Is there anything more quintessentially American than blue jeans? Denim is so entrenched in the American psyche that it can be easy to forget that most jeans have been manufactured overseas for decades.
[To listen to the podcast, CLICK HERE.]
To explore this disconnect—and to dive into the trials and tribulations of bringing domestic denim manufacturing back—Sourcing Journal themed its Summer SJ Denim edition the “Made in America” Issue.
In this podcast episode, Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal’s executive editor and denim editor, chats with Lauren Parker, director, Fairchild Studio, about what Made in America denim really means and why it is so hard to fully achieve.
“More factories would help, but who’s going to invest in building those?” said Velasquez. “The closure and upcoming auction of a Vidalia Mills in Louisiana is a prime example of how much is required to get an operation up and running. Then there are other factors, like a skilled workforce. A couple of the companies I spoke with said they relied on former employees from Kontoor or White Oak to help perfect their fits and fabrics, but that knowledge will eventually die off.”
To read SJ Denim’s Made in America Report, click HERE.
