PPB November 2017

This was a savvy campaign strategy and, clearly, the idea of deliberately buying American-made products and apparel evokes enthusiasm among most U.S. consumers. But is it realistic? Born In The USA In the textile industry, made-in-the-USA campaigns go back as far as the 1970s, says Rick Cottle, Ph.D., assistant professor in textiles, merchandising and design for the Department of Human Sciences at Middle Tennessee State University. “The purpose of the campaign was to keep the domestic textile manufacturing industry onshore. Based on history, we know that the campaign did not work,” he says. By the turn of the century, globalization was on the upswing, creating a much smaller world. “This new world would forever change consumerism and, therefore, the many industries that supply consumer products,” Cottle adds. Today, apparel is the second largest consumer good in the world behind food, according to Cottle. “Apparel is the quintessential global consumer product,” he adds. “Therefore, the proverbial train has left the station in this industry. It is now extremely difficult to purchase apparel that is sourced entirely from one single country.” The effects of globalization on U.S. apparel manufacturers are certainly known to apparel suppliers in the promotional products industry. “Apparel, by its nature, is really cost sensitive, particularly when you consider promo apparel,” says D. Fenton, vice president of compliance for Chicago-based Quality Certification Alliance. “Labor cost in the U.S. is too high for assembly of market- entry product typical of the bulk of promo apparel. The fashion industry’s low margins have punished companies that try to sell affordable apparel while offering its employees living wages.” In January, the promotional products industry witnessed another sea change. Following the sale of its intellectual property to supplier Gildan Activewear, American Apparel closed its U.S. factory and all its U.S. brick-and-mortar stores. Gildan And Globalization Now under the ownership of Gildan Activewear, American Apparel is attempting to resolve the paradox of consumers who want to buy American-made apparel but don’t want to pay the higher price. “A reality of the industry we face is that more than 97 percent of all apparel and footwear products purchased in the U.S. are imported into the country,” says Mike Hoffman, president of Christ Church, Barbados-based supplier Gildan Activewear SR. There are several challenges to manufacturing apparel products in the U.S., including, as Fenton mentioned, the cost and availability of skilled labor. “In some of the more competitive product Survey Says Are American consumers willing to open their wallets for apparel that’s made in the U.S.? Maybe, suggests a survey by ReportLinker. The recent survey reveals data from interviews conducted March 3-6, with 505 online respondents who are representative of the U.S. population. Here are the significant findings from the survey. Source: https://www.reportlinker.com/insight/made-in-the-usa.html WILLING TO PAY A Of those who believe U.S. products are of higher quality, 74 percent say they’d be willing to pay more. MILLENNIALS ARE LESS LIKELY than older generations TO SEE ANY DIFFERENCES IN QUALITY when choosing between American-made products and imports. Of those who are willing to pay more for American-made items, 80 percent agreed to a 15-percent premium. For those consumers who consider origin when buying a product, they’re MORE LIKELY TO BELIEVE U.S.-MADE PRODUCTS ARE OF HIGHER QUALITY. 76 % percent of Americans feel concerned about the manufacturing origin of the products they buy. 66 % of those surveyed prefer to buy American clothing. ORIGIN MATTERS APPAREL ASCENT | NOVEMBER 2017 | 17