American Made T-shirts are having their best year yet

When Bayard Winthrop, the CEO of retailer American Giant, ordered the batch of shirts his company would advertise before July 4, he didn’t give it much thought. The retailer, which has been producing its clothes exclusively in factories in the United States for more than a decade, has consistently relied on its “Made in America” ​​pitch for Independence Day.

Fittingly, this year’s crew-neck T-shirt batch comes in red, white, or blue with very little embellishment, except to get straight to the point: lettering that reads “American Made.” They cost $60 each. And they sold out on the first day. Then he ordered another set, which also quickly sold out. The company is struggling to land its fourth order.

For American Giant, this year will be the most lucrative Fourth of July yet.

The company has been using its “Made in America” ​​status to advertise to consumers since it was founded in 2012. But, Winthrop said, it’s now reaching customers at a time when global supply chain chatter, deal loopholes and sustainability are in fashion. has gone beyond corporate boardrooms and policy circles in Washington.

Sixty-five percent of American adults said they intentionally bought “Made in America” ​​products in the past year, according to a Morning Consult questionnaire released last month. That’s about the same number of American adults who said they had them intentions last year.

American Giant’s customer service representatives, Mr. Winthrop said, receive “emotional” emails from customers who say it is “refreshing” to see a retailer “take the walk” when making items in the United States. States.

“It really feels to me that an awakening is happening right now,” he said. “Consumers intuitively understand the background of this conversation.”

In the run-up to Independence Day in the United States, stores are piling up their shelves and populating their websites with T-shirts and swimsuits emblazoned with the American flag or slogans like “Party in the USA.” One-third of Americans say they are plan to buy patriotic dishes for the Fourth of July this year, according to the National Retail Federation, an industry association.

The reality is that much of that clothing is made and imported abroad. While there are retailers who have been advocating for more domestic production in recent years, the Fourth of July creates particular tension because the items companies promote are patriotic only in theme.

Some competitors, who make their clothes in the United States, deliberately point out the disconnect.

“If you lean into Americana to sell items that aren’t American-made, I think that’s unfair,” says Kristen Fanarakis, the founder of Los Angeles-based fashion brand Senza Tempo and an advocate for locally made clothing.

Mr Winthrop said: “One of the great ironies about the clothing industry, I think, is this sort of bizarre gap between what the industry says and what it does.”

For example, Old Navy has been selling 4th of July flag t-shirts since the company started in 1994. Yet all 25 baby flag tops and onesies the company currently has displayed listed on its website as imported. Searches for “Americana” and “Fourth of July” on Walmart and Target bring up T-shirts and shorts that are also listed as imported. (Some clothing is listed as both made in the United States and imported.)

Since the 1990s, the production of clothing sold by major U.S. retailers has largely moved overseas, especially to China, bringing increased tensions between the United States and China for those companies.

The pandemic also strained the global supply chain, disrupting the reliability of imports. In some cases, retailers are moving production closer to the United States or purchasing a larger share of the goods they sell domestically.

Over the past month, lawmakers in Washington introduced a series of bills to shut down a shipping channel that would allow companies like fast-fashion retailers Shein and Temu — both founded in China — to take advantage of a trade rule that would prevent them from paying shipping fees. charges at U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Lawmakers argue this would level the playing field for US-based retailers.

The Fourth of July is one of Mr. Winthrop’s favorite holidays, but this year’s sales season was so busy that he almost forgot to buy himself one of his company’s “American Made” T-shirts.

“I think I found one in a store that is sent to me, but I’m not sure,” said Mr. Winthrop. “It’s a bummer.”