If you want to be a savvy shopper, you should buy clothes made in the USA. Not only does this help support American jobs, but it also ensures that the clothes you buy are made of high-quality materials and craftsmanship. Here are some reasons why you should purchase clothing made in America:
Support American Jobs
According to the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), the U.S. textile industry employs more than 600,000 people nationwide, including many small businesses with fewer than 100 employees each — according to the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA). The industry also accounts for $9 billion annually in wages paid directly to workers and another $25 billion indirectly through associated industries such as transportation, warehousing, and wholesale trade.
The U.S.’s textile industry is one of its oldest industries and is still among its most prominent job creators today, according to the AAFA. In fact, it even outranks agriculture when it comes to employment: Agriculture employs just over 2 million people while textiles employ more than 600,000 Americans directly — most of whom are located near textile mills throughout the South — plus another 25 million indirectly through related industries such as transportation, warehousing, and wholesale.
Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
The first reason you should buy clothing made in America is that it reduces your carbon footprint. To manufacture goods abroad, they must be shipped across oceans and then flown back to America, and this requires a lot of fuel and results in a high carbon footprint for Americans. By purchasing American-made products, you are helping reduce this impact on our environment.
Low shipping costs
If you want to buy clothes from different countries, then it would make sense to look at the shipping costs and other hidden costs involved with the shipment process. However, there are no hidden costs when you shop for made-in-America clothing, making them more affordable than their counterparts from other countries.
Better quality of clothes
When it comes to quality, there is no doubt that most of these brands will be able to deliver better quality clothing than their counterparts from other countries. Also, since most of these brands manufacture their products locally, it becomes easier for them to monitor their quality control processes regularly, ensuring that only high-quality products reach consumers worldwide.
Full disclosure of the manufacturing process
When you buy from overseas countries, you do not know what they do with your money. They might be using child labor or polluting their environment while making your clothes. When you buy from local manufacturers, you know exactly where your money is going and how they will use it.
Lower import duties
If you live in the US and buy a product made in China, there is a high chance that you will have to pay import duty when it arrives at your doorstep. This duty is usually around 10% of the product’s value. When you buy from overseas countries, the products come with many hidden costs such as customs duty, shipping, and taxes.
Closing thoughts
If you want to know about the quality of clothing you are purchasing, step back and reflect on what you are looking for in your wardrobe. What does made in the USA apparel mean to you? Is it better quality or value? Is it more stylish? Or is it just a label that means something more significant to you? Regardless, it is clear that there are many reasons why one should buy made in the USA clothing.
