Please let us all know when we can expect to see these in stores here in the west.I love the idea of made in America and also love Plaid Flannel shirts.
33
What a super story! Not just it's subject and content, but the writing too! I'm on to American giant next.I love flannel shirts, they make me feel safe and that times are not so bad after all.
28
Have you seen their prices?
Mercy...
6
This is a truly feel-good story! Take note, U.S. clothing companies. While you’re at it, could you revive the madras plaid industry in India? I’m a home sewer, and it’s becoming nearly impossible to find bright, 100 percent cotton plaids for summer wear.
17
Loved this wonderful article. Made my day, and I also went online and bought 2 pieces from American Giant, and am on the list to hear directly about the flannel shirt hen it come out.
19
This is a great article. I am studying design now and reading tons on the manufacturing move overseas and thinking about how I can plan on American made goods. The challenge, evident by some of these comments, is that the American consumer now has a taste of cheap clothing made overseas, so they balk at price. Yet they always talk of "jobs, jobs, jobs" and the "good old days" when our nation was more prosperous because we produced more goods here, not to mention the countless other jobs that are tied to this trade, such as sales reps, brokers, etc. By giving up manufacturing, we gave up much more than just the actual manufacturing jobs. A $100 shirt made here? Consider minimum wage, health insurance, etc. We want our citizens to be able to have a trade and afford to pay rent, right? I hope so.
47
My family was in the textile converting business for decades in the 1980's until the last few years.
It was a constant struggle to produce textiles and finish (dye) them in the US. Our mills in Virginia and South Carolina went out of business. The finishers in Massachusetts and New Jersey closed.
Every time a supplier closed you would have to ship your textiles to the next company still in business.
Our necktie manufacturers slowly closed or went overseas for manufacturing.
It was a sad story of vanishing American industry.
I do hope the flannel project will succeed.
35
Just checked American Giant site, $40 a regular t-shirt, over $100 a regular sweatshirt.. This "Made in America" thing is just another fraud, sell regular clothing at high prices just because it's made by your brothers and sisters. Sounds like a Trump pitch.
5
I was looking at a newspaper from fifty years ago. It was full of advertisements for consumer products of all sorts that Americans were making to be bought and sold from one another. This was a whole way of life that is gone now. It should still be possible to profitably manufacture clothing and furniture in the United States. People who can afford it should buy these items so that American manufacturers will see it is feasible to produce them.
21
Thank you for this inspiring article.
I definitely look forward to buying a good Made In America flannel shirt that feels like flannel shirts used to feel.
Last winter, I bought a flannel shirt, made overseas, from one of the big mail-order clothing companies, un-named to protect the guilty. It had, to quote from this article "all the softness of an outdoor carpet".
23
This article has one very important paragraph about unscrupulous vulture capitalists. Is this what the business schools are teaching these days, how to loot ("monetize") a company and run it into the ground?
To quote, paraphrasing: "Burlington Industries was once the largest textile manufacturer in the world... Then came a hostile takeover attempt from a private-equity vulture."
Frequently, business news mentions an "investor" who sees a corporation that is spending resources investing in R&D and new products. So he buys substantial shares of stock, gets seats on the board, and forces the corporation to be short-sighted, downsize, and give large dividends, rapidly causing the corporation to go downhill.
49
@nytreader888 In 2003 the "investor" who bought Burlington Industries was bought by William Ross, current Secretary of Commerce. So much for supporting Made in America.
57
I applaud the determination to make an American product and would love to own one of these shirts. Meanwhile at my local Goodwill outlet there are plenty of gently worn decent flannel shirts to be had for around 50 cents each.
20
I buy my flannel shirts in the boy's department. They are Ralph Lauren and if they're not on sale I buy them at Marshalls if I'm luck to find them. I love them and wear them until they fade and/or fall apart. I never pay more than 25.00.
3
@Ellen F. Dobson You "never pay more than $25" because those Lauren shirts are all made overseas in Vietnam, Indonesia or Sierra Leone.
50
Great story and well written. Would love to see more reporting like this. I agree about the pun captions on pictures—get rid of those.
9
I could not love this story more! Here is a group of American business people setting a goal, cooperating with one another and getting the job done!
I put my name on the email list and will definitely be looking to purchase these items as soon as they are available. For those who are concerned that the target price is too high, realize that anything produced in small quantities is expensive. The price will come down when large numbers of people are buying the product. Think about how much the cost of computers changed within just a few years.
It's time to get off the trendy train. Invest in quality goods and help save an American industry. Thanks Steven Kurutz for a great piece.
51
Great story. I'm wearing a flannel shirt now - it's winter, right? - and never dreamed that we would quit making them in this country. Hoorah for these guys!
24
my family lives in south carolina. we love this truly American story of "get-it-done". congrats to AG and its partners.
20
I do miss US-made fabrics and clothing. But - A bit of perspective - a century ago, factory by factory, the textile industry relocated from New England to the Carolinas for cheaper labor. Lowell, Manchester, Nashua....the riverbanks are lined with old textile mills. Leaving the south for overseas was just one more relocation of production, nothing new.
17
@Bonnie Luternow
Yes, but in the old days the work moved to another part of the country. Now, the work is out of the country. New work is supposed to fill that void.
What makes these moves work is for regions to find some other industry. In the mid-seventies, Massachusetts was a rundown wreck of a place--I should know, that's when I moved here. Now those mill buildings are being re-habbed as pricey condos. The state is thriving.
But, not uniformly. Some towns here do well with high tech industries, some are still failing. It's important that people not be left behind when industries leave town, but we haven't figured out a solution for that yet.
At least I might be able to buy a high-quality flannel shirt made in the USA again.
15
I am impressed by the passion and determination of these businessmen to restart a production line that most thought had left the U.S. forever. However, if the best they can do is sell an excellent flannel shirt for $100, they’ll never succeed. Let us know when they get big orders from LL Bean and Land’s End for shirts to sell for under $50. Then we all can celebrate.
10
I recently read an article that claimed only wool flannel was genuine... while I always thought cotton was the basic fabric. Unless I'm missing it, it is not specified in this article whether we're talking about cotton or wool? It says a Cotton Works did some of the work... but that doesn't specifically preclude wool.
2
A lot of snarky comments here. C'mon, People, this is a great story. Don't let the constant barrage of Trump news make you so cynical that you can't appreciate what these guys are trying to do.
45
Yes! Please bring back quality goods back to the U.S. I am so tired of only having junk goods available, and they are no longer so cheap. I miss Burlington, Cannon and the other fine American manufacturers and retailers.
Merchandise at Nordstrom is now old Target quality. Where can you find a good selection of women's wool coats? I am so tired of polyester and clingy knits. Will I ever again be able to buy a nice dress that swishes when you walk (for under $5,000)? Will I ever again be able to go downtown to comparison shop and knowledgeably participate in the agora? Or will we let the internet wear us down with disappointing deliveries, the burden of many returns, and wasteful packaging and transportation costs?
It was vulture capital who ruined these companies, consumers' value and our communities. And private equity continues to do that. Sadly, as the concept of branding became ubiquitous, the real meaning of a brand: quality and consumer trust, was destroyed.
47
I still have some of the cotton sheets Mom bought in the late 1950’s and 1960’s. The fabric is still strong, despite a bit of wear at the top edge that used to snuggle me in bed as a kid. I peed in a lot of those sheets because I was afraid of the monsters and spiders under my bed, but Mom always bleached them til they sparkled like nothing happened. Those sheets and pillow cases, too, still bear a cotton tag of department stores younger people never knew, like Penney’s Percale, the reverse side declaring, “Always First Quality.” Stories like this remind me to still be proud to be an American, despite Donald Trump. We don’t need him to make America great again because we still have people like Mr. Winthrop who pursue greatness and pride in workmanship that’s always been here. Thank you for writing this story. We need more of them.
53
This article belongs in Des Shoe's The Week in Good News...
7
I do not like the cheeky lead-lines on most of the photos, e.g. "Baleful expression," "Saw the light..," "Blue state," "He can school you in the spool," etc.
I find it disrespectful to the humble spirit of skilled craft and skilled factory labor.
There's no need for the captioners / photo editors / NYtimes to demonstrate excessive sense of humor in an article that is essentially about the evisceration of the American manufacturing economy over the past 4 decades.
15
I love this story. It can be done here. It just takes vision, grit, tenacity, teamwork and someone to believe in you.
I’ll be buying a couple of these flannels when they become available! Just because of the story of their making.
20
A hundred dollar flannel shirt? Your kidding, right? I guess only people living off the gravy of free trade will be able to buy one.
3
LL Bean, here's an opportunity to support an American textile manufacturer. Buy your flannel from these folks instead of from Portugal. You can work with them the same way you worked with the Portuguese fabric people.
50
Wouldn't it have been great if this clothing had a union label.....
15
@Marie Maybe thats one of the reasons the clothes industry went overseas. Its too expensive for a company to support all the union benefits.
5
As a lifelong fan of flannel, I was thrilled to read this article. I hope other entrepreneurs can continue restoring this fine American industry.
The only objectionable part of this well-written article is the stupid puns in some of the captions, probably not written by the author. I felt embarrassed to read them. They only get in the way. There is plenty of great information here to keep the reader reading.
13
Just one thought — could manufacturers align the plaids at more places than the shirt front? Try for the side seams, the sleeves, and the pockets, please?
7
@Susan Angermeier
That's quality starting at $150. and up. But it's a great point. Thanks.
6
@Susan Angermeier
I purchased three shirts from Vermont Flannel Company last year, one for me and two for my husband. The patterns match at the sides, the sleeves, and of course, the front. Even the yokes are....wait for it....straight.
The pocket pattern is rotated as on the American Giant shirt shown. (I prefer it to follow the shirt pattern, but others like it that way, so it seems.)
Constructed in the US of imported flannel fabric--and approximately $60. The fabric is nicer quality than most I've seen in stores or from LLBean.
I was surprised at the attention to detail that went into all three of the shirts.
If you ever take a drive up to Vermont, stop in at one of their stores. Everything is flannel. It's fun.
18
@Susan Angermeier If only. Matching plaids, or any design, at seams uses LOTS of extra fabric, meaning lots of fabric is wasted, plus it takes more time to cut and sew. All equaling a higher price. Meaning not done.
When I was a child in the '50s the "tell" between quality clothing and cheap was designs matching at the seams. Nordstrom's clothes' seams matched. K-Mart clothes didn't. Same thing with shoes. They were made in more than Narrow, Medium or Wide. You could get a shoe in B width (medium) with a AA heel width, for example. Now my shoes flop off my heels 'cause they are always too wide. Sigh.
19
I googled American Giant and put my email on their list to be notified as soon as the flannel shirts are available.
10
Thanks NYT for an article as good as the one on Pointer American made jeans that you did a few years ago. Since it is cool in South Florida today I think I will get out my 65 year old Pendleton shirt to wear with my Pointer jeans when I get out of my flannel pj’s.
7
I can't afford a $100 shirt, period.
3
@Westerner: I can if it's American made.
12
Why didn't they just go to Portugal to see how the real experts make flannel?
@Alan Ribble Unnecessary - all the expertise was here; it just had to be located.
10
Look at the pictures...those men are all fifty (49!) and up. It’s a trip down memory lane, not a business model. Thankfully, the Pendleton’s I bought all those years ago are still around. They may have patches on the elbows, but, so do I.
After an extended ad like that, how about a link to the shirts? Are they still for sale?
3
I love flannel, I buy a couple of shirts every year and now I am going online to check out American Giant, I will pay more for a quality American made product.
9
Is this a men's only shirt (and other) maker?
Any products for the ladies?
1
Khol's has very nice flannel shirts ($14.99 to $19.99) for the rest of us.
1
@rlorbeer
Made in a sweatshop where? Under what conditions? For what wages, what health benefits, what retirement benefits?
23
Those mills and MADE IN AMERICA are long gone because Americans wanted cheap clothing.
Just look around: nothing but Big Box Stores selling what people demand: T-shirts, sweatshirts, cargo shorts and plastic shoes for about $10.00 on sale.
Clothing quality has vanished!
When was the last time you purchased a quality $98. dress or flannel shirt from an independent men's shop?
And, oh, try finding a 100% wool shirt MADE IN THE USA. In short, if there was demand, you could find it.
8
@Timothy R. I dont think we demanded cheap clothes. We were offered cheap clothes by capitalists interested more in grabbing the market to make a killing than in supporting American workers and jobs. US Govt policies like NAFTA etc encouraged this to happen too. It was $$$$ over country and our fellow citizens.
23
@George Washington
I agree to a point....
Keep in mind that the entire concept of style has also changed, especially in the US. It's much more (?) relaxed.
The market is always driven by demand. "Give 'em what they want and make it cheap."
3
Always best to buy and promote American made products.
Keep the jobs here.
I guess if I say that makes me a Nationalist...bad word now..right?
Oh well.
5
HURRRAAAAAAY!!! Glad to see you want it to be a US made product. We need to bring back making clothes here. I teach sewing for free here and tell people who think sewing is a dying art, I reply, "I see you're not naked!! I am a seamstress that's always hoping we would start back to the quality of days of yore. I hope you consider selling your fabrics by the bolt!! I miss real flannel. I hope you become successful enough to produce 1st quality fabrics for the home sewist. I'm tired of only getting 2nd grade fabrics.
23
Put me in for an order of flannel PJs too! :)
3
Here’s a very interesting podcast from 99% Invisible about the history of plaid (a.k.a. tartan). I highly recommend 99% Invisible. It is all about the importance of design.
https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/plaid-articles-of-interest-2/
4
How many jobs will be generated? I see a lot of machines and not too many workers.
1
@SuseG
Good question; and BTW, where are the machines made? Are they maintained by American workers?
1
I commend you for giving the names of the workers in your photos. So often they are anonymous. It is in the spirit of this article about a few determined people trying to bring back the textile industry to the US.
19
A great story. If you have have never worked with supply chain management you will not know what a difficult job it is. This story gives you a brief look. Well done!
25
The ingenuity and leadership of these talented garment manufacturers plus their proximity of production in NC inspires us to what’s so needed for creative industry and job creation. Smaller operations often need to be more nimble to compete, with smaller runs for a higher scale market. We look forward to learning from these dedicated manufacturers how to scale up and to onshore more garments to be Made in America.
8
I've been buying vintage shirts off of ebay and at estate sales.
Pendelton, American Eagle, Sears and a host of others offered good quality clothing that working people could afford.
How many of us schlubs can afford a $100 shirt for every day wear?
Thank you for a well researched and written story.
15
What a beautiful article. Made here, tip to stern. And the revival of all those beautiful skills in our rich textile traditions. Thank you, Mr. Kurtz, for your attention to detail on the finer points of textile and weaving.
One tiny question, in this sentence, ‘Mr. Winthrop got his face right down to the sewing needles, to examine the warping for flaws.’ Perhaps, in looking at a loom, those were heddles, rather than sewing needles.
9
This story was excellent and long-overdue. As an older consumer who sorely misses fabrics that were substantial and U.S. made, it answered a lot of questions. It also provided the answer to one question I've asked for years - Why doesn't someone just TRY to fight this race to the bottom?
I hope there's a documentary filmmaker out there who read this story and will be moved to give us a thorough history of the decline of the textile industry in America and the disappearance of cotton in so many fabrics. There are so many angles to explore.
40
Here's a reality check: yesterday's mail brought me a yarn-dyed, everyday-quality flannel shirt from Land's End, made in China, that sold for $20 on Black Friday. This price-to-quality ratio reflects why manufacturing left here in the first place, and the fact that a lone manufacturer can produce 1200 shirts, priced at $100, for a handful of upmarket consumers won't put a dent in that.
7
@Joel I get that many consumers can't afford a $100 flannel shirt, but $20 shirts have cost us in shuttered factories, jobs lost, public assistance for the unemployed, and landfills full of synthetics. Never mind the human suffering in those factories that now dress us. Maybe bringing manufacturing back will lower the price somewhat and the jobs will make buying these items a possibility. I hope American Giant will indeed put a dent in that, and God bless Bayard Winthrop for trying.
52
@Joel The shirt is $100 now because it’s a small run. If they can make this happen on a bigger scale, I’m hoping they will price it for everyone. The kicker is, flannels from the 70s and 80s lasted years and years. The $20 shirts start falling apart after a few washes. So where’s the savings?
37
@Joel
Here's something I've noticed over the years regarding price/quality. When we first started importing stuff big-time from China, some goods were high quality, some were not. For instance, they couldn't machine a screw-thread to save their lives. Buying decent fasteners at Home Depot was a nightmare in the early days--in desperation, I ran to every local hardware store to stock up on Made in USA fasteners.
But, Chinese sewn items were fabulous. Cloth, stitching--beautiful--as if they gathered up all their experienced and talented women stitchers (trying not to be sexist, but I suspect they were women) and put them to work in the new economy.
But, as time when on, things changed. The screws got much better as factory production/precision improved, but the textiles became just horrible. Cloth, stitchery, both. Price pressure has a limit on screw-threads--people need nuts that will actually thread onto bolts--but people will select, based on price alone, the most horribly made clothing and other textiles, no problem. The sizing is wrong, the stitching is terrible, they don't wash or wear well. It gets worse every year.
I will buy that $100 shirt, and it will last longer than five cheap ones. Some of us are okay with that.
21
This is a story about leadership, the power of vision and determination. To paraphrase JFK in his inaugural address, sometimes we do things because they are hard. I am inspired by all the people who believed in the vision and came together to deliver the results. I teach a graduate class at Hofstra University in leadership. This is a powerful lesson. I will be incorporating this story into my lectures.
34
GREAT. This inspires me to restrict my Christmas giving to a "made in America" theme.
16
Good luck with that! Santa won’t have much in his sleigh from your house; I’ve tried to do that before...frustrating!
2
Fantastic story. I still have 3 Pendleton shirts which I bought when I lived on the west coast about 30 years ago. They are a bit worn, but still comfortable, and nothing keeps me warmer.
I'm so glad that this type of shirt will again be produced in the US -- and have put myself on the waiting list for the first ones to come off the line.
23
What a great story about a truly admirable and tenacious businessman. Thanks.
13
Thanks for sharing this excellent article. I love supporting businesses that are keen on community while delivering excellent quality.
I'm feeling inspired!
12
Flannel isn't just for ranchers and rock stars. My Brooklyn-born parents, an engineer and a bookkeeper, both wore flannel. So did I. So do I still.
I remember Caldor's from the 1960s. Going there was a treat. Giant Golden Books cost 50 cents -- quite expensive then.
As for pocket linings: My L.L. Bean pockets are always wearing thin and tearing. I have to mend them. Not easy.
Well, good luck with getting us back into manufacturing. We won't find Americans who can do tedious, skilled dyeing and needlework, though. For that we'll need those peasants waiting at our southern border to get in.
11
@B.
If they were paid a decent wage they would work. That old saw is way too old. Americans worked hard for decades when wages could actually cover living expenses.
7
Having studied Textile Technology at FIT in 1981 and working in the industry ever since, I enjoyed reading this story.
7
I look for American made products particularly clothing. It's nearly impossible. I don't mind paying a little more for quality. I never fail to be disappointed at the $50. shirt that is stitched wrong so that it needs to be repaired after the second washing. I also find it amazing that a shirt costs $50 when it's made by people earning pennies per hour with no benefits.
I'd like to see more manufacturers evaluate what they make and see how much of it can be manufactured here again. Make a quality product and people will buy it. Men's fashions in particular don't change that much. That $100 shirt can go a long way. Now, how about some decent slacks, socks and underwear? And cold weather clothing. The story the other day about a company that looks for every way to avoid paying taxes when it decides what and especially where to manufacture is a major part of the problem.
28
I found American Giant a couple years ago and ordered a sweatshirt. It's well made, durable and looks amazing. It's not cheap, but it's worth it. I tell everyone who compliments it about the company. Well done.
19
I loved this article and as a NC native it warms my heart. But what particularly appeals to me is the commitment to quality at all levels of design and manufacture that is displayed here. Getting away from the “make it quick, cheap and flimsy and sell it to make a quick buck” philosophy could help solve a lot of our woes from unemployment and income inequality to environmental issues. Which btw, is a better way of selling it than engaging in fear mongering and nationalism.
33
My female relatives on one side of the family all worked at a clothing factory in the Midwest. My grandmother was the woman who'd make the piece all others would be based on. She walked the factory floor, being called over by various sewers with questions. Cut, fit, seaming, finishing--she was in charge of it all, turning out clothing for brands still well-known today. Today, though none of us younger folk work in a clothing factory, we all know how to sew. I appreciate my family's history in our country's manufacturing sector and how we were literally part of our country's fabric.
22
I'm tired of the lame excuses that the supply chain is gone, or there are no skilled workers left - there just isn't the will of the corporate elite to sacrifice a penny in profit to invest in domestic production. I'm putting American Giant on my shopping list.
77
I was so thrilled by this article I started to cry. My mother dressed me in flannel shirts all my childhood, to run around outdoors. I had a dim realization in the last few decades that they weren’t around in the same comforting style or quality. It’s a part of the brutal developments or Devil in the devolution of the decades since the 80s. I buy flannel Lanz nightgowns and they seemed harder and harder to get, maybe made in China. The thrilling fact that Winthrop and these fellows got inspired and worked up, that they pursued beauty and excellence just for the sake of it, moved me. I’m on their list. I’ll buy it for myself, my kids, everyone. When my aunt died, I treasured all her Cannon towels. I know how to treasure things.
37
@Nan Jorgensen
Check out Vermont Country Store web site which has found local manufacturers to make long disappeared goods and clothing.
10
Lanz can be got at Vermont Country Store. Look at their online catalogue. Better yet, join the crowd and pay a visit to their store in Weston.
2
Where do we order the shirts? I have been searching for a flannel bathrobe for some time and all I can find is fleece. Fleece has its place but I want a flannel bathrobe, and not one so pitifully thin, that it is flannel in name only. There has to be a market for well priced, American made garments. Even designer things are made in China, of cheap materials. I just gave up on designer things and buyer cheaper, fast fashion. But I would be happy to pay a reasonable price for quality items. Thank you for this story and may these fellows continue with their mission.
10
@IMHO
Go to the American Giant website and look for the 'flannel' heading--but, they don't have any items available right now for either men or women. I placed my name on their email list.
Try the Vermont Flannel Company which sews flannel items here in the US, but, as this article mentions, from imported flannel fabric. I'm happy with their products.
3
@IMHO The Vermont Country Store has women's and men's flannel robes https://www.vermontcountrystore.com/flannel-wrap-robe-for-women/product/67561
4
I wore a green plaid Pendleton jacket for years, bought at a thrift shop in 1970. The woven plaid was beautiful. Now, even the thrift shops are filled with the cheap imported junk.
5
@Spucky50
I got a Pendleton coat at a thrift shop last year for $50. It is about 40 years old as near as I can tell, but it is in perfect shape.
This story of what it takes to rebuild a supply chain that was outsourced is the most inspiring story I have read in a long time and I have forwarded it to my social media. The solution to the political divide is jobs, retraining, retooling, education, and investment in infrastructure. We need to find more heroes like these in this story and replicate. I know what my holiday gift is now: American Giant. Excellent journalism!!
30
Memories of childhood- Caldor stores,
Mom’s dark blue Russell sweatshirt, Lee jeans. Even cannon towels.
Much gone now
Thanks for the happy reminders & trying to bring manufacturing back to the USA
14
Products for this company are NOT cheap but look very well make and of highest quality (I checked out their website). I have always gravitated towards high quality clothes and wear my stuff for years. Call me an old Yankee. Got my email on the list when these shirts are released for sale. Can't wait to order for myself and my husband. I have noticed the quality of the LLBean flannels deminish over the years.
23
Truly one of the most inspirational stories I read in a while. America is is great and it would only be greater if everyone would like these people; stop complaining and work together to find the way. Brilliant article.
19
@Thomas John This article shows that it's not about America First it is about America Bright, America Vital, Courageous, Resolute,Loyal!
6
Awesome story. Thank you Mr. Kurutz.
10
' Then came a hostile takeover attempt from a private-equity vulture.'
What more needs to be said?
34
Yes! Please, please bring us more American made quality goods. Bring back what we used to have! Bring the prices down to good old middle class level with volume. I miss Burlington and Cannon. I am so tired of buying junk. We know the difference, it's just that there is no real consumer choice. These manufacturers were driven out of business by vulture capital who had and have no regard for the consumer or quality of life. You used to always be able to find decent socks that lasted a long time and were comfortable. Bring it all back, including sewn woven garments, not all these clingy, unflattering knit garments. Americans look a mess and feel a mess. Bring back the pride in manufacturing and consumer purchases. Please!
33
Take a cue from the grocery line: You couldn't give away "Brown Mushrooms" but people are snapping up "Portobello Mushrooms" and paying a premium to boot.
It's all in the name, folks.
1
@Daedalus
That's only true if the product (in your example, mushrooms) is exactly the same.
Yarns, dyes, production precision, finishing--all those factors go into producing a better fitting, longer lasting garment. I've worn flannels so flimsy they ought not be called flannels, I've worn flannels that twisted into a totally different shape altogether after washing.
Mushrooms are one thing: fabric is something else entirely.
Sometimes the old saying: "you get what you pay for" actually applies.
16
@Daedalus
To what name are you referring?
A yarn dyed fabric will retain color over many washings. A stamped pattern fabric will start to fade immediately.
It is like going to the grocery store and picking out the fresh mushrooms that aren’t dented, spotty, and smell funny. But if you like dented, spotty, smelly mushrooms..... go for it.
3
Please keep up the good fight to bring this kind of high-quality fabric/garment production along with the related jobs, back to the U.S. It's all sorely needed.
18
I wish this venture nothing but success. Living in the mountains of Colorado we love our flannels.
The mention of Cannon towels was ironic I have one Cannon towel left from a set bought in the 1970's and was unhappy I could not replace the set.
20
@Marylouise Dreibelbis
we were in the middle of all the mess with the forced stock sales and robber barons. Cannon Mills was just 30 miles north and we saw first hand the thousands of layoffs. A couple of years ago they knocked down the smoke stack that had CANNON in white brick letters built into it. That was a finality that brought it all home again.
16
Where can I buy one?
"Was it worth all the trouble, for a shirt?"
Yes, yes, yes!
17
Tradlands makes beautiful, timeless women’s shirts in linen, organic cotton, tencel, silk, and flannel, with perfect stitching and eight buttons so there’s no gap at the chest. Their flannel shirts are designed in California, though (ethically) made in Shanghai.
2
Wore a Thom Browne plaid wool flannel fitted shirt to work today and now wearing Barrington wool flannel pajamas at home. I have several wonderful shirts in flannel by J. Lindeberg - all very good quality. Will take care and hold on to them.
1
Mr. Winthrop certainly got the shuttles moving through the shed. This was an inspiring story with a great cast. It warms the heart and as an added bonus, the body. Can't ask for more from life than that. Warp that loom and hold your heddles high.
13
I love Gitman and New England Shirt Co's flannels; I just didn't realize that the fabric couldn't be made here. It's no surprise -- most of the American made products I buy note that they are put together from imported fabric. But it's still disappointing. Glad to see this is happening.
2
I honestly didn’t expect this article to be as interesting as it really is - it really is a compelling story, and a good insight into American manufacturing today. Plus it’s hopeful. Basically I already forwarded this to a lot of my friends and family while I was only halfway through. Definitely a great piece of journalism.
31
Congratulations - I watched as the politicians sold our textile and garment industries down the river - I hope it comes back - get those machines humming and people back to work
14
Having grown up there in the 1960s, I was interested to read the brief mention of AG having bought a small sewing operation in tiny Middlesex, NC.
It is remarkable that any facet of the textile/clothing industry still exists in small, rural towns like Middlesex. Kudos to them and to AG for helping to ensure their survival.
31
I love and keep my flannel shirts until they fall apart, all American brands, some date back to the late 70's, but even those were already made in Mauritius, my latest are from Egypt.
One line in this great piece leaped out at me, once again, the greed is good "private-equity vulture", a culture that has destroyed for short term profit and equity extraction so much knowledge and experience, so many corporate icons.
They continue to roam the American landscape in quest of their next prey and increasingly overseas where they, together with their locally inspired brethren are bent on the same destructive scorched-earth path.
I remember my American-made childhood flannels and look forward to my next ones.
24
It is very difficult to purchase good quality fabrics of any kind any more. There are very very few fabric stores left in America.
Some have transmorfed into primarily craft stores and carry very cheap or degraded textiles (nearly rotten).
It is a chicken or the egg problem: fewer people sewing their own clothing versus no access to good quality fabrics.
If you can shop in New York or LA or San Francisco or from a select number of online shops, only then will you find fabrics worth cutting, sewing or wearing.
8
For people in the area, the only reason to go to Burlington these days is to roam the outlet center, filled with cheaply made clothes. Otherwise it's a quick blip on the stretch between Raleigh and Charlotte. No more than two or three exits on I-40.
Every time I've driven past, I've wondered and worried about the livelihoods of the residents. What a joy to read that not all is lost. That the town's muscle memory is flexing in unexpected and inspired ways.
I'm rooting for American Giant and all of the industry towns that form its supply chain, especially the one a few towns over from mine.
And if you want another Made-in-USA brand to support, Steele makes the garment bins pictured toward the end of this story. They produce home-size versions perfect for laundry and toys, right in Massachusetts. Pricy but worth it.
12
The article does give a complete view of the issues because it does not acknowledge that there are other high income countries that are able to economically produce flannel. In particular, for years I have bought high quality flannel bedding made in Germany. I have bought flannel goods made in Portugal and the UK as well. If these executives wanted to understand how to competitively make high quality flannel in an economically advanced country, they should have first headed to Germany.
11
@AJ Lorin
Vermont Country Store sells German made blankets.
In an era of divisiveness and trade tirades and it great to hear about true American manufacturing and logistical ingenuity. I personally yearn for the days of telling my kids that this shirt (insert AG) is older than them and more reliable...but again, I’m from that same time when quality mattered and one could say that to their children.
17
Refreshing to read about people who care about America and good work. There are people like that all across our country, we just need to write more about them -- and purchase their goods.
21
Not at all into reinventing the wheel or paying $100 for a shirt or hoody. Giving out low level textile jobs so we all can pay more for goods doesn’t seem like good old or new days to me.
4
Unfortunately we are used to paying absurdly low prices as consumers that means underpaying factory workers in other countries. Even though cost of living is less in Asia, most workers aren't paid a living wage. Think about cost per wear, if you invest in a piece that lasts 10 years, instead of buying a $10 shirt every year? just food for thought.
14
And men’s flannel sleep shorts. I currently buy for my men from Penelton, the fabric is soft but oh so cheap, and they cost $30. They fall apart at about 6 months. I would gladly pay more for quality!
I checked. I guess I missed the first run. I will be buying as soon as they are available.
9
@Tj Dellaport I used to buy belts at Penney's. They were short lived, ended up cracking and looking awful. Online, I found a belt manufacturer that sells retail. I think I paid around $60 for it around 7 years ago. The investment was worth it. Had to have a bit of restitching done several months ago. It's good for another 7 years.
4
For every person that reminisce of the good old days let me remind that those days were good not because they were better than today’s, but because we were younger.
8
Hold on -- after all those words the company still isn't making a plaid flannel shirt? What was the point of all this? So far, the closest American Giant can get is a twill shirt for $98 and hoodies that cost more $100. For the average American consumer, this is hardly price competitive.
4
The $100 hoodie: admittedly, a crazy price - a Palo Alto price, especially when compared to a $10 Walmart sweatshirt.
Begrudgingly, I purchased one (thinking of my Dad, now deceased, and his 'buy American' schtick). That was five years ago, and I've worn it after work every day from October thru March. 100% cotton, a little frayed from dog walking, but still thick, soft, and incredibly heavy.
I am the crazy person who re-soles shoes, and buys eBay used leather shoes, spending my Sunday evening polishing. Sure, I could buy a pair of plastic shoes at Payless for $8, no need to polish and likely no comfort to wear... and yet...
Dad, a depression-era baby, would say 'good things cry once, when you buy them - cheap things cry All The Time.'
47
@Five Oaks But if your shirt or hoodie lasts for 10 years or more -- that's value.
8
@Five Oaks
I bought a hoodie for $60 two years ago. Big heavy zipper. The zipper broke the first year. Cost to replace it?
$40.
That's what you get with cheaply made but not cheaply purchased products.
4
We made everything here, until the business model of shareholder value caught on. Stockholders were looked on as part owners, yet the employees were considered a liability. Another part of overhead to be economized. Cheap labor overseas was just too good not to take advantage of. You sold more, made more. But its just cheap stuff. I always look for the Made In USA label on everything I purchase before I go with an article made overseas. And that's very hard to do. Glad more people are looking for value now, and hopefully the trend will continue.
54
And let’s remember who pursued share holder value most vigorously.
Hint, they look a lot like the folks who got a nice big tax break.
21
The last few generations of economists and politicians (of both parties) have been telling us how great free trade is. Everyone wins, they said. We may lose some jobs, but we’ll get to buy everything so cheaply, we won’t even notice those missing jobs. Does anyone look at a label that says “made in China” or “made in Bangladesh” and feel like the product is going to be great? Does anyone feel good about the working conditions behind these products?
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want politicians picking winners and losers at the border, any more than I want them doing that anywhere else. That just leads to corruption, of the same sort you’ll find scattered all over the IRS tax code. But couldn’t we impose bilateral tariffs, with all products getting taxed at the same rate (say 25%) on all imports? Wouldn’t that level the playing field a little bit, when American manufacturers are competing with countries that don’t have minimum wages, OSHA, or employer-paid healthcare? Shouldn’t every country have a “home field advantage?”
I’ve just signed up for the email list to get notified when American Giant starts shipping these new flannel shirts. The one I’m wearing right now was made in China for L.L. Bean, and I’d be happy to trade it in.
26
Or exactly how to make America great again.
And no, not dt’s incoherent, incompetence that rewards only people like him.
5
There is this quality called "American Know-How." It was born in German engineering and the main source of America's early economic success. American Know-How is what allowed the USA to bound back after the fleet was destroyed at Pearl Harbor.
There have always been men and women who wanted to make quality goods. Some shoemakers and textile folks refused to be cowed by those who sold the American manufacturing birthright to the closest foreign bidder.
Those who blame China and other countries with low labor costs -like the president- are on the wrong track. Of course China will try to build its economic power, that is a given. But the article mentions the pirates (venture capitalists)...they are the ones who sold the birthright for short term profit to the detriment of the working women and men.
We should be proud of these men and women mentioned in the article. I still buy LLBean stuff because of their quality, but now I have some alternatives to explore.
37
@Svirchev-Thanks for bringing politics into a good story.
It’s ALL about politics & the VC’s (which are about politics as well) were already a part of the story.
Sorry if you don’t like the “truth” ruining your “ happy ending” fairytale of a story, - but the decline of US manufacturing has been a nightmare to many of us
4
You say it all in your 1st paragraph - American know how built on immigrants. We just take and then claim American.
3
While Vermont Flannel, referenced in the article, uses imported material, its products are made in the United States (Vermont, obviously). I've bought two of their shirts, and they are the thickest, warmest, most comfortable flannel shirts I've ever worn.
I'm happy to support American manufacturers and workers when they produce a quality product, and wish American Giant well in its efforts.
dm wish
33
@Rich
Me too--last year when I was looking for American manufactured flannel shirts I found Vermont Flannel. I found that while we don't make flannel fabric here, we can still make shirts.
I don't know where Vermont Flannel gets its fabric, but it's better than anything you can get from Lands' End, LLBean, etc.
Just better, and I'm happy to pay extra.
3
To me there is a huge difference between made in America and made in America. That difference blossoms like flowers when manufacturers want to do something beautiful and true and good.
Yes, my eyes are leaking and my heart is singing. What a splendid story.
13
Sounds so like businesses that started this country. Grew up in state where lace mills were plentiful. Not anymore. Now in North Carolina where hopefully you will continue to invest. Local business, mom and pop, made in America all give us hope. Just back from trip to New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts. Maple syrup, cheese, honey, alpaca knit gloves, etc. will support products we produce ourselves. Keep up the good work! Appreciate your conviction.
20
I really like American Giant, and own five hoodies, a t-shirt, two pairs of shorts, and a thermal shirt from them. I also have an AG baseball cap that was made in Connecticut! The quality is great, and I prefer to buy made in America products when I can find them. I’ve worn one of these hoodies a few times a week for several years, and it’s gotten softer and more comfortable.
I’d happily buy a $100 plus flannel shirt from AG. I have a flannel shirt from Lands End that’s four years old, and it’s nice enough. I bought one last year, and the quality is noticeably poorer. This year, I bought another one (I really like purple, and I wear a lot of flannel), and the quality is worse than last years poor shirt. I’ve worn my 2018 Lands End shirt once, and by the end of the day it as a wrinkled mess. Sure, it only cost $30, but it looks like a rag and won’t last more than a year. I do have a few shirts from Vermont Flannel which I like, but I knew they are only sewn here.
I’m looking forwards investing in a flannel shirt from American Giant!
24
I've been looking at AG clothing for a year. I get an email weekly. They look so great but are quite expensive for me. I have put off purchasing anything but after reading about what so many have put into the clothing perhaps I should put out a little extra as well. Thanks for keeping domestic quality alive.
52
@Peter in LA I have had a number of their products for several years. They still look good after many washings, don't fall apart, they are comfortable. You pay more up front, sure, but generally worth it.
14
The machinery and the mills did not "go overseas." Manufacturers decided that placing factories in nations with extremely low wages, limited labor protections, even active labor repression, made good business sense. Shareholders won. And workers in the US and abroad have lost. Please clarify who does what to whom...machines don't walk across oceans on their own.
91
Wasn’t Clinton letting China into the WTO a major causal factor in the collapse of American textile manufacturing? I think it’s indisputable.
6
Can’t wait to see this shirt. My first job (1974) was at a clothing manufacturer in the city I grew up it, Brockton, MA. There were many sneaker factories and I had to get all my school shoes (penny loafers) at outlets as Brockton was still “shoe city”. What I don’t understand is that even though the factories were union, the clothes were very affordable. I never paid the Equivalent of $100 for a shirt. It was very normal to buy long wearing, well made clothes that even a high schooler could afford. What happened?
20
@Oliver
Sorry, we all just got older, and inflation has made things more expensive. Wishing you well, and Brockton too, notwithstanding.
6
Yes, I’m accounting for inflation. If you notice I said “equivalent “ . I was able to afford USA clothing items on a teenager’ s salary.
3
I don’t think “time” & “aging” are the issues here. If that’s what you truly believe, perhaps you need to re-read the article m.
The fact is that high quality US made clothing etc is relatively expensive today given that most clothing nowadays is inexpensively made overseas & therefore is cheaper.
Russell Athletic, an old line American manufacturer used to be a consistent producer of high quality sweatshirts; I have probably purchased a few dozen over the many years.
Sometime around 2006 Berkshire Hathaway bought the brand and merged Russell with Fruit of the Loom.
It's really a shame what has happened to the brand, I have moved on.
24
@contractor
Agree - I have Russell Athletic socks - loved them, then quality went way down. Too bad.
1
Today I received an order from Land’s End. I’d been wishing I could get my hands on a real flannel shirt like the ones I had as a kid. The one I got today felt like plastic. I looked at all the sewn-in labels for fiber content but it was all in Chinese. I went on line and saw that the shirt I bought was supposedly 100% cotton but it still felt cheap. I’m ready and willing to buy one of the shirts mentioned in your article. I can feel it already.
I have a Pendleton wool shirt my aunt gave me which she bought in 1955. It still looks new. Alas, I do not and it’s a bit snug but I wear it proudly, knowing I’ll probably never get one as nice. Maybe I’ll be able to pass down my new cotton flannel shirt to someone someday who will appreciate it as much as I will.
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@Liza Hamill
Wear a turtleneck or long-sleeved T-shirt under it and keep it open!
1
This is the happiest story I have read in the NYT in years and it almost made me cry. I'm old enough to remember the brands Cannon and Burlington when they made products in the U.S., it was commonplace in the 70's and even 80's.
We have a local woolen mill still going strong in Faribault, MN that makes beautiful blankets, I only wish there were still more.
I glad would pay extra to buy American products and will be sure to purchase clothing from American Giant.
Instead of trade deals that ship manufacturing jobs overseas, we should create tax and other incentives to invest here. The cheapest price does not result in he best product which we've forgotten as a country.
157
I received several heirloom Pendleton wool shirts, one as old as me (45 years). It's an amazing quality shirt, perfect condition. The subsequent ones I bought from Pendleton are not nearly as nice (lower quality fabric, poor stitching).
23
With urban areas becoming more and more dense, teens today have no clue what it feels like, and what it means to feel this way, and what a massive loss this is for our young people.
Quote from Mr. Winthrop, regarding a flannel shirt he loved wearing: “I thought it looked great,” he said, “and I thought it said something about me. That I was cool and physical and capable and outdoorsy.”
Cool and physical and capable and outdoorsy ... I miss all those things in 2018.
39
@common sense
I worry that young people (under forty?) have never experienced quality fabric. The clothing available for purchase--and not always inexpensive--is from fabric no one would have chosen to wear a few decades ago. It doesn't feel right and the workmanship is poor. How will we ever have quality available if youth thinks "made in China" is the norm?
30
I have almost 20 premium American Giant t-shirts and several sweatshirts. they really make the best items of clothing and for the quality that price is excellent.
19
This story did the near impossible; it made me cry. For what was.
56
I am showing my age, but I remember when most of the clothes I wore, when I was a kid, were made in the U.S. and even the towels and blankets, too. Until two years ago, I had a thick cotton blanket, with a cow jumping over the moon, with a four color weave pattern, that was made in a mill in Wisconsin. It finally fell apart after 30 years of wear and washing. I can't find any thing akin to it made in the U.S. I also still have a flannel shirt, a real flannel shirt, from 30 years ago made in the U.S., and it looks great, a bit of wear and tear but the pale green and brown and beige have held up well. My blue and black and white one fell apart sadly but I wore that one a lot. Good flannel is a warm blanket in the winter and I will gladly check out these shirts. I tell my students, I teach at a college, about the incredible history of textile manufacturing in this country and how we really lost a national treasure as well as a good way to earn a living and learn an incredible skill due to Americans wanting cheaper clothes made overseas. I can understand cheaper, who doesn't, but this country lost thousands of jobs when the textile manufacturing went overseas and many of those jobs helped give America a strong middle class.
101
As an American company proudly producing in the USA for over 50 years, I say BRAVO!
63
As the owner of a home textile business, I am thrilled to read this article. People will pay more for quality. Great job!
88
Excellent article on the making of quality American clothing. It can be done. I own several AG shirts and love them all. Fast shipping and great customer service. Interesting, informative catalogs. Can't wait to get an AG flannel too. One final note: if you are between sizes, I would strongly suggest you order up.
65
It's great to see entrepreneurs work to bring clothing manufacturing back to the US. I would especially be happy to see attention to detail that includes matching plaid patterns at shirt seams. It's very rare to find that quality of detail in modern clothing.
55
Thanks for the interesting article. I like everything that they are doing, except that they are using cotton instead of wool. True flannel is made of wool. Wool is far superior to cotton in many respects—especially when sweating and/or getting rained on in the cold. I especially like Pendleton Board Shirts. I still regularly use ones that I bought 30 years ago. Back then, the material was woven in the USA, and the shirts were assembled here too. The material is still woven here, but now the shirts are assembled in Mexico. The quality isn’t as great as it used to be, but it is still good. The fabric is so warm and comfortable. I also love how vivid and lustrous the colors are—much more so than cotton.
Here’s an interesting article about wool flannel and its superiority to cotton:
https://www.outsideonline.com/2350311/extremely-opinionated-rant-about-flannel
26
@Ensconced In Velvet I have fond memories of the Viyella shirts I had as a kid, a mix of wool and cotton. They came in beautiful plaids and were not hard to care for. They got softer and better with age.
6
@Ensconced In Velvet
Flannel can be either cotton or wool. Flannel is the process, not the source.
3
American "Giant" clothing that doesn't come in "long" sizes?!
Hard pass.
I guess the "Giant" in the name is the aspiration of the short men who will be buying their products...
5
Thin men are excluded too! I can’t buy their jeans because they don’t offer a size 28... I guess I need to fatten up!
I’d buy one. 100$ for a shirt that’ll last me 20 years. What a steal.
116
THIS kind of in-depth report on a subject no one else has paid attention to is why I subscribe to the Times. More, please!
229
@HKGuy Amen!
Great story, thanks.
38
Whatever you do avoid letting AG get your email address. They will bombard you every day if not multiple times a day with emails. So very annoying.
9
About 50 years ago I was given the most beautiful flannel nightgown. Don’t know where it was made, but I do remember that it had to be dry cleaned, which, of course, I didn’t do, and the fabric fell apart after several washings.
1
Wearing a very disappointing Pendleton’s flannel right now. Thin. Pilled up and shrank after the first wash. Patagonia had a good shirt a few years ago. But you say the fabrics aren’t made in America? Hope this trend changes soon.
16
I love this article, as a designer who lived thru the industry decimation of the 1980's and 1990's and who has (since 1991) kept the making of all my pieces here. Reading this makes my heart sing.
Carla Dawn Behrle NYC - bespoke leather clothing designer/maker
43
@DB|CB Would that it were only a decimation (10% loss), rather than a devastation.
3
Since you placed a little ad for your business here, I figured I'd look it up. Sorry, Carla, but what you do is not quite in the same category as what Bayard Winthrop is trying to do. Custom shirts starting at $1700. Pants at $2500. Looks like you're probably catering to the vulture capitalists who are responsible for the decimation you lament. Exotics such as python and alligator? I wonder if you're the person who made Paul Manafort's ostrich jacket.
5
Flannel nightgowns next, please of the quality of the Lanz gowns from the 70s. P l e a s e.
109
@Mary Gunderson
Even the LLBeans of the 70-80's. Men's nightgowns for the larger woman! Better then than now.
@Mary Gunderson
Try Vermont Country Store web site.
Oh my gosh, the memories......
My Mom loved those was still wearing those Lanz flannel nightgowns until the year of her death in 2014.
Tears.
ah for a good flannel shirt - I would love one. My flannel shirts from a well known company a bit north of me are "ok" but the flannel pajamas are not good at all. Reviews in the catalog tell the sad tale of "too thin" "see-through, and coming apart too soon. They are all made abroad and the quality is worse year by year. Yes I would pay much more for a decent flannel shirt and pajamas as well. They would probably last the rest of my life and could be passed on to family members! that is dream at the moment how ever.
24
@fuzzpot
To fuzzpot and everyone else who has mentioned a desire to buy American: also just a little bit north of you (I assume you were referring to a certain retailer based in Freeport, Maine) is the Vermont Flannel company referred to in this article. Although their flannel material is not American made, their products are, and I can tell you they are great. I have two flannel shirts from them that are the thickest, warmest, most comfortable flannel shirts I have ever owned.
Come on, let's support American workers who make a quality product.
5
I remember the first shoddy print flannels that came from overseas. The arms were too short and they didn’t fit right or last but it was all I could afford. Flash forward: they got the sizes right for us oversized Americans and it’s good quality now but expensive. The cheap stuff is still available, you get what you pay for. Quality matters to me and I would like to buy American but the decisions of the Walmart mentality corporate suites no longer make that an option.
10
This is a hopeful story. Perhaps it will inspire other manufacturers, businesses and designers. If this team can produce it for one company, they can do it for others. It is horrible what destruction has been wrought by greedy businessmen who gutted venerable companies. Down with synthetic fleece and overseas manufacturers. Tariff them out of existence. All our clothes should be made here. But how to keep the prices down? Minimize the middlemen, for one.
26
Please make flannel baby receiving blankets as well. I have been searching for these for three years...
Love cotton flannel - one of the fabrics of our lives!
53
@tell the truth I would like to see real, thick cotton flannel sheets too. There is nothing better in winter, and you can turn down the thermostat.
3
Great article. It's wonderful to see a success with building a supply chain for a product like this in the US.
30
I see the flannel shirts are coming soon. When they're in, I'm in. And I'll happily -- joyfully -- pay more a quality item made in the USA.
83
What a wonderful story of commitment and perseverance and--yes--love!
So, when and where can we buy a genuine American flannel shirt?
124
@LLC buy American Giant online. Great products!
2
Where can I buy one?
My favorite had to go a few years ago.
Great story too!
55
I love this triumph of a dream driving the balance sheet and not the other way around. I have three sons who need a REAL flannel shirt. The romance of this story is an unavoidable part of the shirt.
69