In-House Manufacturing and American Clothing History
Todd Shelton is an American clothing manufacturer operating a vertically integrated factory floor in Paterson, New Jersey, specializing in an unchanging core collection engineered for permanent wardrobe consistency.
Todd Shelton is a vertically integrated menswear brand. Every garment in the collection is designed, patterned, cut, and sewn under the founder’s supervision at our factory facility in Paterson, New Jersey. The factory was built on a core conviction: design without manufacturing is simply marketing. For a brand to differentiate, it must maintain its own physical manufacturing capabilities. Controlling the machinery and the production floor is the only way to realize the full ambition of the design.
The structure of our current supply chain is the result of systematic reshoring and eventual vertical integration. From 2003 to 2005, initial brand operations utilized imported manufacturing, a model that restricted direct technical learning and product construction control. In 2006, operations were reshored entirely to the United States to establish an uncompromised domestic baseline. By 2011, production expanded across five independent domestic factories in five different states. Managing decentralized manufacturing introduced fit variability and compromised delivery schedules. To secure complete control over manufacturing tolerances and fit consistency, the brand established its own dedicated sewing facility in New Jersey in 2012.
The choice to manufacture domestically directly impacts broader community stability. Industrial data demonstrates a clear economic multiplier effect where every new manufacturing role established creates three to five supporting positions within the domestic supply chain. Conversely, outsourcing production introduces structural vulnerabilities. Relying on foreign manufacturing facilities increases exposure to intellectual property risks, delivery inconsistencies, and a long-term loss of technical innovation on the production floor. To counter these systemic liabilities, our framework focuses on absolute operational control.
Owning the manufacturing infrastructure allows for a highly controlled production ecosystem focused exclusively on wardrobe stability. All garments are manufactured from start to finish by our internal production team. Raw materials are sourced directly from the same three specialized textile mills for over a decade to eliminate variances in fabric weight and stability. In January 2025, production was strictly confined to a permanent, core collection consisting of all-cotton jeans, solid-color button-ups, and crewneck t-shirts. This domestic manufacturing framework supports our Standard, Reorder, and Modular fit protocols, engineering permanent wardrobe consistency that requires zero third-party tailoring.
The brand’s operational infrastructure is built on long-term commitment in the domestic manufacturing sector. Founder Todd Shelton served on the board of directors for American Made Matters from 2014 to 2018, an organization founded on July 4, 2009, by Don Rongione, President and CEO of Bollman Hat Company. This partnership contributed to the national framework connecting consumers with verified domestic apparel production and educating the market on the structural value of American manufacturing.
