Made in USA

Fashion reflects ideology: haute couture mirrors class, while the t-shirt embodies democracy. The “Made in USA” movement struggles against globalization and cost considerations. While American Trench aims to create authentic, accessible American-made apparel, its success lies in affordable socks, not expensive blazers. The core of American fashion, however, may be fusion, the eclectic mix of styles and openness, which is now at risk in homogenized market.

Afina CEO Ramon Van Meer’s experiment tested consumer willingness to pay premiums for U.S.-made goods by offering identical showerheads at $239 (“Made in USA”) and $129 (“Made in China”). Among 25,000 online visitors, all 584 purchases chose the cheaper Chinese version, revealing a disconnect between stated patriotic preferences and actual price-driven decisions. Van Meer emphasized that reshoring requires rebuilding entire supply chains, not just factories, and noted the critical gap between social media rhetoric favoring domestic products and real purchasing behavior—posing challenges for U.S. reindustrialization efforts.