For those of you who are as enamored of the Wall Street Journal’s Off Duty Saturday section as I, you will no doubt be reading this morning’s piece This Outfit was Made in the U.S.A. by Martin Marks. While there is a global design viewpoint that I certainly embrace, I am always proud to write about those companies who are producing their products at home, below a sampling including, clockwise from top, Wesley Hall, Merida, Annie Selke, Diane James, Dunes and Duchess and Oomph.
With easier quality control, better communication and a patriotic spirit, fashion labels as diverse as Brooks Brothers, Jack Spade and Band of Outsiders now produce some, if not all of, their products on American soil.
Devon Jarvis for The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas
And it’s the same for the interior design community. I still adore discovering sophisticated and stylish products from Europe and around the globe but definitely appreciate the burgeoning movement to reclaim the hand made and manufacturing quality that is once again lending the made-in-America phrase international cachet.
In post WWW II America, when the craze for convenience and mechanization took over, the appeal of the artisan and esteem for the hand crafted somehow lost its allure with the mainstream consumer. But over the last decade or two, along with trends in other sectors like the farm to table movement, a focus on supporting small companies, individual craftsmen and local businesses has happily emerged. You know when a big box company like Target celebrates with their The Shops at Target initiative, there’s serious mass market appeal.
In the spirit, I even share an Americana Pinterest page with upscale Connecticut-produced furniture manufacturer The New Traditionalists. So as we are all starting to vaguely think about the holidays, I encourage you to shop local whenever you can, support the handmade when it makes sense and know you can feel proud about buying a quality made-in-the U.S.A. product.
Loved the blog post! So very true!
Love following your blog! Have a great weekend!
Jamie Herzlinger
Wonderful pots! Please mention also that my hand made work is made in CT and the Pearl Collection made in New York State. All made in America.
This is such a fantastic post, Stacey. I recently pulled out what is now a vintage jacket–it is the very first “good” piece that I ever bought when I was about 17 or so. The quality is absolutely amazing and the tag? “Made in the USA”. I am a firm believer that if we all bought more in our home countries our economies would be in a far better shape all around.
Hi Stacey,
I have always chosen to “Buy American” (dating back to c. 1975) whenever possible. We have wonderful designers, artisans and craftsmen who have in the past and continue to create products to the highest standards. To be able to, once again, buy Made In USA clothing, toys, small electronics, etc. would be a joy. Let’s keep up the pressure. Great Post.
Mary
I’m a firm believer in buying locally and I love this post featuring things made in America. We always try to buy locally since it’s good for our economy.
Enjoy your Holiday weekend!
XXX
Debra~
I’m with you Stacey – Support local and made in USA. Great post!
Thank you for this post Stacey. As the owner of a small company here in the US that produces hand-loomed ribbon jackets, I have seen an greater interest from specialty boutiques and their customers for products Made in U.S.A. What a lift for our economy.
Great post, Stacey, and so true. I always try to buy handmade items and support products made in this country. I especially like supporting local artisanal foods and crafts.
Stacey: I thought you might be interested in this story I did re. Starbucks:
http://www.libbywilkiedesigns.com/2012/07/all-american-story-via-starbucks.html
I worked with Hausenware, designing ceramics, for many years and am SO pleased he is really trying to go local/USA.
Thank you Libby – I AM interested – great piece and story!! And here is another one you might enjoy – slightly different but equally inspiring: http://quintessenceblog.com/2011/06/the-best-kind-of-story/
Unfortunately almost all of the Shops at Target products are made in China. The program is based on US shopkeepers directing production at Target factories in China. Also, my last visit to a Jack Spade store revealed 90% of the products were made in China. A small departure from cheap labor practices, perhaps, but hardly worth a celebration.
As much as I applaud the sentiments in this blog post, one really has to look below the surface of marketing campaigns to find the country of origin and a truly committed vendor. Let’s all do our homework and highlight those companies really committed to making a difference in American manufacturing and not just riding a PR trend. Keep the conversation alive and let us know about the many companies out there who are in it for the long haul!
Thank you for your insights. Sorry to hear about both Target and Jack Spade but I still like the fact that Target is celebrating small businesses. But we can also focus more positively on the companies that I have written about in this post and others including Peter Fasano, Frances Palmer and The New Traditionalists, all of whom are small privately owned companies offering Made in America products, as I assume yours must be as well!
Yes, Target has been a great champion of smaller, independent designers and deserves the kudos. And we can only hope they will one day collaborate with American manufacturers as well.
It’s encouraging that American consumers are becoming educated about the larger economic values of buying local and domestic goods. Thanks for raising awareness, and I look forward to more posts!
Thank you, Stacey, for spreading the word about Made in the USA. We pride ourselves in employing 12 American to make our designs in CT and think that the quality of our brand depends on it. Sadly, as John pointed out above, while Target does promote the smaller designer business, its price points are too low for many US manufacturers to compete with and still stay in business. Perhaps one day…
xxoo
C + C
Great post Q, I agree in so many ways, even just factoring in the shipping of overseas products is so damaging to the environment.
The company I am currently working with, Christopher Peacock is also manufactured in the USA ;)
Dx