At least two-thirds of the clothing sold in the United States is manufactured in Asia, with China accounting for the most, followed by Vietnam, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, and Cambodia. Mexico is another major source of what we wear, as are Turkey and Honduras. The reason is simple: access to large and cheap labor pools.
In all, Americans buy about 20 million items of clothing each year. How much of that is actually made in the U.S.? About 2%. Nonetheless, there are clothing brands out there for whom “made in the U.S.A.” is a point of pride. (Other industries feel the same way. These are the cars that are still made mostly in America.)
To find 24 clothing brands that are still made in America, 24/7 Tempo reviewed listings on sources including from Todd Shelton (itself a U.S.-made brand), Cheapism, Chasing Daisies, and Rather Be Shopping. We narrowed down the nearly 100 clothing brand names we collected according to their organic website traffic as reported by Ahrefs. The list is alphabetical, and is by no means comprehensive.
Of the 24 clothing brands on our list, 11 are in California, and seven are in Los Angeles alone. According to the Garment Workers Center data, Los Angeles has the largest concentration of garment industry workers in the U.S. About 2,000 manufacturers in Los Angeles employ more than 45,000 workers out of a total of 46,000 in California.
Click here for a list of 24 clothing brands that are still made in America
Last October, California passed the Garment Workers Protection Act, guaranteeing garment workers a minimum wage of $14 an hour. With some exceptions, the law eliminates the piece-rate system that tied compensation to a worker’s productivity. Another important aspect of the law is that fashion brands will be responsible for so-called wage-theft violations at California factories. Opponents of the measure fear it might drive out companies that were already struggling to survive in California. (Here are some iconic fashion brands that no longer exist.)
Other states represented by more than one brand are Pennsylvania (with three) and Tennessee, and New Jersey (with two each). Three companies on our list don’t just wear “American” on their sleeve, they include it in their name.
