Greetings,
When we recommend products that are made in the United States, we know the appeal for our readers is more than surface-level patriotism.
As Americans, we want an economy that we’re proud of. We want our purchases to support our neighbors’ jobs and to help our communities thrive. We want our nation to make things again. “A more human way of life” means economic activity that strengthens us instead of enriching foreign countries.
As consumers, we care about what we get for our money. Items made cheaply abroad are virtually never built to last. They’re designed to keep you buying replacements — the more, the better.
None of us voted for an economy that, through offshoring, makes it nearly impossible to invest in our own country when we want to buy something. Nobody asked for American jobs to be shipped to other countries—with lower labor and environmental standards—in exchange for goods that fall apart.
Buy American and take a stand against the dysfunctional status quo. Americans didn’t ask for this situation—the bipartisan establishment thrust it upon us. We launched New Founding to fix it. ALIGN is our first product, but there is much more to come!
The Better Alternative
As an alternative to purchasing luggage and bags at corporate department stores or on Amazon, consider Duluth Pack, whose website notes: “They say nothing lasts forever. We challenge that.”
While pricier, if you are able to invest in a long-lasting piece, they make beautiful duffels, laptop bags, backpacks, bike bags, and more—manufactured “only, proudly, and continuously in Duluth, Minnesota since 1882.” You can even “meet your craftsperson” via staff profiles on their website, which is certainly not something you can do when buying “Made in China” from Nordstrom, Macy’s, or Amazon.
Business Spotlight
Lifetime Leather is a small business whose focus is durability, just as the name implies.
They write: “In an increasingly disposable world, [founder Ty Bowman] wanted to create quality products that lasted a lifetime. Everything made by Lifetime Leather is carefully handcrafted in our Arizona workshop, employs American workers, and will last your lifetime!”
From their Arizona workshop, they create leather tote bags, wallets, watchbands, toiletry bags, and much more.
The Bigger Picture
Data from the Wall Street Journal shows why consumers are correct to take the supply chain problem seriously:
“In 1991, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says, 56.2% of all clothing purchased in the U.S. was American-made; by 2012, it was down to 2.5%. Between 1990 and 2012, the bureau reports, the U.S. textile and garment industry lost more than three-quarters of the sector’s labor force. U.S. factories sat empty even while apparel and textile jobs globally nearly doubled, from 34 million in 1990 to nearly 58 million in 2012.”
