This is either a pro- made in USA post, or anti made in China post, or some combination.
I have noticed one of my favorite outdoor clothing companies, Patagonia (www.patagonia.com) has fewer items made in USA and more made in China and other locations. This concerns me since this has been my favorite clothing manufacturer for about 20 years. When I look at the items they still make in the US like organic logo t-shirts and merino wool underwear, I'm guessing it is not made in China yet because the quality or cost savings has not been reached to allow this to be made overseas. I'm interested to see if this changes. Where does the organic cotton for the polo shirts made in China come from? Do they ship it from the US? When I visited some fabric mills in China they were absolutely puzzled when I asked if they had any organic fabrics.
"But theevildrsin," you ask. "If Patagonia, or other manufacturers stand by their quality, what does it matter if it is made elsewhere?"
I believe in supporting US companies and more specifically US companies that manufacture product in the US, hopefully from US derived materials. I believe it is more likely that a lower paid factory worker will have less incentive to make a quality product than a higher paid worker living in the US. From my experience in China, most the workers have no idea of the context in which we will use our product because they do not use it themselves. While managing cost is important no matter where your factory is, in China it is ALL about cost. This means the cheapest materials, manufacturing technique, labor, machines, and factory environment will be used with cost effectiveness in mind. Is that what you want in your product? It is the equivalent of having work done by the lowest bidder.
So does Made in USA mean better quality? Not all the time. You have to do your own research. I have worked with both US and Chinese factories, and the US workers and suppliers will cut corners if you are not careful. But it is a lot easier to achieve the quality of materials and workmanship you desire. My suggestion is to focus your purchases on high quality, low volume manufacturers. You will pay more, but these type of companies produce quality goods and will definitely stand behind their work. Companies such as TAD Gear (outdoor gear and apparel) and BillyKirk (leather goods). It takes a little work, money, and trial and error, but you hopefully will find a USA Made product that will work for you for many years to come. I suggest if you are about to buy something, consider the US made alternative.
