During the now concluded contentious presidential election, the subject of manufacturing — specifically, the geological location of it — was a major topic of battle. One story to come out of all of the China-stealing-US-jobs talk was "reshoring," or the common declaration of "the return of manufacturing."

Maybe because of its fashionable profile, the garment industry has been in particular focus. Newsworthy instances include the US Olympic team's made-in-China uniforms by Ralph Lauren and conservative pundit Glenn Beck's launch of 1791, his flag-waving denim line.

But clothing brand Carhartt has been making its clothing in the US since, well, forever. And now its is working to make this fact more a part of its message.Continue reading...

Martha Stewart is hitching her personal brand to the patriotic push behind Made in USA brands. This fall she's launching what she hopes will become the first annual American Made Awards, a celebration of American artists, artisans and entrepreneurs. Inaugural sponsors are Avery Dennison and The UPS Store. 

"Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia is the embodiment of my passion for food, design, crafts, gardening and so much more,” she commented in a press release.

“It is also the realization of an entrepreneurial dream. I am excited to recognize the work of other creative entrepreneurs and it is my hope that American Made will become an annual initiative for the brand that will continue to nurture honorees, support their passions and expand their businesses, setting an inspiring example for the MSLO audience and beyond."Continue reading...

Since it was revealed the Ralph Lauren-designed opening ceremony uniforms for the US Olympic team were made in China, a member of Congress has openly suggested burning them, a move some outraged Americans immediately endorsed — it didn't take long for a "Burn the New USA Olympic Uniforms" Facebook page to pop up, naturally.

According to one estimate, USOC's outsourcing of Team USA's apparel manufacturing to China cost the U.S. about $1 billion. While others have come to the Team USA's defense of the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) and Team USA, the Christian Science Monitor argued against corporate panhandling altogether. "While China is harvesting farm girls from remote provinces to be canoeists, gymnasts, and weightlifters — training them in state-owned facilities and paying top dollar to lure top coaches — the USOC is panhandling on the doorstep of corporate America." 

Ralph Lauren, which prides itself on being an All-American brand, is smarting from the outcry. Its namesake founder has vowed that the brand will produce the 2014 Winter Olympics Team USA apparel in the U.S., according to a statement released Friday that was backed up by USOC:Continue reading...

Google made tech news headlines with the recent introduction of three new products, two of which round out its new Nexus product line, a brand that puts Google squarely in the hardware business — and in Apple's crosshairs.

The slick, sleek website for Nexus seems to have that cool, clean sophistication we've come to know and love from Apple. All three of the products found there rival Apple products: the Galaxy Nexus phone, which is co-branded Google and Samsung (iPhone), Nexus 7 tablet (iPad), and the Nexus Q streaming media player (watch out, Apple TV).

But the buzz around Nexus Q has reached beyond technology alone. It has raised an intriguing issue that could be seen as either a deeper competitive strategy that pits "Made in USA" against "Made in China", or perhaps, nothing more than an expedient product solution.Continue reading...

The Made In America Store is making the most out of a recent David Letterman complaint on his Late Show that "We can't even make our own back scratcher in America, why?" A press release announces, "In response, the Made In America Store has sent Letterman a Maple Landmark Back Scratcher, entirely made in America."

A new survey from Li-Ning, the Chinese athletic footwear and apparel company founded and named after China's most famous Olympic medal-winning gymnast, suggests that Americans might just be in the market for a Chinese-made back scratcher after all. In fact, the survey's highlight finding suggests that over 90 percent of US consumers are ready to buy a Chinese brand. Continue reading...

Chrysler was clearly onto something when it launched its breakthrough "Imported from Detroit" campaign. Sales spiked, leading the company to launch phase 2. Explaining the positioning, Chrysler CMO Olivier Francois told brandchannel, “American coolness is essential to our strategy, because that’s exactly what imports do not have, and some other American [luxury] brands don’t have as well.” 

Chrysler isn't the only one latching on to the rising "Made in USA" star. In March, we reported on the website, MadeInUSAForever.com which was bootstrapped by Todd Lipscomb. He told CNN, "I saw this terrible need in our nation for a real alternative to buy American made products. ... It's a virtuous circle of economic activity that's caused by buying American made." Lipscomb has seen his website business grow at over 40% per year.

Many other brands are following suit, according to Bloomberg. Joseph Abboud, the maker of menswear, proudly displays a "Made in USA" moniker on its website. Brooks Brothers waves a "Made in America" banner and boasts of its factories in the US. Mark Kate and Ashley Olsen's fashion brand, The Row, promotes its American-made line.Continue reading...