Americans purchase nearly 20 billion items of clothing per year.

That’s 68 garments and 7 pairs of shoes per person!

But out of all of that clothing, 98 percent of it is made overseas.

My name is Kathryn Hilderbrand and I’m a designer, tailor and entrepreneur who has seen the entire landscape of apparel manufacturing change. This campaign is my way of combating the negative effects of fast fashion by supporting independent designers and local job creation.

Since the early 1990’s I have owned tailoring shops on Cape Cod and in Northern Virginia. Early on, business was booming and my customers knew the value of getting their clothes mended. Rarely was a garment thrown away simply because of a hole or a ripped hem.

Then, between 1996 and 2011, I watched more than half a million American garment manufacturing jobs vanish. The “fast fashion” phenomenon began to sweep the industry as clothing production was outsourced to cheaper labor overseas.

Fast forward to today and we’re seeing a revival. The Made in the USA movement is slowly but surely gaining momentum thanks to industry pioneers and consumers who value quality, ethics and voting with their dollars.

To further spark this movement, I’m opening a state-of-the-art apparel manufacturing facility in Massachusetts.

As a tailor with high standards and as the designer of an emerging eco-fashion label, I understand the need for quality craftsmanship that is available locally. The option of small production runs is crucial to the success of startup clothing companies and those facilities are hard to come by. As I looked for a place to manufacture my own label, I realized I could create what I was unable to find.

Enter Good Clothing Company.

At Good Clothing Company, we’ll be offering small runs for new designers, creating local jobs and practicing ethical, sustainable and green production methods in our facility.

Our goal is to help change the face of manufacturing on a local level, but we need your help.

So far, we have three industrial machines, a large work/cutting table, racks and shelves, tailoring tools, and office furniture, but we need to raise additional funds for six more industrial sewing machines so we can hire four more stitchers. We are also in need of an industrial cutter to help us speed up the production process, thus bringing the cost down for our clients and new designers.

Good Clothing Company:

• Provides an alternative to overseas manufacturing

• Helps small, independent designers grow their businesses

• Creates well paid jobs in the U.S.

• Supports local and national economic growth

• Reinvigorates a historically American industry

• Commits to sustainability and ethics

The truth is, whether you’re a designer, an activist or a concerned citizen, we’re all consumers. The way our clothing is made affects all of us. By supporting ethical clothing production you are additionally supporting:

• job creation

• local economies

• entrepreneurship

• innovation in green production methods

• recycling and waste reduction initiatives

• small batch production

• business transparency

The last thing I’ll ask of you…

Please share! We’re going to raise our goal through people like you who spread the word about our campaign.

Here are a few simple tweets and Facebook posts that you can copy and paste right onto your own page:

Facebook:

The way clothing is made affects all of us. I support Kathryn Hilderbrand’s campaign for ethical and sustainable manufacturing with Good Clothing Company. http://bit.ly/1IzlF7D

Voting with my dollars by supporting Kathryn Hilderbrand and Good Clothing Company. Here’s to changing the fashion industry with ethical manufacturing. http://bit.ly/1IzlF7D

As an independent designer, I depend on ethical and sustainable manufacturing in the U.S. Please join me in supporting Good Clothing Company towards the positive future of fashion. http://bit.ly/1IzlF7D

Twitter: 

We’re all consumers. We can do it better. Support ethical apparel production with @GDClothingCo. http://bit.ly/1IzlF7D #madeinusa

I support the #madeinusa movement by backing @GDClothingCo’s campaign for a better fashion industry. http://bit.ly/1IzlF7D #ethicalfashion

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Thank you for your time, for your support, and for caring about a better future for fashion.

Gratefully,

Kathryn