In 1932, Brooklyn based shirt-maker Max Gitman left New York and opened the Ashland Shirt & Pajama Company in the coal mining town of Ashland, Pennsylvania. With his two sons, Alfred & Sheldon, he ran the factory as a contract shop until 1978 when the Gitman Bros. brand was born.
Today, the company is one of the few remaining men’s shirt makers with all production based in Lafayette, TN.
The company has two websites: The main Gitman Shirts site, where you can purchase pre-made and made-to-order men’s dress shirts, and the Gitman Bros. Vintage site.
It was the vintage site that caught my eye — because Madras, which is one of my favorite prints! I haven’t seen a Madras shirt in years.
Even better, you can choose your print and then have your shirt made-to-order: Camp collar, short sleeve, left chest pocket — the custom order widget is super easy to use.
Gitman Vintage shirts feature all the hallmarks of classic men’s Oxfords, including double-track stitching (pioneered by the company), and a locker loop and box pleat on the back side.
According to the website, “all shirts are made by workers who have been sewing clothing for generations and bring all their history and skill to each individual garment they make.”
What I love, in addition to the shirts being made right here in the U.S., is that you can tell they’re the real deal. I’m itching to order a Madras camp shirt. Nothing says summer like a colorful camp shirt.
Visit the Gitman Bros. website: gitmanvintage.com
Full Disclosure
I’m not paid nor asked to write about products or the companies that make them. All links in this piece are FREE — meaning, they’re not sponsored or paid for.
My mission is to keep manufacturing jobs stateside and this blog is my way of giving back. We like to think a “small” choice, such as purchasing something made in the US by American workers, won’t make a difference. It does.
