9 Startups Bringing “Made in USA” Back to Clothing
Year Launched: 2008
Factory Location: Los Angeles, CA
How It Started: The Romanian-born and Paris-trained designer began selling her romantic collecti Founder: Eva Franco
Year Launched: 2008
Factory Location: Los Angeles, CA
How It Started: The Romanian-born and Paris-trained designer began selling her romantic collection at L.A.’s Melrose flea market years ago. Now, the Eva Franco brand can be found in 800 stores domestically and internationally, with projected sales of $7 million this year. Despite her success, all clothing is still made in L.A.
<a href="http://www.evafranco.com" target="_blank">evafranco.com</a>
Year Launched: 2011
Factory Location: Portland, OR
How It Started: xobruno is Michelle Klein’s homage to her grandmother, who taught her to thread Founder: Michelle Kline
Year Launched: 2011
Factory Location: Portland, OR
How It Started: xobruno is Michelle Klein’s homage to her grandmother, who taught her to thread a needle at eight years old. Now Klein continues the tradition by handcrafting unisex leather and canvas bags and accessories ($35-$395) with the help of two contracted employees. Shoppers can find everything from backpacks to totes to passport cases in colorful textures and Middle Eastern inspirations, like her signature Afghan Hazara wool kilim bag influenced by Turkish weaving. <a href="http://www.xobruno.com" target="_blank">xobruno.com</a>
Year Launched: 2012
Factory Location: San Francisco, CA
How It Started: Fashion designer Trudy Hodges became her own boss after giving birth to a da Founder: Trudy Hodges
Year Launched: 2012
Factory Location: San Francisco, CA
How It Started: Fashion designer Trudy Hodges became her own boss after giving birth to a daughter nine months ago. Now, she operates PvF from her home studio with the help of local factories in San Francisco, where she designs, pattern drafts, and sews items like whimsical wool coats with reindeer accents or bohemian cotton crochet dresses. Customers have to act fast to get one of her limited-edition designs ($95-$483 currently): She creates a new item every six weeks and often makes only one in each size. <a href="http://www.poppyvonfrohlich.com" target="_blank">poppyvonfrohlich.com</a>
Year Launched: 2013
Factory Location: San Francisco, California (with fabrics and trims coming from LA, New York, Chicago, Kentucky and North Carolina)< Founders: Sadie Beaudet, Jeremy Roberts
Year Launched: 2013
Factory Location: San Francisco, California (with fabrics and trims coming from LA, New York, Chicago, Kentucky and North Carolina)
How It Started: Newly engaged Sadie Beaudet and Jeremy Roberts launched Tradlands this February after being inspired by the Timothy Ferriss book, The 4-Hour Work Week. Their women’s classic shirt collection ($47-$187) is menswear-inspired, with long-lasting fabrics like raw denim and washed linen in feminine silhouettes. Each piece is named after a place in San Francisco, where it’s handmade with textiles and trims from craftsmen in the U.S. The unique product is already resonating with customers: With only two full-time employees, they've recovered all start-ups costs and doubled the size of their second production run. <a href="http://www.tradlands.com" target="_blank">tradlands.com</a>
Year Launched: 2009
Factory Locations: New York, Maine, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Washington
How It Started: Mac and Katherine McMill Founders: Mac and Katherine McMillan
Year Launched: 2009
Factory Locations: New York, Maine, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Washington
How It Started: Mac and Katherine McMillan’s search for the perfect tie began when tying the knot themselves: They couldn’t find bold wool ties for the groomsmen in their Scotland wedding. Four years later, their collection has been featured everywhere from Details to the Wall Street Journal, and they’ve expanded to sell tie cases, travel bags, outerwear, and shoes designed by Katherine, who previously worked for Ralph Lauren.
<a href="http://www.pierreponthicks.com" target="_blank">pierreponthicks.com</a>
Year Launched: 2012
Factory Location: New York’s Garment District
How It Started: When founder Aubrie Pagano used to Founders: Aubrie Pagano, Chirag Nirmal, Shelly Madick
Year Launched: 2012
Factory Location: New York’s Garment District
How It Started: When founder Aubrie Pagano used to shop for dresses, she kept wondering “if only this dress was below my knees" or "if only it were black." She opened her Boston-based e-shop last fall with six full-time employees; now her customers can browse classic silhouettes with over 30,000 options for customization including color, hemline, sleeves, neckline and even embellishments like piping or lace. Clothes range from $22-$350 and can be delivered within 14 days. <a href="http://www.bowanddrape.com" target="_blank">bowanddrape.com</a>
Year Launched: 2012
Factory Locations: New New York’s Garment District
How It Started: Jessica Gold Newman and Catherine Do Founders: Jessica Gold Newman, Catherine Doyle
Year Launched: 2012
Factory Locations: New New York’s Garment District
How It Started: Jessica Gold Newman and Catherine Doyle met at Liz Lange Maternity, then struck out on their own last year to create polished, comfortable, work-appropriate outfits that can go “from business to Broadway.” Dobbin features the same Italian fabrics and European mills as luxury brands, but uses a size 8 model for fittings instead of the industry standard of a size 2. Prices are under $200. Their business model seems to be working: They have six full-time employees with sales reaching $1 million. <a href="http://www.dobbinclothing.com" target="_blank">dobbinclothing.com</a>
Year Launched: 2011
Factory Locations: New New York’s Garment District
How It Started: Born and raised in Taipei and Montréal, Yilin Chen has infused Founder: Yilin Chen
Year Launched: 2011
Factory Locations: New New York’s Garment District
How It Started: Born and raised in Taipei and Montréal, Yilin Chen has infused her multicultural background into her functional and elegant line of cowhide leather bags since 2011. The Manhattan native’s purses can be seen on the arms of Gossip Girl debutantes or the pages of InStyle.
<a href="http://www.houseofyiliy.com" target="_blank">houseofyiliy.com</a>
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