originally published September 6, 2023
There are many choices to make when designing clothing…. where to have the clothing sewn, whether to use sustainable fabrics, the quality of the lining, whether to use buttons that can withstand many washes or not, etc, etc.
In this post I want to discuss why I chose to sew my garments here in the USA rather than overseas. I could have chosen a mill in China and had my garments sewn by people I would never meet or have any connection to. Believe me, the difference in cost made it tempting. However I worked in the Garment District in NYC years ago and personally knew and worked with many of the women and men who sew our clothes. I know how hard that work is and I know how badly workers are treated in other countries. I couldn’t do it.
My buttons are sourced from a small, family owned company in NYC, my labels and tags are made by a small business in Los Angeles, my scarves are printed in San Francisco rather than China.
I’m thrilled with the high quality and the transparency I have been able to keep. This all costs more, yes, but I believe the garments I am producing are an investment worth making.
Kimberly Becker