FROM THE BOOK JACKET: The little-engine-that-could story of how a band of scrappy entrepreneurs are reviving the enterprise of manufacturing clothing in the United States.
For decades, clothing manufacture was a pillar of U.S. industry. But beginning in the 1980s, Americans went from wearing 70 percent domestic-made apparel to almost none. Even the very symbol of American freedom and style--blue jeans--got outsourced. With offshoring, the nation lost not only millions of jobs but also crucial expertise and artistry.
Dismayed by shoddy imported "fast fashion"--and unable to stop dreaming of re-creating a favorite shirt from his youth--Bayard Winthrop set out to build a new company, American Giant, that would swim against this trend. New York Times reporter Steven Kurutz, in turn, began to follow Winthrop's journey. He discovered other trailblazers as well, from the "Sock Queen of Alabama" to a pair of father-son shoemakers and a men's style blogger who almost single-handedly drove a campaign to make "Made in the USA" cool. Eye-opening and inspiring, American Flannel is the story of how a band of visionaries and makers are building a new supply chain on the skeleton of the old and wedding old-fashioned craftsmanship to cutting-edge technology and design to revive an essential American dream.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Steven Kurutz has been a features reporter for The New York Times for more than a decade. His magazine article "Fruitland," about the music of Donnie and Joe Emerson, was adapted for the feature film Dreamin' Wild. He is also the author of Like a Rolling Stone: The Strange Life of a Tribute Band. Born and raised in rural Pennsylvania, he currently lives in New England with his family.Read this book and join over 300,000 other readers with a free Library Online Book Club subscription
Subscribe
Catalog
Online Book Clubs
- Online Book Clubs is a fun way to discover and read books on your web browser, smartphone or tablet.
- Subscribe to the clubs for free to get access to the first few chapters of a new book. Receive a 5-minute read daily for 5 days.
- Author Buzz and Kids Buzz: exclusive weekly service featuring 4-5 authors, up close and personal. Authors offer free signed copies of their books and dozens of other free giveaways every week.
