Finding Clothes Made in the USA

I have made a commitment to give first choice to clothing and accessories made in the USA or Fair Trade Certified. You can read more about why at this post on Connections and Conundrums. It's a challenge to find everything we need, but it is possible. Here's what I've discovered so far. Made in USA is almost always more expensive; however, most places do have sales. Once in a while, you discover something that is less expensive that what you might normally pay, like a pair of hand-made leather sandals for $13, a leather wallet with a lifetime guarantee for $16, and an adorable girl's swimsuit for $18.99. The hardest items to find seem to be bras, and children's shoes and children's athletic wear. Oh, you can find bras if you're willing to wear sports bras all time or little skimpy all cotton ones. That doesn't work for me! Just about everything else is findable. Here are the best resources I've found so far. Always double check the item listings because sometimes the search brings up things that are actually imported.

Shortcuts

1. Pinterest.
Type "made in USA" into the search box, and you'll get tons of pins and boards. In order to follow the links, you have to be signed in to Pinterest. I have a board of my own called Ethical Consumption. As you browse, you'll discover brands that have items made in the USA, and you can start keeping a list.

2. Nordstrom.
Type USA into the search box. This is another way to discover brands that include American-made items.

3. Amazon.
Search on "made in USA," then narrow the search down to the types of things you want.

4.Overstock.com.
Again, search USA.

5. Good old Google. Just search Clothing "made in USA"

Brands and Stores

You might be tempted to think that iconic American brands like L.L. Bean, Pendleton, Lands End, and Woolrich would automatically be made in USA. Nope. While some of these have a few items, most of the clothing is imported. Lands End is starting to catch on to folks like me, though, and is providing a category of American-made items now. There are a few good men's items, but almost nothing for women and children.

I'm happy to have discovered some brands I really like. In most cases, I'll have to watch for sales because I just can't justify some of the prices, especially for my growing girl, but sales do happen!

FOR GIRLS
1.  CWDKids has a section for Made in USA
2.  Fresh Produce XS - XL
3.  New Balance athletic shoes
4.  Socks and tights at Maggie's Organics.
5.  Brands at Nordstrom:  not every item is American, check the listing. Roxy, LA Social, Soprano, Zunie, Modern Lux, Splendid, and many more.
6.  Eternal Creation - not made in USA, but Fair Trade. Good sales!

FOR ME
1.  Gaiam offers lots of made in USA options.
2.  Matatraders is not made in USA, but is Fair Trade and is affordable.
3.  Fresh Produce - 80% of their items are made in USA, but check the item description. Made in USA says so, but imported says nothing.
4.  Eternal Creation - Fair Trade
5.  Okabashi shoes
6. MadeInUsaForever has lots of stuff from apparel for men, women, and children to household items
7. Sbicca shoes, also available at Zappos.com
8. Haystacks clothing
9. Aqua at Bloomingdales
10.  Karen Kane at Bloomingdales (some plus sizes here)
11.  New Balance athletic shoes
12.  Maggie's Organics
13.  Starlet
14.  SOS fromTexas - clothes, socks, kids & baby, and fabrics
15.  Kate Boggiano 
16.  Kino Sandals
17.  Meesh and Mia - their angle seems to be for the college crowd and they make fashionable skirts, tops, and jackets with college logos. However, it looks like you can buy them without the logos if you choose.
18.  Not Your Daughters Jeans are Made In USA and available at Macy's, Bloomingdales, and Nordstrom. Expensive, but watch for sales.
19.  All American Clothing - jeans and more.
20.  Texas Jeans
21. Oka-b shoes
22. Impact Fitness - workout clothes
23.  Vermont Flannel - pajama pants, robes, shirts, even dog jackets!
24. Bikini Sunshine - women's swimsuits, and they're not all skimpy bikinis!

Next post:  Finding men's clothing Made in USA. Please feel free to share your sources in the comments!