Hardcore Luxury® -- Always 100% USA

Production Status

Status as of 30 November 2023 --- Ralph

Since about April of 2022, our production has been moving much much much better than the previous four years.  But processing raw wool into finished garments is a very long process!  Our production is in gear, but most of what we make moves out quickly.

In general, the American Textile Industry is only a tiny fraction of its former self. In 1965, 95% of the clothing worn in America was Made in America. Now that number is 2.5%, maybe 3% (but at least it is growing). And American clothing is only about 2% woolens, but that number is also growing. So there is simply very little capacity for pure-USA manufacture of woolens. We love being part of the group bringing American Woolens back into the mainstream!

We have a separate page showing what is In Stock Now.

We are always working on more items. If you want something we are working on, please place a SHIP ASAP backorder. In the works now:

  • CPOs in Drab and Lynx, expect to ship in beginning of December
  • ShirtJacs in Drab Green around the beginning of 2024
  • Anoraks in Drab Green FullWeight and MidWeight
  • Women's Blanket Coats hopefully for delivery by end of year
  • North Maine Double Coat expected to go into prod in December
  • A small run of Ponchos in FullWeight Drab Green in December
  • We expect to get some Pants going soon
  • Small/Baby Blankets in Natural White (Cream) FullWeight Fabric are being made in-house as needed from any Fabric we have on hand
  • Scarves are made in-house as needed if Fabric is available

Everything we do is based on our Fabric, which we make ourselves:

  • Fabric Batch 8, which is all Solid Drab Color, is now complete
  • Fabric Batch 9, our largest batch yet, is under way.  The first small amount of Batch 9 Fabric, some Natural White (Cream) Fabric in both FullWeight and MidWeight, was actually completed in June, and we are very happy with it! We're making some garments and Blankets with the Natural White.  from it. So far we love the Fabric! And, we are nibbling at DENIM
  • Fabric Batch 10 is not yet in process, but the raw wool has been purchased
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Our Production Backstory page gives some more info about why we have been so low on inventory. If you are interested in a product that is out of stock, please place a no-obligation backorder. We base our production on the garments people have requested.

We presently have enough wool, in various stages of the Fabric production process, to make thousands of garments. That's a lot for us. The question is how long will it take. But it's great that production is moving again.

Because no commercially available fabrics meet our specifications, we make our own Fabric, which is a significant undertaking in terms both of capital and calendar-time.  It takes a year or even 18 months to turn raw wool from the ranches into finished Fabric. And the raw wool is generally available only in April. Making our own 100% American Fabric is the heart of our company ... but that has also been our difficulty.

We have several different batches of Fabric in various stages of production, or with finished garments in stock:

  • Fabric Batch 10 Is almost as large as Batch 9 (next bullet) and has been secured
  • Fabric Batch 9 Is our largest-ever purchase of greasy (raw) wool
  • Fabric Batch 8 is nearly completed
  • Fabric Batch 7 was caught in the flood but we rescued it and almost all of it has been made into garments
  • Fabric Batch 6, all MidWeight Fabric, has been made into Anoraks, CPO Shirts and Hooded Jackets.
    • Fabric Batch 5 has been sewn into garments which are nearly all gone. The virus played havoc with Batch 5 production
    • Sewing professionals are pretty well back to pre-virus pace, but everyone talks about labor shortages. New York City is still not what I'm used to ... but not nearly as distressingly deserted as it was in July of 2020, when there were so few people we felt like we were on the set of a Science Fiction movie. BUT it looks to me like the politicians want to shut it down again, so I am definitely nervous. On the other hand, there is huge desire for MADE IN USA and so our production Partners are busy!
    • We actually have large backorders across all our products and which ones we make first will be determined by what the tailors can do, what Fabric we have and how many people are waiting.

    Something else ... some people may think our spotty inventory reflects a lack of commitment on our part. It's a natural enough assumption to make, I guess, but it's not the case. We are ready, willing, able and absolutely eager to commit enough time, energy and capital to make a great many garments. But there is still very little American factory capacity to turn our very specialized raw wool into our very custom finished Fabric and garments. And it's routine that some sizes/Fabric will be complete reserved before production is complete, so they never show as "In Stock Now". But all our Partners are up and running and the production situation is steadily improving.

    Thank You for your patience, and for working with us!

    Ralph, Debby, Alex, Denali

     

    Updated by Ralph on date at top of page.