Future vintage 9: Maker’s Row

I’m always interested in non-disposable clothing—the type of clothing, made today, that will be worn and appreciated decades from now as great vintage clothing. This includes knowing that the people who made the clothing were not subjected to dangerous and unhealthy working conditions.

To an extent we have been handed this gift from our parents’ and grandparents’ generations. Maybe I’m a dreamer but I’d like to see us be able to do the same for future generations.

I have an every-now-and-then series of posts dedicated to this subject which you can find by clicking on the label future vintage at the bottom of this post.

Maker’s Row is a website devoted to factory sourcing in the U.S. (“America’s Best Factories in one Place”). Listening to a story on NPR’s Morning Edition, I came to realize that there was no such comprehensive website before.

Are you a U.S. designer? A U.S. manufacturer? This seems to be a good place to make contact. Is there a modern day Claire McCardell or Bonnie Cashin among you? Let’s get you together with some of our U.S. manufacturers.

A screenshot of a very small sampling of manufacturers under the category dress

Claire McCardell’s 1942 popover dress with attached oven mitt sold in the thousands for $6.95 while Norells, Mainbochers and Hattie Carnegies ran in the hundreds of dollars. She adroitly took advantage of American mass production capability.