todd shelton

At Todd Shelton we consider our manufacturers to be an integral part of our culture. We are proud of our products, and we are proud of our relationships with the people who make them. Read on to discover their stories:

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.