I like to wear jeans and, honestly, hadn't put a lot of thought into it. Do they look good? Is the price right? This is as far as I'd take it. Despite European origins,
blue jeans are as American
† as apple pie - and, as I discovered, as precious today as gold was during the
California Gold Rush. Shopping for Made in USA jeans would be easy peasy. After all, weren't my old Levi's made here?
Nope...
For starters, I searched online and was delighted to find several labels of casual affordable American made jeans. Diamond Gusset, Round House, Duluth Trading, Buddy's Jeans. Finally I ordered boot cut jeans from
All American Clothing. These aren't designer jeans. They're made rivetless of raw denim, not stonewashed or ripped. And they are at least half the price of designer jeans. The material is heavy and the indigo dye luxurious. I'll take special care to break them in. Although I hesitate to buy apparel online, All American has a generous refund policy. Still I wanted to try on my jeans first.
On a trip to Texas, I learned about cotton at the
Audie Murphy American Cotton Museum. The United States is the third largest cotton producer in the world and Texas produces the most. So, I tried my luck shopping retail in Fort Worth. One shop owner on East Exchange Street by the historic stockyards asked if I needed help. Glumly thumbing through the stacks of foreign made Levi's jeans, I was certain that he couldn't. He insisted, I asked and, without blinking, he told me he couldn't. He explained that he would like to carry Texas Jeans, but the minimum order is 1000 pairs.
Sadly, in Fort Worth, the 16th largest city, I didn't find American jeans. But certainly I would in Brooklyn, which would be the 4th largest. After all, New York is the nation's fashion capital, the Garment District and Fashion Avenue are in Manhattan and there are many department stores that carry several brands of jeans. Surely, I'd find a pair of affordable jeans here!
Good thing I like to shop! I shopped at Men's Wearhouse, Burlington Coat Factory, Century 21, American Eagle, JCPenny, Brooklyn Industries and other smaller retail clothing stores too. I browsed countless brands and collections of jeans. I even asked a Levi's employee in one department store about their
Made in USA collection (she had no idea). The overwhelming majority were foreign made. My heart was sinking.
At last I struck gold at the
Nordstrom Rack Gateway Center in East New York. Someone at Nordstrom's has a soft heart for domestic jeans. They carry
Lucky Brand's Made in USA line, sewn here with denim from
North Carolina - the historic center for textile manufacturing. And they sell
AG Adriano Goldschmied, DIESEL® (both from
Koos Manufacturing) and
J Brand. All cut and sewn in Los Angeles using imported material and hardware. Designer jeans, but on sale at affordable prices.
What about Made in Brooklyn jeans?
Made In NYC,
Save the Garment Center and my own
Made in Brooklyn Tours do our best to promote local manufacturing.
Loren Cronk and
Williamsburg Garment Company are both Made in Brooklyn and I'd buy their jeans if I had the clams. I remain hopeful that
American blue jeans will become more affordable as domestic manufacturing is restored after being devastated for decades. This is something I'll consider in this year's presidential election.
† In this post, American refers to jeans Made in USA.
Melati Bath & Body is the outcome of
