Athleisure Wear

ATHLEISURE….not in the dictionary, however,  the word used to describe ultra comfortable clothes that you can wear to the gym/studio, go for a run in or sit at the coffee shop in (while you look like you’re doing important things on your Macbook Air after you have been to the studio) or just wear around the house. 

YOU KNOW WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!! THE STRETCHY PANTS THAT YOU WISH YOU COULD WEAR TO THANKSGIVING DINNER….but your mother wouldn’t approve.

You don’t have to be in the fashion industry to know that this category of clothing has recently exploded across the USA and it’s not hard to understand why.  People want to be comfortable and it is generally still thought to be unacceptable to wear your pajamas out of the house for extended periods of time during the day.

Whether or not you are a serious athlete, yogi, college student, busy soccer mom etc., the good news is that there are many made in the USA brands of athleisure wear out there for you to choose from, strategically placed insignias included!!

Here are your made in the USA choices…Namaste…have a great run…enjoy your latte!

American Made Athleisure Ware

Company NameLocationMen/WomensWebsiteCost (based on leggings)Manufacturing
OnzieVenice, CAWomen’shttps://www.onzie.com$64-8099% USA cut, dyed and sewn, unclear where fabric is sourced
Beyond YogaLos Angeles, CAWomen’shttp://www.beyondyoga.com$95+100% made in USA
VimmiaLos Angeles, CAW and Mhttps://www.vimmia.com$97 
Om ShantiMiami, FLWomen’shttps://omshanticlothing.com$29-70100% dyed, cut, sewn in USA, fabric-Canada
Hard Tail ForeverLos Angeles, CAWomen’shttps://www.hardtailforever.com$62-90100% USA
KoralLos Angeles, CAMen and Womenhttps://koral.com$80-135Manufactured in USA imported fabric
NuxLos Angeles, CAWomenhttp://nuxactive.com$88-115Manufactured in USA, ? fabrics

The Blue Jean

If there is one article of clothing that captures the spirit of America it is the blue jean. “Born” on May 20, 1873 by Levi Strauss and his business partner, Jacob Davis, the initial rendition of the blue jean was conceptualized to provide the working man with a sturdy pair of pants that would not fall apart when put to work.  Surprisingly it was not so much the denim (it appears that denim was already in circulation) as the rivets that were placed at critical stress points that launched this American icon into a perpetually changing, casual, fashion statement. 

In fact it was a man by the name of Calvin Klein who developed a blue jean with a fancy design on the pocket that inspired one of our founding members to get a serious job at the age of 14 because in our house if you wanted anything other than your 3rd cousin’s hand me downs or what the local department store could provide you were earning that money yourself. 

There are possibly hundreds of blue jean companies…there are also as many styles and colors that have circulated (and re-circulated-believe me the skinny jean has been here before, acid wash anyone?)…needless to say we could do an entire blog just on jeans.

The good news is that there are number of brands that are made in the USA over a wide distribution of price points.  

Buyer be aware with several of these companies the jeans are made in the US, however, often times the other articles of clothing (even clothes that look like jeans but don’t really have a lot of denim in them) are “imported“ which, I believe, is the term companies use when retail comes from less glamorous places (from a fashion standpoint) as opposed to Italy or France.  

Also, it can be unclear if the materials are made in the USA so as you browse please check the details, we will try to update and figure this out for you.  Most of the time, the companies are completely forth right with where their materials are sourced from, however, the phrase “manufacture in the USA of imported materials” is often used!!  We encourage our readers to email the companies themselves if they have questions about the origin of the materials they use.

A word about selvage denim a type of denim made on old looms, known for its superior knit and self-edge that will not unravel….the last American company to make this type of denim closed its doors in 2017 (Cone Mills White Oak).  Some of the companies listed below are having to source this type of denim from overseas…we have listed the source when we are able to figure it out.   Some companies appear to have some stock that enables them to continue to make 100% USA jeans it is unclear what they will do when this supply runs out. 

Jeans, Jeans, and More Jeans from the USA

NameMen,  Women, kidsLocationWebsitePrice pointMATERIALS
Dearborn DenimM and WChicago, ILhttps://dearborndenim.us$60-70100% USA
Texas JeansMTexashttp://www.texasjeans.com$20-30100% USA
Buddy’s JeansMMississippihttps://www.buddysjeans.com$50100% USA
Williamsburg Garment Co.M and WBrooklyn, NYhttps://williamsburggarment.com$149-400100% USA
Bullet BluesM and WCaliforniahttps://bulletbluesca.com$170+100% USA
Bluer DenimM, W coming?Californiahttp://www.bluerdenim.com$170+100% USA
GamineWTiverton, RIhttp://www.gamineworkwear.com $150100% USA
LC KingM and W (skirts)Bristol, TNhttps://lcking.com$89-150100% USA
Diamond Gusset Jean CoM and WTenesseseehttps://www.gusset.com$70-135USA some denim in Mexico
Todd SheltonMenEast Rutherford, NJhttps://toddshelton.com$275Sewn in NJ, denim Japan
Bravestar SelvageMenLos Angeles, CAhttps://bravestarselvage.com$88-98USA and Japan
Round HouseMen, boysShawnee, OKhttps://www.round-house.com$50-80100% USA
Left Field NYMenNYC, NYhttps://leftfieldnyc.com$120-300USA
FreenoteMenSan Juan Capistrano, CAhttps://freenotecloth.com$250USA Sewn, denim Japan

American Giant

American Giant is an inspirational company and the “light bulb” moment that lead to the development of this blog.

If blatant plagiarism weren’t completely illegal we would have copied and pasted the entire “About Us” content of their website as the opening motivational piece to compel people to buy American.  The goals of the company, the process of their product development, the USA based resources that they use (materials and labor) and the genuine love of this country that seems to exude from the website and the interview spots that have appeared on TV are enough to make us buy everything JUST from American Giant.  Both men and women’s clothing are available and the product line keeps expanding.

THE DETAILS:  The price point is reasonable when compared to a lot of imported, “designer clothing”.  We understand that you can go to Walmart or Target and get a few if not several hoodies for $108, the current price tag of their iconic sweatshirt.  However, if you value quality over quantity (nobody needs 8 hoodies) and like classic, casual, clothing that will last a lifetime YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!

For those of us that do not have the resources to spend $100+ on a sweatshirt. The company sells their 100% USA cotton T-shirts with bundled savings, provides a discount to veterans and has a first time buyer promotion.  The product line keeps expanding with pants, sweaters, and outerwear and on and on and on. We are convinced that you can supplement your wardrobe with a little something from American Giant to kick start your commitment to buying Made in the USA.

The purchase that started it all: The Classic Full Zip Hoodie-great, rugged, heavy weight sweatshirt great for yard work, standing on the sideline at your kid’s soccer game, walking across campus on a crisp fall day, sitting around the campfire as the nights get colder and the days get shorter. 

Under the guise of further research (someone has to do it) we have had the pleasure of participating in their T-shirt bundles (3-5 for a discounted price), have purchased the lower priced, French terry sweatshirt (a softer, lounge worthy sweatshirt) and a pair of their women’s cargo shorts from a couple of seasons ago (which have sadly been discontinued).  We have been pleased as punch with every product!

We are excited to see the expansion of what they have to offer especially for women-leggings, jeans, dresses etc. etc.

AND IF THAT RAVE DID NOT MAKE YOU FALL IN LOVE…MAYBE THE FACT THAT THIS COMPANY SHUT DOWN PRODUCTION OF THEIR CLOTHING LINE TO PRODUCE MEDICAL MASKS IN WHAT WILL LIKELY BE THE BIGGEST HEALTH CRISIS SINCE THE 1918 FLU WILL CONVINCE YOU THAT YOU SHOULD RETHINK THE EXPENSIVE IMPORTED DESIGNER SWEATSHIRT OR THE CHEAP DEPARTMENT STORE SWEAT AND BUY.…AMERICAN MADE

Future thoughts after this health crisis has ebbed…Kid’s product line please??