Osmium – Interview

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Today we are talking with Mark Paigen, owner and designer at Osmium, a high-quality clothing company based in Massachusetts. Can you give 50 BUILT readers some background on yourselves and the events that lead up to starting Osmium and the catalyst for doing so? A few years ago, I sold Chaco, the outdoor footwear company that I had built over a 20 year period. Chaco had been a true labor of love and I wanted to take some time, chill and discover what would come next. Six months later, I sailed from Massachusetts to the Caribbean via Bermuda. I wanted to live aboard, explore the islands and enjoy some serious down time. There are a ton of islands down there, each a bit different from the last and plenty of opportunity for exploration and fun. Many months later however, I found myself craving more than another white sand beach, kiteboard session and…Continue Reading

Alex Maine – Interview

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Today we’re talking with Bron Heussenstamm of Alex Maine. Can you tell us a little about yourself and how Alex Maine came to be? As for my experience, I grew up in my parents’ surf shop, Newport Surf & Sport, Huntington Surf & Sport. I used to be the kid who would grab peoples’ ankles under the clothes. It’s just been my entire life, you know?, I’ve always been in the clothing and retail sales (industry).  So it’s something that I knew that I’d always want to get into. I went to USC and I was an entrepreneurship major. I started a couple businesses, didn’t really go the way that I was hoping with the partnerships and whatnot. So I took a job at Sanuk, doing their PR for a year. They’ve just been acquired by UGG, so that’s a good step for them. I knew that I wanted to…Continue Reading

Cone Denim

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Since we featrued Tellason a couple weeks ago and their premium denim, I wanted to repost this factory tour of Cone Denim. One of the gems we have in the USA. So much history… Few institutions garner the respect of their industry the way Cone Denim has. In the textile industry since 1895, they are a world leader in manufacturing corduroy, flannel, and most notably, denim. Denim aficionados around the world know what it means to have a pair of jeans manufactured out of selvage Cone denim. Cone’s White Oak Cotton Factory was built in 1905, and by 1908 became the world’s number one producer of denim. Like most manufacturing plants, a community was built around the mill it has remained a staple of White Oak and the Greensboro, NC area. The coveted premium selvage denim manufactured today uses some of the same equipment from over 100 years ago and…Continue Reading

WAAR

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Today’s interview is with one of the founders from We Are Runts (WAAR), Michael Quinones. Michael and Matt Davis started WAAR as a mission to bring Made in the USA to market with influences pulled from the surf, skate and motorcycle culture. They have dedicated themselves to bringing an affordable, 100% USA made, product to the consumer.   Can you give 50 BUILT readers some background on yourselves and how WAAR came to be? Matt Davis & I both have worked in the action sports and contemporary apparel market for about a decade now. All the brands that we have been apart of were developed and manufactured overseas with the intent on being more or less volume driven. We saw the issues of developing and producing overseas as startup companies. The constant ‘bait and switch’ that would happen with production, poor quality, and generally zero accountability for the issues at hand…Continue Reading

AMERICAN APPAREL

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The above video documents American Apparel’s three Los Angeles factories. With complete control from cotton sourcing, dying and manufacturing of their garment they can assure an end product that can be proudly Made in America. They pride themselves on vertical integration from manufacturing, wholesale to retail. Promising “Sweatshop-free” garments, American Apparel pays its employees over $12/hr compared to workers in China making 40 cents/hr. As the largest garment factory in the USA it has the capability of producing 275,000 pieces a day and up to a million shirts a week. It’s a business platform that appears to be working as American Apparel is the go-to t-shirt blank for companies across the world. Made in the USA is possible, even in an industry that has virtually disappeared from our country. americanapparel.net

NEW BALANCE 993

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Typically when shopping for shoes online, you get a few options; size, style, color, etc. The New Balance site takes it a step further and allows you to view shoes in two separate categories; “made” in the USA and “assembled” in the USA. Made in the USA, the New Balance 993 is an updated version of their legendary 990 shoe series, while still offering the comfort, durability and classic New Balance style. Meant for high-mileage trainers the construction of this shoe features Abzorb SBS advanced cushioning in the forefoot and Abzorb DTS in the heel. This shoe is responsive and will make sure that you keep on running. From New Balance’s site: “Features -Medicare approved colorways: GL, BK -Pigskin/Mesh Upper provides your foot with a lightweight and supportive feel -Blown rubber outsole is extremely flexible, light, and helps provide cushioning -Polyurethane midsole offers durable cushioning and effective resistance to compression…Continue Reading

MATIX CAPITAL COLLECTION

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Matix Design Director Mike Gomez says the Capital Collection is designed to build awareness around the quickly vanishing art of American clothing manufacturing and to shine a light upon the quality produced by those that still take pride in the craft. “It’s surprisingly difficult at this point in time to make stuff in the US,” says Gomez. “There’s just not a lot of factories in existence that can do this work.” Matix VP Brian Dunlap says in addition to using the superior quality of American made textiles, Capital Collection designers went the distance and challenged themselves to source everything, down to the trimming, domestically. “There’s a lot of stuff you see that says Made-In-The-USA,” says Dunlap. “But many of the components that go into these products are actually made overseas. The thing that sets this collection apart is that we’ve gone to great lengths to actually build every trim, every…Continue Reading

TELLASON JEANS

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Denim and American culture are intertwined and have been since the 1870s. Built as an industrial work pant for miners and farmers in San Francisco, California and evolved into a staple in everyday fashion by the 1950s. It’s always been a source of pride to have a durable pair of denim manufactured from quality components. Tellason jeans are made in San Francisco with the highly coveted White Oak Cone raw denim from North Carolina and tanned leather patches from the state of Oregon. If you are looking for a quality pair of denim that reflects the industrial history of the USA, then take a gander at a pair of Tellason jeans. The above video was posted by Vertical Online.

RED WING SHOES

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Red Wing Shoe Company of Red Wing, Minnesota has a long and proud history dating back to 1905. Providing footwear for American soldiers in WWI and WWII, Red Wing quickly became a household name in the USA. Today they provide top quality work boots that are worn with pride around the world. Majority of Red Wing’s boots are hand-made in the USA. They have four factories across the country in Potosi, Missouri and Danville, Kentucky and two plants in Red Wing, Minnesota. FACTORY TOUR DETAILS: Cost: FREE Reservations: Call Red Wing Chamber of Commerce – 651.388.4719 Tour Duration: 1 hour Factory hours: M & F 10AM RED WING SHOE COMPANY 314 MAIN ST. RED WING, MN 55066 800.RED.WING redwingshoes.com

FLINT & TINDER

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In a market where it’s virtually impossible to find a product made in the USA, Flint and Tinder is trying to make it an option again. With cotton sourced from California, elastic bands from Florida and packaging products from around the country, it’s a worthy effort to the Made in America movement. They are making an effort to increase the 1% of men’s undergarments that are made in the USA, and have recently had a successful Kickstarter campaign raising over $290,000 of their initial $30,000 goal. Their short history and Kickstarter success shows the US market is ready to support American Made. The above video is from Flint & Tinder’s Kickstarter campaign. flintandtinderusa.com