1. Made in North Carolina
The Future of U.S. Apparel Manufacturing
2. The Facts
98% of clothing purchased in the U.S.
is imported from abroad
Just 2% of clothing bought in this
country is manufactured on U.S. soil.
And Datang, China, makes
one-third of the world's socks.
3. Is Anything Made in America Anymore?
“All over the country in the
1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s, ordinary
people were worried about
unemployment, increased
economic inequality, and the
future of the United States in
a rapidly globalizing
economy.”
4. A Brief History on
Apparel Manufacturing…
In 1815, the first cotton textile mill
was founded in Lincoln County, NC.
In 1840, there were 25 cotton mills
By the turn of the century there were nearly 100.
5. In 1923, North Carolina overtook Massachusetts as
the leading textile producing state
There were 293 mills in 1914
And by 1930, NC produced $190.9 million
worth of textile products.
6. In 1970, Burlington Industries in NC became the
worlds largest textile-manufacturing operation.
In 1992 North Carolina represented
16% of textile production.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12. what happened to U.S.
apparel manufacturing?
Technological advances
Imports of apparel and textiles
Increasing global competition
Introduction of cheap, overseas labor
High unemployment
Lower Education, No cross training
NO INNOVATION.
13. From 1997 to 2002 North Carolina lost
100,000 jobs in the textile industry and
70,000 more in the apparel industry.
14. Apparel and textile
employment has
dropped 70% since
1996, and more than
half of manufacturing
plants have closed.
15. Economists say that the age American
clothing manufacturing is dead.
"I don't think this is where we
should compete with China,
frankly. What we're good at is the
production of advanced goods.”
- Bruce Katz, Brookings Institute
16. We disagree.
We’re rebuilding.
44 percent of US apparel jobs are in
three States—California, North
Carolina, and Georgia.
Historically, North Carolina has led
the other 50 states in textile
production.
And NC is still recognized as the
headquarters for several major global
textile marketing and manufacturing
companies.
17. INNOVATION COMMUNITY
BUILDING
“While now we're largely a service-providing
nation, we're still just a generation away from
being a nation of producers. The question is:
What economic framework will help us
reclaim those skills and that potential.”
ETHICAL JOB CREATION
MANUFACTURING
18. Meet School House
We proudly design and deliver ethically
created and fashionably desirable
“Made in America” collegiate clothing
19. We’re the fresh face of
East coast apparel manufacturing
And along with our partners, we’re building a
greener, homegrown supply chain.
20. From our cotton, yarn and fabrics
Cotton
Grown in Northampton, Halifax,
Edgecombe, Martin, Bertie, Lenoir,
Sampson, Pitt, Wilson and Wayne
counties
Yarn provider
UNIFI, Inc - Greensboro, NC
1,974 jobs
Fabric
Contempora Fabric - Lumberton, NC
150 employees
22. even zippers and screen printing
Zippers
IDEAL Fastener, Oxford, NC
225 employees
Screen Printers
Tees R Us, Rocky Mount, NC
Innovative Ink, Morganton, NC
12 employees
23. We’re a small business creating business
with suppliers and manufacturers in
North Carolina.
We support over
2,784 American apparel jobs
in NC across 10 companies
25. From a storied knit manufacturer that’s
crafted sweaters for the armed forces
MITTS NITTS
Knit Goods
Durham, NC
40 employees
26. To a worker-owned sewing cooperative with
Guatemalan roots in the mountains of
the Appalachians
OPPORTUNITY THREADS
Cut & Sew
Morganton, NC
6 employees
27. WE ARE
Moving beyond mass manufacturing.
- Providing employees a fair wage for their work
- Committing to new labor constructs
- Focusing on craftsmanship and quality
- Cross training workers and honoring their craft
