Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1533930
M aking sewn goods domestically is a good idea. e tighter supply chain puts money in the hands of American workers, brands have shorter production to market timelines and consumers get prod- ucts with more cultural nuance. e most important effect of a return to American made sewn goods would be the middle class career paths that would reemerge in textiles, design, engineering and sewing. A couple of things stand in the way. e first hurdle was highlighted recently in an excellent editorial within a popular outdoor publication. e author pointed out that even with a massive investment in making outdoor apparel in the U.S., it would take years to develop the technical skills necessary to cut and sew garments equal in quality to those currently coming out of Asia. I agree. Manufacturing sewn goods involves a wide variety of detailed and complex skills. Fabric doesn't make itself, patterns aren't magically cut and seams don't perfectly stitch themselves together. Every step in apparel production involves precise hand skills that can only passed directly from one person to another through repetition and direct experience. e institutional knowledge around sewn goods manufacturing in America has been fading away for decades. It will take a long time to build it up again. e second problem concerns the machinery used in sewn goods production and where that machinery comes from. Cutting and sewing tools have undergone the same technical evolution as the power tools used in other indus- tries, that is to say they bear little resemblance to their ancestors of 45 years ago. Modern sewing machinery has become "computerized" and fits within a connected ecosystem that is efficient and highly automated. What's le of the machin- ery America used in the past is outdated and needs to be replaced. e challenge is a lack of homegrown machinery. ere are virtually no sewing machine manufacturers le in the U.S., or the western world for that matter. e heritage sewing machine brands from Europe, the UK, Japan and the U.S. are either gone or have moved their production to the Chinese and Vietnamese factories where the vast majority of industrial sewing machines are now made. e rapid advancement in machine technology widens the gap between what an American factory is capable of and what a high end Asian factory can achieve. Large scale production sewing in the U.S. would require a substantial investment in both people and machinery. A risk-filled endeavor to be sure. However, there is a bright spot. Currently the direct to consumer brands that are sewing in a small batch, market focused way are thriving. While a tiny piece of the consumptive pie, they do signal that a vision- ary leap past the status quo in sewn goods manufacturing in this country is possible. n Disclaimer: Mr. Gray has been sewing since Isaac Singer was in diapers and he still can't sew around corners. e publisher may not share in his opinions or lack of motor skills. OUT OF CONTEXT By Kurt Gray Taking Steps Towards Sewing in America. TOOLS OF THE TRADE 30 • Textile Insight ~ Spring 2025 textileinsight.com