Made in USA

The term “made in USA” is by no means a new concept. In fact, this once highly touted phrase has disappeared in the past due to oversea competition in manufacturing. But in recent times, American customers have been slowly warming up to the once-popular concept through improved domestic manufacturing infrastructure.

From the 40s to 60s, the USA was a major player in manufacturing. Just about 10% of all goods were imported into America during those times. In contrast, about half of all goods in America are being imported from third world countries today.

It’s no secret that the manufacturing in America has seen a substantial decline since the 70s. Cheaper alternatives have flooded the market, increasing competition that domestic manufacturers find a hard time keeping up with. This allowed American companies to make more profits with a significant reduction in their cost of labor and materials.

The Comeback of American Made

Fortunately, in the past few years, the focus has shifted back to made in USA products due to an increased demand and reshoring attempts by American manufacturers. The US Government has even encouraged companies to adopt domestic manufacturing through special programs like STEM and SELECTUSA programs.

The Consumer Reports National Research Center released in a recent report that suggests the term “Made in USA” has a great effect on American shoppers. The report concluded that 80% of Americans would choose American-made versus a similar product made overseas if given the chance. All in all, this is excellent news for the health of the American manufacturing industry.

Why Does Made in USA Matters?

The Made in America movement is helping re-establish America on the manufacturing map - Even though America was a major contributor to manufacturing for the world economy, it has declined significantly. The Made in America Movement (MAM) has stated that over 55 thousand manufacturers have left the USA since 2001, less than just two decades ago. This is a problem that needs to be solved.

Keeping manufacturing in the USA will create over 1 million jobs - A study suggests that if every single American in this country spend a measly 5% extra on Made in USA, they will help in creating a million jobs. Let’s take for example, a manufacturer creating an automobile part will depend on several sources for different parts and materials. There may be several employees working within the supply chain that ultimately create the automobile part for the company.

A big reason why people buy Made in USA is because the phrase is synonymous with high quality. Most Americans who buy American-made not only wants to support the economy and all that, but they truly believe the products are better quality. Not only is this true, but by buying American goods, you will be contributing to a leaner environment due to the strict environmental regulations our domestic manufacturers follow.

If you take notice of labels in your favorite stores, you may notice that the “Made in USA” tags are hard to come by. And yes, it’s true that America has increased its outsourcing of labor to overseas in the last few decades. In fact, since the 90’s, both manufacturing and IT jobs have declined in our country.

The reason for outsourcing American jobs can be boiled down to competitive pricing. By outsourcing certain jobs, American companies can save drastically on cost, giving them the opportunity to stay globally competitive. At the end of the day, this alone matters more to them than boosting their own country’s economy.

Despite this, American made goods are making a comeback with the help of American companies.

The Comeback of American Manufactured Goods

A company called Package Concierge is helping American manufactured companies by providing American-manufactured locker systems.

Some of the biggest companies in the world have stayed true to domestic manufacturing, such as Wilson. Wilson is the maker of footballs used in NFL games. Other companies such as Zippo, Harley Davidson, Akwa Apparel and Gibson Guitars are doing the same.

In fact, GE and Walmart have been consciously increasing their efforts to provide more made in USA products. Walmart has announced to purchase roughly $50 billion dollars worth of US made goods over the next decade. There is a demand for domestic products and they know it.

Despite the fact that foreign goods are cheaper, there is still an increasing demand for domestic goods. There are plenty of people that prefer to pay a little extra for US goods for the benefit of our local economy.

This is backed up by a recent 2015 survey by Consumer Reports, stating that roughly 80 percent of all Americans would prefer to purchase US made goods. However, they did not specify at how much of a premium.

The Advantages for Buying American

More environmentally friendly products.

When you purchase American products, you may be benefiting the environment in several ways. For example, if you buy oversea products, there is a lot of resources being put into the process of getting the product to the US. If something has to be transported from say, China, then the freight transportation leaves a much bigger carbon footprint in this world.

Also, other countries may not have the environment protection regulations that the US has. Goods produced outside of the US generally produce more pollution than goods made in the USA. Other countries may have relaxed health regulations as well.

Easier repairs

When you buy american products, it is much easier to repair if broken. Since the parts are manufactured domestically, often times, the parts are much easier to source and find.

If an American-made product requires repair, it is much easier to get fixed. It will take less time to find the needed part as many parts are produced locally and those parts that are made outside the country are often stored nearby.

A Better Economy

Every time you buy products made in the USA, you are helping everyday American citizens just like yourself. An investment in American goods means an investment in the American economy.

Keeping the money in the US helps the economy by stimulating the economy with more jobs and money flowing through the economy. This can lead to the preservation of jobs in the future and at the same time reduce the many trade deficits we have with many other countries.

Whether you're playing a pick-up basketball game at the park, landscaping in your backyard, enjoying an 18 hole golf course, or simply taking a jog around the neighborhood, chances are you'll sweat at some point. But half an hour into the activity, you don't seem to feel the sweat on your body. Why? It's because you're wearing your moisture wicking shirt/jacket . 

While the active wear trend is still going strong, moisture wicking performance fabric is as popular as ever. From Nike's Dri-fit to Addidas' Climate/ClimaCool, this special fabric has taken the industry by storm and have been used by some of the biggest companies worldwide.

Advantages of Moisture Wicking Fabric

Made from a special blend of micro fibers and polyester, this high-tech performance fabric is here to stay. Moisture wicking performance fabric is an innovative fabric that is breathable, water resistant, windproof and comfortable. But, what makes it even more impressive is how well it handles moisture.

It is completely breathable and allows sweat to be absorbed from your skin and moved to the exterior of the apparel. As a result, the moisture is much easier to evaporate after being exposed to the air and sun. All this contributes to keeping you dry on the inside. 

Another advanced feature is how the fabric is able to pull salt from your sweat, removing any abrasive substance left from perspiration. After a few miles into your run, for example, your shirt will still feel as comfortable as when you first put it on.

How Moisture Wicking Can Help 

What happens when you're out and about without an umbrella and all of a sudden it starts to drizzle and the wind begins to pick up? With a moisture wicking performance fabric jacket, you will not be drenched by the rain or feel chilly from the wind. 

Here is the reason why. The fabric membrane has billions of pores per square inch. These micro holes are small enough to prevent water and wind to pass through from the exterior. On the other hand, these exact same holes are also big enough for moisture vapor to pass through from your skin to the outside of the jacket.

Clothing with this technology is a great fit in areas where high winds or light rain is a norm. If you enjoy exercising in cool climates, this moisture wicking fabric is also perfect for you. Even on those gloomy and humid days, it will keep you dry. In almost any environment, this multi-functional material is the obvious choice to prevent any built-up moisture, while keeping your body adjusting to the temperature.

As it keeps you dry, moisture wicking performance fabric will stay comfortable throughout your activities with its lightweight feature. Thus, making this material a great choice even if you're just in the office or going about your everyday routine. 

Love USA Apparel offers the perfect solution for work and play clothing utilizing this moisture wicking technology.  We offer a wide varieties of styles and colors. From a visit to a major customer to a friendly tennis match with your friend or colleague, moisture wicking performance fabric garments will enhance your performance. Not only do our moisture wicking garments come with so many wonderful features, all our products are Made in USA always!

In the last few decades, the rise of manufactured goods from outside the United States began to take over domestic manufacturing. And although there are still companies that manufacture in-house, the majority have taken their job opportunities abroad.

It’s true that products produced in America will likely never be the cheapest option, but there are many other benefits from purchasing them.

Why Choose “Made in America?”

The numbers don’t lie. Consumer preference for purchasing goods produced in the USA have been steadily increasing. In fact, according to a Gallup survey, roughly 64% of Americans are willing to spend a bit more for something manufactured in the USA. This majority percentage may not necessarily be true 10 or 20 years ago.

So why this shift in preference? The main reason is that people believe purchasing something made in the USA means overall better quality. Better quality usually means an extended life cycle of the product. This belief has some merit to it. Generally, in-house products really do have superior quality. And with the economy recovering from the recession, people are willing to spend the extra money for a product that'll unlikely break on them.

Purchasing products made in America is a wonderful thing as an American because it creates jobs for other Americans. More jobs will lead to a healthier and boosted economy. According to a 2007 study, if consumers in Northern California Bay Area shifted just 10% of their spendings from big box retailers to local mom and pop shops, it would lead to a $192 million increase in economic activity while creating nearly 1300 new jobs.

From an ethical standpoint, manufacturing products in the USA makes a lot of sense. In many cases, products produced overseas are done in unsafe conditions. Some may call them sweatshops. There have been reports of several fatal disasters such as explosion in a Bangladesh factory. Due to loose regulations, these other countries can penny-pinch by having less than safe conditions, which sometimes lead to catastrophes. By purchasing apparel made in the USA, you’ll be able to wear your garment knowing that it was ethically made.

Price of Made in USA Products

The biggest factor that turns people away from purchasing domestically made products is the price. If you had a choice between an overseas-made hat and in-house manufactured hat that were exactly the same in style and price, people would almost always choose in-house manufactured. Now with the domestic product being much more expensive, the choice isn’t as obvious anymore.

However, the great news is that due to many years of re-building the infrastructure of manufacturing in the US, new technologies and rising global wages, the price differential isn’t as significant anymore. U.S. manufacturers have been quietly closing the gap in prices, while maintaining high quality products over the last decade. And despite the fact that home-grown products are still more expensive, it is only slightly more expensive to a point where most consumers don’t mind.

Over the next few decades with new technology and world economy growing, the price gap will get even smaller. More and more Americans will soon begin to buy Made in USA.