Which clothes are really made in the U.S.A.?

Which clothes are really Made in the USA? Because yes, only 2% of clothing purchased in the United States is made in the United States.

To find out, we asked Alex Goulet and Willy DeConto to send us a copy of "Crafted With Pride 2023", the definitive book on American-made clothing*.

It lists more than 750 companies that make clothing, accessories and shoes in the USA.

You may already know Alex Goulet (@tagsandthreads) as he is also the author of several books, one of which we particularly recommend for all champion fans: "Guide To Vintage Champion". You can read our article on the Reverse Weave of Champion.

Alex has also worked with established companies such as Hanes, New Balance, Nike, Jordan Brand, Adidas and Reebok.

When you're a content creator, you're always looking for something new. We spend a lot of our time discovering (or rediscovering) new brands to share with you. Well, only the ones we think are interesting.

That's the whole point of a book like Crafted With Pride 2023. From cowboy boots from the American Southwest, to outdoor clothing from the North Pacific, to handmade suits from New York, the list of brands is long. They initially started with 150 brands and ended up with 750 in the end. 70% of the brands were discovered through their own research and 30% were discovered through word of mouth.

Most of the brands listed are much more than that: they own their production tools, which makes them really interesting to us.

It is worth noting that many of these companies are relatively young. From the year 2000 and beyond. We are not surprised because the initiatives to consume more local and more sustainable are multiplying all over the world.

But we must admit that we are the first to be the most "suspicious" towards these new brands. They have not always proven themselves. We must believe that the history invocation that is often used by brands to provoke an image of respectability and prestige on the consumer also works on us.

Crafted With Pride 2023 also allowed us to rediscover brands we already know: Crescent Down Works, Martin Greenfield, Columbia Knit, Rancourt, Alden or even Victoria whose sneakers we learned were resolable several times.

We also had the joy of discovering new brands: we think of St Croix, Individualized Shirts or Alpine Ludite a manufacturer of custom-made hiking bags.

The magazine is available here.

*Marcos also bought it on his side, he paid 11€ of customs fees on this occasion.