Independent American Made Workwear Brands Built to Last

Taylor Stitch was founded in San Francisco in 2008 by Mike Maher and Barrett Purdum. The Workshop Model — where customers pre-order products at a discount before production runs — was an early innovation in sustainable manufacturing that the brand has stuck with. The fabrics are serious: Japanese selvedge, Italian wools, waxed canvas from British mills. The cuts are workwear-derived but clean enough for everyday wear.

Imogene + Willie was founded by Matt and Carrie Eddmenson in 2009 out of a 1950s gas station in Nashville that became their flagship store. They still make their denim domestically, which puts them in a very small group. The jeans are made-to-measure and broken in by hand before shipping — a process that takes real time but produces a fit and a fade that factory-made denim cannot replicate. The brand has a community feeling that national brands don't.

Rogue Territory started in Los Angeles around 2009 as a direct challenge to the idea that heritage denim had to be precious or costume-y. The cuts are workwear-inspired but functional — the Supply Jacket and Standard Issue jeans are designed to move. They source selvedge from Japanese mills and finish everything in LA. The brand's aesthetic is quieter than most in the heritage denim space, which has aged well.

Dehen has been manufacturing in Portland, Oregon since 1920 — which gives them a legitimate claim to being one of the oldest continuously operating American sports knitwear factories. They originally made athletic letter sweaters for high schools and universities across the Northwest. Today they make a small line of varsity jackets and knitwear products using the same domestic manufacturing they've always had. The craftsmanship is demonstrably different from any offshore alternative.

Left Field NYC was founded by Chris Kerr in New York and has maintained a focus on American-made selvedge denim with a deliberately low profile. The brand uses Cone Mills selvedge — one of the last remaining American denim mills — and cuts everything domestically. The aesthetic is working-class NYC with a vintage sports influence: baseball jerseys, chambray shirts, and jeans with real utility in the design.

Freenote Cloth launched out of Southern California in 2012 with a focus on heritage workwear silhouettes executed in Japanese selvedge denim. The brand occupies a specific niche: American workwear aesthetics, Japanese fabric quality, California ease in the fit. Their Wilkes shirt and Avila jacket have become long-running staples. They also carry a curated selection of partner brands (Viberg boots, for example) that fit the same quality standard.

American Giant launched in 2012 when founder Bayard Winthrop bet that Americans would pay more for clothes made entirely in the United States. The Atlantic called their classic hoodie 'the greatest hoodie ever made' in 2013, which created a wait list and a lot of attention. They've since expanded into chinos, denim, and tees — all made domestically, all built to a weight and finish that fast fashion physically cannot match. The brand is proof that the domestic apparel supply chain can still function.