Jul 6, 2005 9:40 am US/Central
Behind The 'Made In America' Clothing Label
by Terri Gruca
(WCCO)
It is easy to find clothing that reads "American made", "100 percent American" or "All-American" but a look beyond the labels found that branding does not necessarily mean the clothing is all-American.
"I think that's a very important concern for a lot of people," said shopper Nick Hoffman.
People across the Twin Cities proudly wear patriotic clothing.
Steelworker Jim Robbins believes in buying American-made products to help save American jobs.
He was recently seen wearing a patriotic golf shirt, with a tag that reads "Made in Jordan."
At the Mall of America's own store, every item with an American flag on it checked by WCCO-TV was made in China.
At other stores with patriotic apparel, labels read made in China, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Russia.
At Target, WCCO-TV found more than 80 pieces of patriotic clothing. Of all the items, only one T-shirt was made in the United States.
At Old Navy, WCCO-TV could not find any American-made patriotic apparel.
At Wal-Mart, more than 40 patriotic items were checked. Most were made in America, which is no accident. Wal-Mart has a policy where any item with an American flag on it must be made in the USA.
A blanket was the only flag item found by WCCO-TV that was not made in America. It was made in China.
Ninety-seven percent of all clothing sold in the United States is no longer made in the U.S. Yet, Minnesota is home to two long-standing textile manufacturers.
This year, Red Wing Shoes celebrates its 100th anniversary. Winona's St. Croix Knits is celebrating its 45th anniversary.
"I've been in this industry 30, over 30 years, and it's just changed dramatically," said Clark Johnson, a national sales manager for St. Croix Knitwear.
At a time when American manufacturing plants are closing, these businesses have succeeded by carving out a niche and becoming household names in very different households.
"Our average sweater will retail in stores for approximately $250 to $265," Johnson said.
The labels on those sweaters read "Made in the USA" and no one will argue that point on the stitched-in-Minnesota sweaters.
However, on some items, the words "Made in the USA" could mean the clothes were made in Guam, Puerto Rico and the Marinas Islands, which are U.S. territories and possessions that don't necessarily have to pay workers the U.S. minimum wage.
U.S. content must be disclosed on labels in clothing, furs and cars, but for many people, the tag telling where the item was made is not nearly as important as the other tag: the price tag.
"It's a labor-intensive industry and so whenever you can find the cheapest labor for a certain item is probably where the production is going to go," said Johnson.
Imported goods may hurt the American textile worker, but may help the American consumer, who can wear red, white and blue, but can still hang on to the green.
Most stores interviewed by WCCO-TV said they would like to offer more American-made items, but have trouble finding them.
(© MMV, CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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