Key takeaways:
Few textile and manufacturing facilities remain in North America, but organisations like Fibershed are working to help companies develop 'buy local' sourcing networks. The California-based non-profit is planning a $50 million plant where brands can do everything from scouring wool to finishing fabrics.
Labels can kick-start efforts by classifying them as marketing projects. The North Face built a marketing campaign around its Backyard collection, featuring apparel made with fibres grown within 150 miles of its headquarters, which at that time drew more social media attention than any other product the US company had ever sold.
There is some evidence that customers will pay more for locally made clothing. One US study found that customers were willing to pay triple the premium for a locally knitted sweater compared to a Chinese-manufactured garment.
Four years ago, a handful of Californian farmers, weavers, processors and others came together to make a pair of jeans entirely from in-state materials. Together, the Grow Your Jeans project produced 18 pairs, which sold out before they were even made.
In a world of global supply chains, this 'buy local' effort couldn’t go mass. But the project was a successful proof of concept for Fibershed, the non-profit behind it. The organisation is now planning a $50 million production facility in California where brands can do everything from scouring wool to finishing fabrics.
Labels including The North Face and Eileen Fisher are increasingly keen on producing 'buy local' items within one geographical region. While the final product may not stay local, Fibershed founder and director Rebecca Burgess argues that sourcing and producing locally is the best way to improve a brand’s environmental footprint. While estimates vary, Levi’s said in 2015 that manufacturing, production and transportation account for 46 per cent of the environmental footprint of a pair of 501 jeans.
There is some evidence that customers will pay more for locally made clothing. One US study found that customers were willing to pay triple the premium for a locally knitted sweater compared to a Chinese-manufactured garment.
Only a few processing and manufacturing facilities remain in North America. Of those that do, there are often significant minimum orders.
Organisations like Fibershed and the California Cloth Foundry were founded to help bridge the gap. The Foundry was started by Lydia Wendt, who previously worked in private label manufacturing and with brands like Calvin Klein. Now, her clothing and fabric company sources fibres from the southwest region of the US, before spinning, weaving and knitting them domestically.
“The farther you get from your manufacturing, the more room for error and the less room for collaboration,” says Wendt. Global trade instability has only added to incentives for clients to stay close. Currency fluctuations and potential tariffs mean that domestic clients are willing to pay a little more for US-based producers to avoid import risks, she says.
Making adjustments to a supply chain is no small task, so Burgess recommends starting small. “You don’t need to change your whole supply chain. You just need to exercise the muscle of care,” she says.
Burgess suggests starting with a “micro-line” — a small or straightforward low-stakes product — and designating it as a marketing item, rather than integrating it into the full production budget, at least for the first year.
By reducing the materials and assembly steps needed, brands get used to having more people from production involved at the design stage. Treating it as marketing allows the brand to engage the public in learning about the effort. “It becomes a whole education experience to do a micro-line,” says Burgess. “And the marketing piece has been helpful for some larger brands because they’ve been able to do a lot of storytelling.”
That’s exactly what The North Face, the largest brand Fibershed has collaborated with, did. In 2014, the California apparel label worked with the non-profit to create a hooded sweatshirt with a supply chain entirely within 150 miles of its headquarters. “We failed on the initial challenge,” says James Rogers, the company’s director of sustainability. “That wasn’t because of price point or anything else. The infrastructure simply didn’t exist.”
Over time, Fibershed helped the brand establish a sourcing network. The North Face has since expanded the Backyard line to include a T-shirt and accessories. It also created a campaign explaining its sustainability goals and limitations. The company says the collection sold well even though some items cost about $10 more than similar pieces from other collections. When the project debuted, it generated more social media attention than any other garment the North Face previously produced.
Nobody thinks that global supply chains are going away. However, even if brands continue to rely on them, investing in one or two locally produced items offers lessons that improve the overall supply chain. When brands begin to work more closely with suppliers in their region and to understand their challenges, says Wendt, they start to think about challenges that suppliers everywhere face and the impact that their practices may be having in their respective communities.
Correction: While The North Face's Backyard collection generated more social media attention than any other product line by the brand when it launched, it has since been overtaken. An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the collection is still the product line that has received the most social media attention. (26 April 2019)
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