All or Virtually... None?

All or virtually all, is the standard for an unqualified Made in USA claim per the Federal Trade Commission. One thing that I have learned during the sourcing process is that this is much easier said than done. All or virtually all “means that the final assembly or processing of the product occurs in the United States, all significant process that goes in to the product occurs in the United States, and all or virtually all ingredients or components of the product are made and sourced in the United States.” (Complying with the Made in USA Standard | Federal Trade Commission) This last portion has proven to be the hardest aspect of this standard, as the FTC uses many factors to determine all or virtually all (which I will not bore you with), that sets the bar very high. A large amount of clothing you will find on today’s shelves that have some claim of Made in USA, are qualified, either with the qualification that the product was only designed or assembled in the USA (and not manufactured in the USA) or that it is Made in USA with imported parts. While Made in USA claims have proven to be complex and unnecessarily hard to understand, we here at Overtime Clothing believe that a Made in USA claim should mean exactly what it says, that the product was MADE IN THE USA. What this means for us is that we have spent a large amount of time working to make sure materials that go into our product currently in process, are Made in USA.

The Death of the American Textile Industry

October 2017, what some would argue as the most significant and emblematic death of the American textile industry, Cone Mills White Oak in North Carolina, a textile mill which supplied a number of fabrics including a large amount of denim to the United States, shut its doors after 112 years of operation. Not far behind, Vidalia Mills, the recipient of 40 American Draper x3 selvedge looms from White Oak, shut their doors and a sheriff’s sale is set for August of this year (2025). There are some ongoing revival efforts, White Oak specific and otherwise (go check out the non-profit White Oak Legacy Foundation - WOLF), but the White Oak and Vadalia Mills stories are not new or unheard of, as Made in USA is becoming increasingly uncommon.  The hours we have spent finding domestic manufacturing cannot be understated, from hardware to fabric, one thing is clear, American manufacturing is not what it used to be.

Now, I will not say that I am an economist, and this post will not even begin to dive into the complex economics of a global marketplace (as I will leave that to those much more qualified to speak on the topic), but I do want to share what I have seen during this sourcing process. As I mentioned, American manufacturing is dwindling, which means for the most part, only the biggest players who can weather the storm survive. This results in large corporations with large minimum order quantities dominating the space. This leaves someone looking to source less than hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of a product in some cases, with very few options for sourcing. You would think this consolidation would also lead to these large corporations covering a large variety of products or services, since they largely outlived the smaller competition in the industry, but it tends to be the complete opposite; they have found their niche and they drilled a thousand miles down into it. This means that a company that may be manufacturing certain kinds of buttons and zippers, may not manufacture other items like rivets or snaps, or even other kinds of buttons and zippers. So, people looking to source all Made in USA materials, often have to get every product from a different source, which is a challenge as American manufacturers are few. Another complex aspect of sourcing materials Made in USA is the lack of clarity from many manufacturers on where the item is manufactured. Often a website or catalogue does not clearly state where the products are made, and if the website for the entire manufacturer does not make clear where they make all of their products, you will have to contact the manufacturer directly to hopefully find out where they make each product, as many manufacturers have facilities in several different countries. Even manufacturers who have a long history in American manufacturing will have products that they are known for, that they have produced in America for hundreds of years, now being manufactured in other countries. None of this is to say that any of these larger companies are bad or doing wrong for this reason, many of the companies are proud of their US manufacturing all the same and are full of some truly wonderful people who I had the pleasure of speaking with, this consolidation of American manufacturing is just, different. Different from how it was and different from how a lot of people understand it currently is.

The New Era of American Manufacturing

Now, while most of the story thus far has been pretty negative, I hope to shine a special spotlight on the future of American manufacturing: us. You, me, and people like us who value things made in America, who care about where our products come from, and who invest in themselves and their lifestyle. For every material we looked to source, and for the mass number of results from other countries, there was someone in the United States who was making a version domestically, not because it was easy or because they could get rich quick, but because they care about what they do. There are many dedicated people who are passionate about the products they make in the USA. There is also a unique community built around the idea of Made in USA, and the more people you meet, the more you realize everyone knows, encourages, and supports each other. This sense of community and passion, from the buying and selling side, is what I believe will launch American manufacturing into a new era.

All this said, Overtime Clothing is dedicated to the revival of American manufacturing. Keep an eye out for future posts that will detail more specifically the materials we source and the stories behind the people who make them.

~Pops