "upscale" labels so I think maybe some of the cost is because of that and not because of where it's made.      I'm not sure what other label sells "sheepskin" and leather slippers or how much they might cost... (I googled LLBean slippers and just grabbed the info on a pair that was around $70).     I'd question paying full price at LLBean or LandsEnd -  they are both alittle like Kohl's in that you can get a discount on a sale price and use a discounted "gift card" purchased with Credit Card reward points.... but that's not the issue. 

[Artemis Windsong]

Home sewing is American made. Clothing made at home raises the question, where did the material come from?

[lurkyloo]

Mar 28, 2021 22:17:01 GMT -5 Artemis Windsong said:

Home sewing is American made. Clothing made at home raises the question, where did the material come from?

Many of the blurbs on the link I posted note that they use e.g. Carolina grown cotton in their clothing...which in itself brings up mental associations with slavery.  Ethical is hard.

tskeeter I think you can say cost of production is about 8x but it doesn’t necessarily follow that the rest of the costs (e.g. marketing, overhead) also go up 8x.  I am recalling a quote from a long ago lecture somewhere about how a $50 Gap t-shirt costs $3 to make (might have been Guatemala or something rather than China); the rest of the costs were mostly US-based-logistics, marketing, retail overhead, profit.

I bought DH a leather jacket from Reed, which offered both Chinese made or American made ones.  The American made one was $400, Chinese made was $200.  Several of the reviews discussed that the American one was much higher quality leather...can’t speak to the Chinese one but the American one is a very nice one indeed.  And not even that expensive compared to some of the branded leather jackets at Nordstrom or Macy’s. Which goes back to the question of how much of the price goes to paying for the label and how much goes to paying for quality? Some labels are more reliable than others, but not all...and I’ve had distinctly mixed experiences with, for example, Lands End goods, a label with a reputation for decent quality.

[Deleted]

Some stuff from Chico's but you have to read labels. They have Made in China, too.

Amour Vert and Karen Kane- have bought form both on-line and they show country of origin. Many are US.

Justin boots are all made in US; so are many of the other very good brands. I know my Luccheses were.

[Cheesy FL-Vol]

Karen Kane is made in the USA, along with a few brands listed here:


www.thegoodtrade.com/features/american-made-clothing-brands#:~:text=Karen%20Kane&text=Since%20its%20beginning%20in%201979,ethical%20business%20practices%20ever%20since.

[saveinla]

Some of these companies have imported fabric - they dont say where it is from, so unless you are ready to dive deep into each little thing - we cannot truly say it is made in the US. 

[mollyanna58]

Not clothing, but when I was looking for disposable face masks, I ordered some online that said they were made in the USA.  When I received them, they were labeled "made in China".  I complained, and the seller said they got their masks from different sources and I just happened to get ones from China.  The cynic in me thinks they are all made in China, and their explanation is given to anyone who complains.  They offered a 40% refund, which I took.

[countrygirl2]

Fabric made here was awesome. I remember when they started importing it, weaves crooked, poor quality. You can get better now. Some of the best is from Italy and some of those countries but expensive. I have found some in the last few years actually made in usa priced less then imported.

Sadly most of our clothing is made overseas, I find something once in awhile. Look at what they are making you see all these variable hems on tops and skirts, I'm guessing because the stuff is so thin and crooked they are doing that to utilize it. Hate that stuff. I have a lot of good fabric on hand.

My good wool sweaters come from Ireland, I watch the sales at the Sweater Shop and get beautiful ones from $60 to $100.

If I can I buy US made, our sweeper is one. I'm sure some parts are made overseas but they are made here. Paid $1000 for it but so far well worth the cost. We buy wood pieces of furniture that are used Tell City and other good brands, Thomasville, companies no longer in business because of the quality.

We just paid a primo price for the solar. Panels made in Canada and a lot of the parts made in Wis and Michigan. We really try to buy US wherever we can.

[countrygirl2]

But there should be fear of everything foreign made, we can see the shortages we had in the pandemic.

China is building up their navy and their military capabilities and ships. They are taking over more area in the oceans and building up islands. They are heavy into Africa, hubs last company he worked for was from China. We better watch. When they start building up military like that its for a reason.

We should not let ourselves be vulnerable like this. Biden and companies are working on a chip plant here. They are already expanding an rare metals mine, actually reopening and producing from it. I hope they do much more. Will give our folks good paying jobs and we should keep essential items made here.

[lurkyloo]

Mar 29, 2021 10:43:25 GMT -5 mollyanna58 said:

Not clothing, but when I was looking for disposable face masks, I ordered some online that said they were made in the USA.  When I received them, they were labeled "made in China".  I complained, and the seller said they got their masks from different sources and I just happened to get ones from China.  The cynic in me thinks they are all made in China, and their explanation is given to anyone who complains.  They offered a 40% refund, which I took.

Demetech has n95 and surgical masks that are made in the US from US materials-they pivoted their production to PPE from I forget what when the pandemic hit.
Obnoxious to do a bait and switch on you like that.

[lurkyloo]

And now I’m looking at todd shelton again bc a couple of DH’s charles tyrwhitt shirts are developing holes.  (Not sure that’s entirely due to made in china, they get worn and washed regularly and are about 5 yo...the TS ones get drycleaned.). Also found a made in england burberry coat on net a porter.  I need a new hobby that’s less expensive.

[tskeeter]

Mar 29, 2021 7:50:37 GMT -5 lurkyloo said:

Mar 28, 2021 22:17:01 GMT -5 Artemis Windsong said:

Home sewing is American made. Clothing made at home raises the question, where did the material come from?

Many of the blurbs on the link I posted note that they use e.g. Carolina grown cotton in their clothing...which in itself brings up mental associations with slavery.  Ethical is hard.

tskeeter I think you can say cost of production is about 8x but it doesn’t necessarily follow that the rest of the costs (e.g. marketing, overhead) also go up 8x.  I am recalling a quote from a long ago lecture somewhere about how a $50 Gap t-shirt costs $3 to make (might have been Guatemala or something rather than China); the rest of the costs were mostly US-based-logistics, marketing, retail overhead, profit.

I bought DH a leather jacket from Reed, which offered both Chinese made or American made ones.  The American made one was $400, Chinese made was $200.  Several of the reviews discussed that the American one was much higher quality leather...can’t speak to the Chinese one but the American one is a very nice one indeed.  And not even that expensive compared to some of the branded leather jackets at Nordstrom or Macy’s. Which goes back to the question of how much of the price goes to paying for the label and how much goes to paying for quality? Some labels are more reliable than others, but not all...and I’ve had distinctly mixed experiences with, for example, Lands End goods, a label with a reputation for decent quality.

I agree with your point about costs other than direct material costs being pretty much the same, regardless of the source of the goods.  And the the selling price for an item may not be directly tied to the cost to acquire the item.

Your point about profits brings some thoughts to mind.  I wonder if the imported jackets you talked about subsidize the Made in the USA jackets?  If only domestic made jackets were available, would those jackets have to be priced at more than $400 in order to keep the store in business?  Does the sale of lower cost imported merchandise allow some businesses to be profitable enough to attract investors, stay in business, offer a wider selection of merchandise, etc.?

[Deleted]

Mar 29, 2021 11:10:18 GMT -5 countrygirl2 said:

Fabric made here was awesome. I remember when they started importing it, weaves crooked, poor quality. You can get better now. Some of the best is from Italy and some of those countries but expensive. I have found some in the last few years actually made in usa priced less than imported.

Sadly most of our clothing is made overseas, I find something once in awhile. Look at what they are making you see all these variable hems on tops and skirts, I'm guessing because the stuff is so thin and crooked they are doing that to utilize it. Hate that stuff. I have a lot of good fabric on hand.

I used to make my own clothes- stopped because actuarial exams took up all of my spare time, patterns got crazy expensive and I realized I was never going to be able to do the tailored details I liked (notched collars, sharp corners) to my satisfaction.  Still, I look at what's on the racks at a Target or the equivalent (I stay out of Wal-Mart) and I know why it's all so cheap.  Flimsy material, long stitches (rips more easily but uses less thread and sews faster), no pockets. spaghetti straps (less fabric, easier to make than sleeves),  thin seam allowances (that's the margin between the same and the raw edge- thinner means it's harder to repair a ripped seam)- anything and everything to skimp.

I just got an e-mail from the local tailor who made a lot of my business clothes- well, he HAD them made in a place in Chicago.  One of the blazers I got through him looks good with jeans and I wear it more than the other things (like, how often do I need a pinstriped suit these days?).  I asked via e-mail if they still have their clothes made in the USA. If they do-  I think I may have to pay them a visit.  :-) 

[irishpad]

Mar 28, 2021 22:17:01 GMT -5 Artemis Windsong said:

Home sewing is American made. Clothing made at home raises the question, where did the material come from?

So I know, off the topic a bit.   My mom was a good seamstress.    Besides underwear, socks, shoes and a few jeans (I grew up in the 70"s) there wasn't a thing I wore that she didn't sew.   I was a model nerd.   She was a night owl Icelandic Woman  We had a dairy farm, and i rarely saw her awake until I got home from school. (We got up at 6 to do chores, made our own breakfast, had her sign school slips when she was still mostly asleep, lol)  She did all her sewing late at night after we were put to bed.  I did not realize until later that this was how she was so productive in her sewing.

A side note for fun:  When I was about 3 or 4, my older siblings put me up to an Aprils Fools task.   After they got picked up on the bus for school, I went into mom's bedroom, screamed "that the cow's were out" (a major deal on a dairy farm) and proceeded to run to my bed and hide under the covers as my mom searched for her glasses to see what was going one.   I wasn't old enough for confession but still should have gone.    BTW, dad laughed but I got a spanking from mom

[Tennesseer]

AND WELL YOU SHOULD HAVE!!!

and one more for good measure.

[countrygirl2]

I still intend to sew, have tons of very good fabric. But we have been busy.

We ran a tenants car to the shop today so he didn't have to take off work, they have to order a part so went back to get it for him. It's drivable till fixed.

Then we went to Rural King and found hubs 2 of the shirts he likes, different brand but made exactly the same, I would have bought all in his size its so hard to find what he likes. DD went with us.

Then home and hubs dug up the 2 barberry bushes and planted the hinoko cypress, what a beautiful shrub that is going to be. It get 6 ft tall and about 2 ft wide. He planted the 2 blue bells too. And he replanted the barberries where it won't matter that they have thorns. We were by the road and the cats got in the ditch by the road. So he went back to the house, I called them and put them inside till we got away from it. Once we got back up here, let them out again. I went around back and planted the 2 perieciallus sp?, they have bright pink and white blooms right now. I put them in the back flower bed I'm cleaning out.

We have 6 more to plant tomorrow. the 2 lemon false cypress are going to be a nice touch and the pines will look good to. I love plants with different textures and colors. The Apple House has some of the prettiest plants and a real variety that I have not seen. I saw one that looked like a larger size bonsai, it was $650!! and was sold. It was a gorgeous thing. But wow, so expensive, to much for me, I would probably kill it.

[jelloshots4all]

Sorry, but I'm not looking at the label as to where it is made.  And I'd rather buy 4 pair of $20 pants from Marshall's (no idea where they are made), than 1 pair of $80 pants.  I like variety.  I know they won't last more than a couple years/go out of style.  I'm happy when they help me create a cute outfit.

My shopping there is paying the employees wages and those of others "working in the USA".  They US is not going to bring all clothing mfg back to the USA.  

It is what it is.  Flame me if you'd like.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Mar 29, 2021 19:21:15 GMT -5 jelloshots4all said:

Sorry, but I'm not looking at the label as to where it is made.  And I'd rather buy 4 pair of $20 pants from Marshall's (no idea where they are made), than 1 pair of $80 pants.  I like variety.  I know they won't last more than a couple years/go out of style.  I'm happy when they help me create a cute outfit.

My shopping there is paying the employees wages and those of others "working in the USA".  They US is not going to bring all clothing mfg back to the USA.  

It is what it is.  Flame me if you'd like.

This is the conclusion I’ve come to, so no flaming by me.  I’m going to buy what I like and can afford.  I have certain brands that I trend to because I know how they fit.  

I don’t hit the discount stores anymore, as the shopping is too difficult for me.  So when I go looking for something, fit is going to trump label, and more often than not price.  

[alabamagal]

Mar 29, 2021 19:21:15 GMT -5 jelloshots4all said:

Sorry, but I'm not looking at the label as to where it is made.  And I'd rather buy 4 pair of $20 pants from Marshall's (no idea where they are made), than 1 pair of $80 pants.  I like variety.  I know they won't last more than a couple years/go out of style.  I'm happy when they help me create a cute outfit.

My shopping there is paying the employees wages and those of others "working in the USA".  They US is not going to bring all clothing mfg back to the USA.  

It is what it is.  Flame me if you'd like.

No flaming here. International trade is good as long as it is balanced. I would rather strive for a high tech, high value manufacturing workforce. When you think of good jobs, you don’t think of sitting at a sewing machine assembling clothes. I know someone had to do it. Maybe robots?

I think we should be more concerned about manufacturing computer chips, iPhones and drugs in the US.