Fashion & Style: This Outfit Was Made in the U.S.A. --- Domestically produced menswear has found cachet among the sartorial set; Get ready for American goods that are quite a bit better than good

This excitement has also spread to foreign shores, particularly to customers in Japan who have started to embrace, if not fetishize, the Made in the U.S.A. hangtag. Mr. Reid's Heirloom collection, a more exclusive, small-run range that's made almost entirely in the U.S., has done particula...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Wall Street journal Asia
Main Author Marks, Martin
Format Newspaper Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Hong Kong Dow Jones & Company Inc 12.10.2012
Subjects
Clothing industry
Designers
Factories
Manufacturing
Menswear
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Summary:This excitement has also spread to foreign shores, particularly to customers in Japan who have started to embrace, if not fetishize, the Made in the U.S.A. hangtag. Mr. Reid's Heirloom collection, a more exclusive, small-run range that's made almost entirely in the U.S., has done particularly well in Japan. "They love American workwear," Mr. Reid said. Mr. [Michael Williams], the American List-maker, noticed the trend after spending time in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. He noted that many of the brands on his list have done a brisk business selling to eager clients in Japan. "They want everything made in the traditional way," he said. "Made in the U.S.A. is a huge deal over there." Mr. [Antonio Azzuolo] has experience with European production, having worked as a designer at Hermes for three years. He is now one of a few American designers producing true luxury menswear in America. "I used to have this sort of snobbish attitude toward 'Made in the U.S.A.,'" said Mr. Azzuolo. "This has completely changed." The majority of the factories he uses are in New York, Long Island and New Jersey. Mr. Azzuolo, who launched his a.a. collection in 2007, sells to a handful of stores, with plans for expansion.