All Todd Shelton products are made in America and we use American made fabrics whenever possible, but not all of our fabrics come from America.  Why?  Some fabrics are no longer made here.

Fabrics Still Made in America 

America no longer produces all fabric categories, most fabric mills have shut down.  However, denim and cotton knits (t-shirt fabric) are still made here. 

Denim and cotton knits are high volume categories, enabling some US mills to remain open, despite the challenges from foreign competition. 

At Todd Shelton, we use American made denim and t-shirt fabric, both produced in America’s south.  The American mills we work with are regarded as World-Class.

Fabrics No Longer Made in America

Shirting fabric and trouser fabric are no longer made in the USA.  Some of you will find that hard to believe for a country our size.  It’s true.  The exception may be a limited line of uniform/workwear fabrics; certainly not suitable for your casual or dress wardrobe.

The best quality shirting and trouser fabrics are made in Europe.  We use shirting and trouser fabric from Italy, Germany and Portugal. 

Today, the European mills face the same challenges from Asian competition that shut down the American mills.  It would be devastating to lose these European mills.

How We Select Country of Origin

When American fabrics are not available, we search for mills located in countries that share a similar world view with America.  A history of artisanship is critical.  And philosophically, we appreciate working with a country whose government views America as an ally, and a population that views Americans as friends.

Then we identify the mills within those countries that are respected as being the best.  We try to get an understanding of the mills culture; how they treat small customers (such as Todd Shelton) is an indicator to their values. 

We select a few mills that fit well with the Todd Shelton brand, and then sample and wear test their fabrics.  Regardless of price, we search for the best performers. 

If one mill offers a clearly superior fabric, but it adds $10 to the price of the product, we’ll accept the increase.  The quality exceeds the additional money spent, and owning the product will be more rewarding for our customer.  

Conversely, if two mills offer nearly identical fabrics, and by using one mill we could reduce our products price by $10, we’ll save our customer the money.  We put much effort in identifying fabrics that offer the best quality, price and value.

In Conclusion

When American fabrics aren’t available, we support and use fabrics from mills that we believe our customers will be proud to have as a partner in the making of their garment.

If you’re interested in “Made in the USA”, you already know we’ve lost the ability to produce the many things we once could.  Sweaters may be one such casualty.  American clothing makers have faced such troubled market conditions the past two decades; they’ve had no flexibility to invest in new machinery or facility upgrades.  The makers that remain are small and their machinery is non-modern.  But is it modern machinery that makes clothing meaningful?  Or is it the people and their traditions in craftsmanship?    

Last Spring (2009), we decided it was time to develop a wool sweater for the Todd Shelton brand.  We knew it would be one of the biggest manufacturing challenges we’d faced in America; the infrastructure (machinery and skill) had exited the country over 10 years ago.  Two shops in our area remained open (shells of what they once were), but they only produced cotton knits – not wool.  These shops had the experience, they’d made wool sweaters years ago, but the machinery and the market were different now.   

Could the non-modern machinery and the vintage construction that made American sweaters for generations compete with the quality of the modern machines in Asia?  The modern machines make a “fully-fashioned” sweater; the machines knit the entire sweater in one piece.  The shops we are loyal to make a “cut & sew” sweater; the body, sleeves and neck are cut individually from knitted fabric and sewn together. 

It’s been fully fashioned sweaters that have taken over the market.  Asia has the machinery. Fully fashioned sweaters are in stores from Target to Barneys – the construction is modern and clean; considered by buyers to be the most desirable.  Cut & sew (in contrast) was the method considered “old hat”, but it had two advantages:  stronger seams (think no holes under the arms) and the spirit of American heritage. 

Starting in Spring 2009 we worked on refining our knitting and “cut & sew” construction techniques, we were making progress weekly, with the hope of releasing our first sweater for Holiday 2009.  But we missed that release, we needed more time for development.  Nearly a year after the project started, we are meeting this Saturday (5/22/2010) to see our most advanced sample (being made this week).  This sample brings together one year of development. 

We plan on having good news to report.  The sample we receive Saturday will determine the future of this project.  If the news is not good, we do have a backup plan, unfortunately it would delay any release until Fall 2011.

Todd Shelton

The first Todd Shelton products were made in China. I was only just beginning and I had a contact in Hong Kong who was willing to work with me. For three years, they produced the clothes that had my name on them. The quality and price were fine, but over time I felt increasingly frustrated that this important step in the process was so out of touch with the business here at home. I wanted to build relationships and to feel that the whole process was authentically American. In 2005, I decided to begin making all our products here in the USA.

This decision changed the whole course of our company. We learned how to make an even better product, and in the process we feel we have become more responsible citizens. Best of all, we built strong relationships with the people who make Todd Shelton clothing. They inspire us daily with their integrity and dedication. We witness the sacrifices they make to keep their shops open and their people employed in a troubled industry. Through it all, they do not complain or lose sight of their purpose, which is to make the very best garments available.

Frank | Makes Todd Shelton T-Shirts (New Jersey)

Frank was born and raised in Italy. At the age of sixteen, he came to America. He worked his way through college in a Brooklyn apparel factory, and in 1978, seventeen years after arriving in America, he started his own apparel factory in West New York, NJ.

When the American apparel industry was still going strong, Frank had 300 employees and was making garments for Ralph Lauren, Guess and The Gap. Today, Frank makes sweaters sold in boutique shops throughout America. He employees 26 people, most of whom have been with him since the beginning.

Frank is a true craftsman. The troubled American apparel industry is losing men like Frank, whose knowledge and expertise will be its most costly casualty. You can find Frank any Saturday or Sunday, alone in his shop, making patterns for the coming week.

Christine | Makes Todd Shelton Shirts (Ohio)

Simply put, Chris’s family makes shirts. It is what they’ve always done and continue to do better than anyone else in the industry. Chris’s father spent his entire career making shirts, and he was so good at it, he eventually bought the factory he worked in. He even met Chris’s mother in a shirt factory. In the 80s and 90s, Chris’s father employed 200 people and made shirts for Ralph Lauren and Brooks Brothers. Unfortunately, the challenges of competing against outsourcing took its toll, and he was forced to close his factory in 2003.

But that, luckily, was not the end of the story. Having grown up in her father’s factory, Chris felt that the family tradition was too important to walk away from. After finishing college, she moved back to her home town. She re-hired some of her father’s key people and started making shirts. Her shop now employes six people, each of whom have worked with her family for decades. You can see and feel the heritage of a hand-made shirt from Chris’s shop.

Julie | Makes Todd Shelton Trousers (New York)

At the end of World War II, Mr. Hertling was given a job at his father’s apparel factory in Brooklyn, whether he liked it or not. Fortunately, it turned out he liked it and he was good at it. In a happy ending, he eventually bought the factory from his father.

When the American apparel industry was at its peak, he employed 500 people and his factory took up an entire city block. His expertise has always been in tailored men’s clothing and today he runs Hertling Trousers in Brooklyn. He employees 30 people, and no one makes a better trouser.

Anytime we meet someone who knows the clothing industry, they always know Mr. Hertling. Everyone who had met him has a personal story to tell and all of them consider him ‘the top guy.’ Mr. Hertling is a legend in this industry.

Anthony | Makes Todd Shelton Patterns (New York)

If Anthony is not the last men’s clothing pattern maker in America, he is one of a dying breed. And although he is a pattern maker, he likes to be considered a designer—or, perhaps, the designer’s designer. Designers come to him with their ideas and he figures out how to make them happen.

Anthony can reference a lifetime of experience. The day he graduated from high school, his father said, “you’re coming to work with me today.” His father was a pattern maker and taught Anthony the business step by step. Anthony worked beside his father until his father’s passing.

Anthony’s expertise and honesty are important assets for TODD SHELTON. We often hear such comments from Anthony as, “you could do it that way, but why would you want to?” or “listen, it’s your decision, but you’re making a mistake.” We have learned from experience to listen to what he says. As designers at TODD SHELTON, we are always trying out new ideas; but in the end, we generally find common ground with Anthony.

Below is an excerpt from the article at Cleveland.com:

Workers United said Hugo Boss told labor leaders early in negotiations that it wanted to move suit production to low-wage plants in Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria.

“The only plan they offered to save the plant was a one year trial experiment which was grounded in the reduction of wages by 35 percent – from $12.80 an hour to $8.30 an hour,” Workers United said in its rally flier.

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