MADE IN THE USA
DETAILS
MADE IN THE U.S.A. LAUREN MCQUADE
BEYOND FORD, SAM ADAMS, AND PENDLETON BLANKETS.
BROOKES BOSWELL Brooklyn, NY Established 2009 Brookes Boswell, designer: Hats are sculptural and can look great sitting on a shelf, but they really transform when worn and become an extension of the wearer. My customers come to me specifically for handmade, madeto-measure hats. Because I use mostly vintage hat blocks, each one is slightly unique. They take time to make, so they cost a little bit more than a factoryproduced hat. I also design fabric caps and sun hats that are usually made in-house, but I can outsource the production if I get an order that's beyond the capabilities
MAKR Winter Park, FL Established 2005 Jason Gregory, owner and creative director: Makr is about the user. We want our products to solve problems, but we also want them to be beautiful. We spend a tremendous amount of time selecting materials that will be as good-looking as they are functional. We don’t rush to be first to market— we’d rather take our time and develop the best product we possibly can. I decided to go with domestic production because I wanted to support local vendors and be able to actually sit and work with them.
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It’s necessary to have that human connection with the people that are making our products. The only real challenge is the expense. It is usually three times more expensive to produce domestically than it is in Asia and even Europe, but I think we are able to be more productive—I can go and spend the day working on samples or prototypes. Creating highquality objects that workers are proud of is a really wonderful thing to be able to do.
of my studio. There are very few garment production houses left in New York, which has made it challenging to find a shop to work with for large orders. I keep the production not just made in America, but made in Brooklyn, because I like to know the people that I'm working with. I can visit the production house, check out what's happening, and fine-tune the product. A well-made hat is something you can keep forever and it will get better with age. An outfit you’ll change in and out of, but a hat you can wear every day.
MADE IN THE U.S.A.
FIRST RITE San Francisco, CA Established 2011 Nikki Garcia, designer: There really is no one place I find most inspiring. I spend a lot of time outdoors exploring California, which gives my mind a lot of healthy time to explore and brainstorm everything I’ve taken in throughout the week. I usually start with a general idea of what the overall mood, color, and silhouette will be. As I make patterns and sew my initial test fits, the collection really evolves and comes to life. I’m very hands-on, so the pieces can change quite a bit as I create
them. Having the production close by is pretty practical for me. I help a lot in the process, and if any issues arise during production, I can easily stop by and work it out quickly. It’s more expensive to produce locally, but my customers understand why the clothes cost more, and I enjoy supporting what has become a fairly small industry in San Francisco. I work with a team of sewers who have become friends, and it feels good to pay them well for their work.
SMITH & CHANG Jersey City, NJ Established 2009 Alex Chang, owner: Our products are handmade by artisans in small batches. We know the origin of every ingredient and every individual who has a hand in the production. Consumers today are used to going to big-box stores and purchasing cheaper goods that are made overseas. We try to make exquisite products at a price point the consumers are comfortable with. It's gotten to the point where we have tourists coming to the store looking for American-made products to take home as gifts. Our goal is to export our line to Asia and Europe in the near future. You can have responsibly-produced goods, but if they don't work as well or look as good as the competition, they won’t sell. Our aesthetic is decidedly American. We want to create classics with a clean and modern feel.
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DETAILS
MADE IN THE U.S.A.
DOUG JOHNSTON Brooklyn, NY Established 2010 Doug Johnston, designer: In working with the coiling and stitching process, I’ll end up making something that’s somewhat different from the original intention, which brings new ideas and inspirations in a seemingly neverending cycle. I love the organic nature of it, and it always feels like the pieces are coming to life. Collaboration has become completely essential to my work—in fact, I typically say "our work" or "we" to indicate that the studio is really a group of people. We use high-quality materials and employ skilled artists that are compensated above the living wage. We’ve found that there is plenty
56
of support for this approach, and a growing number of people want to feel good about the items they are bringing into their lives. In searching for used industrial sewing machines, replacement parts for the machines, and people who have experience operating them, I learned that knowledge of that world has moved overseas. Setting up a small workshop based around a nonstandard form of industrial sewing was really enjoyable. I love that we are able to keep everything in-house, managing the quality control and production ourselves.
MADE IN THE U.S.A. LAUREN MCQUADE
BEYOND FORD, SAM ADAMS, AND PENDLETON BLANKETS.
BROOKES BOSWELL Brooklyn, NY Established 2009 Brookes Boswell, designer: Hats are sculptural and can look great sitting on a shelf, but they really transform when worn and become an extension of the wearer. My customers come to me specifically for handmade, madeto-measure hats. Because I use mostly vintage hat blocks, each one is slightly unique. They take time to make, so they cost a little bit more than a factoryproduced hat. I also design fabric caps and sun hats that are usually made in-house, but I can outsource the production if I get an order that's beyond the capabilities
MAKR Winter Park, FL Established 2005 Jason Gregory, owner and creative director: Makr is about the user. We want our products to solve problems, but we also want them to be beautiful. We spend a tremendous amount of time selecting materials that will be as good-looking as they are functional. We don’t rush to be first to market— we’d rather take our time and develop the best product we possibly can. I decided to go with domestic production because I wanted to support local vendors and be able to actually sit and work with them.
54
It’s necessary to have that human connection with the people that are making our products. The only real challenge is the expense. It is usually three times more expensive to produce domestically than it is in Asia and even Europe, but I think we are able to be more productive—I can go and spend the day working on samples or prototypes. Creating highquality objects that workers are proud of is a really wonderful thing to be able to do.
of my studio. There are very few garment production houses left in New York, which has made it challenging to find a shop to work with for large orders. I keep the production not just made in America, but made in Brooklyn, because I like to know the people that I'm working with. I can visit the production house, check out what's happening, and fine-tune the product. A well-made hat is something you can keep forever and it will get better with age. An outfit you’ll change in and out of, but a hat you can wear every day.
MADE IN THE U.S.A.
FIRST RITE San Francisco, CA Established 2011 Nikki Garcia, designer: There really is no one place I find most inspiring. I spend a lot of time outdoors exploring California, which gives my mind a lot of healthy time to explore and brainstorm everything I’ve taken in throughout the week. I usually start with a general idea of what the overall mood, color, and silhouette will be. As I make patterns and sew my initial test fits, the collection really evolves and comes to life. I’m very hands-on, so the pieces can change quite a bit as I create
them. Having the production close by is pretty practical for me. I help a lot in the process, and if any issues arise during production, I can easily stop by and work it out quickly. It’s more expensive to produce locally, but my customers understand why the clothes cost more, and I enjoy supporting what has become a fairly small industry in San Francisco. I work with a team of sewers who have become friends, and it feels good to pay them well for their work.
SMITH & CHANG Jersey City, NJ Established 2009 Alex Chang, owner: Our products are handmade by artisans in small batches. We know the origin of every ingredient and every individual who has a hand in the production. Consumers today are used to going to big-box stores and purchasing cheaper goods that are made overseas. We try to make exquisite products at a price point the consumers are comfortable with. It's gotten to the point where we have tourists coming to the store looking for American-made products to take home as gifts. Our goal is to export our line to Asia and Europe in the near future. You can have responsibly-produced goods, but if they don't work as well or look as good as the competition, they won’t sell. Our aesthetic is decidedly American. We want to create classics with a clean and modern feel.
55
DETAILS
MADE IN THE U.S.A.
DOUG JOHNSTON Brooklyn, NY Established 2010 Doug Johnston, designer: In working with the coiling and stitching process, I’ll end up making something that’s somewhat different from the original intention, which brings new ideas and inspirations in a seemingly neverending cycle. I love the organic nature of it, and it always feels like the pieces are coming to life. Collaboration has become completely essential to my work—in fact, I typically say "our work" or "we" to indicate that the studio is really a group of people. We use high-quality materials and employ skilled artists that are compensated above the living wage. We’ve found that there is plenty
56
of support for this approach, and a growing number of people want to feel good about the items they are bringing into their lives. In searching for used industrial sewing machines, replacement parts for the machines, and people who have experience operating them, I learned that knowledge of that world has moved overseas. Setting up a small workshop based around a nonstandard form of industrial sewing was really enjoyable. I love that we are able to keep everything in-house, managing the quality control and production ourselves.
