Joseph Gutierrez made the connection between product shortages and off-shoring during the Covid pandemic in 2020. To learn more, he began listening to podcasts and reading. The more he learned, the more he branched out in his research.
“I found a blog post that stated if each person spent just $30 to buy something made in the USA, all those purchases would generate $9 billion and boost the middle class,” he says.
The video’s message resulted in an epiphany. “I became more aware of what I was purchasing and where things are made. It completely changed my mind on what Made in USA really meant – especially with regard to apparel manufacturing.”
Gutierrez began buying and wearing made in USA garments and accessories as much as possible. If he couldn’t find something made here, he’d go to the thrift store and search for vintage items or simply use what he had in his closet.
In the back of his mind, however, was the idea of starting a business. As he purchased US-made items, he’d look up who was making the garments he now loved and wore.
One company, for example, was the New England Shirt Company in Fall River, MA, one of the oldest ready-to wear men’s and women’s dress shirt manufacturers in the United States. Founded in the 1933, the company began production in a mill located next to the Quequechan River, which means “Falling River” in the Wampanoag language.
The mill has seen first-hand the changes to the textile industry over its 80 year history.
Another company Gutierrez found was All American Clothing – a company that manufactures US-made apparel for men and woman. It’s also a partner with Vermont Flannel – both under the auspice of USA Brands, whose vision is to provide quality-made domestic clothing to consumers on a national scale at reasonable prices – as well as to promote American jobs and American craftsmanship.
A new company is born – Iris & Loom
Along with shuttered cotton and textile mills, another hard-hit industry was American-made knitwear. Today, knitting mills are all but extinct.
Gutierrez, however, made an exciting discovery: His American-made sweater was made by a company in Brooklyn, NY using 3D knitting machines.
“Once I discovered Tailored Industry, I knew I wanted to be a part of what they were doing,” he says.
3D knitting technology has been around for many years, but was mostly limited to machines that created knitted tubular items.
Today, high-tech 3D machines knit whole garments – with no cutting or sewing. The technology is similar to CNC machines used to produce metals parts.
A garment is first designed using traditional methods (e.g. hand-drawing). A CAD (computer aided design) specialist then translates the garment design into a computerized drawing; the software code is uploaded to the 3D knitting machine – which produces the piece.
“It’s clothing on demand,” says Gutierrez, “and is the opposite of fast fashion. The process uses 99% of the material, which significantly reduces waste. Each garment is made-to-order of highest-quality yarns. Each piece is inspected, tagged, packaged and shipped by American workers. All work is done at the factory in Brooklyn, NY.”
While not US-made, the yarns are carefully sourced from select factories around the world: the cashmere, for example, is spun in the oldest mills in Scotland, while cotton is sourced from Italy and grown on land that meets the regenerative standards of the Better Cotton Initiative.
Gutierrez had planned on waiting until 2026 to start his company, but went live early 2025. “Tailored Industry made it super easy. Everything is made to order, so I don’t carry inventory.”
Iris & Loom is a family affair, with Gutierrez’s fiancé helping out. They both modeled the men’s and women’s garments currently for sale on the website – and are now working on the company’s fall and winter lines.
“Starting Iris & Loom has been a wonderful, low-cost way for me to get into something I love – while staying true to my values. We’re investing in refined, luxurious design and supporting American manufacturing — while taking a stand against overproduction, unethical labor, and disposable fashion.”
As someone who, like Gutierrez, has changed what I purchase and why with regard to apparel, I’m quite excited to learn about this option for American-made knitwear – because quite frankly, you can’t find anything knitted that’s made here.
As I told Gutierrez, I get my heavy-knit winter sweaters from Aran Sweaters in Ireland, but the fine knit items I wear are made in China. I’d love to change that!
I now have my eye on the Valencia dress in his women’s line, and can’t wait to see what he comes out with for fall and winter.
Good stuff, Joseph! Keep up the good work – and congratulations on starting a new business focused on American workers and sustainable luxurious fashion.
To learn more, and to purchase a beautiful piece of American-made knitwear, visit the Iris & Loom website: https://irisandloom.com.
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Links
New England Shirt Co. — Fall River, MA manufacturer of men’s shirtings and trousers.
Tailored Industry — A manufacturer of private-label 3D knitted apparel, Brooklyn, NY
Hand-crafted in Vermont – Luxurious Flannel Apparel – A Keep It Made USA write up
All American Clothing — Manufacturer of men’s and women’s apparel, made in the USA.
Aran Sweater Market — Gorgeous knitted sweaters, made in Ireland.
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, won’t make a difference. It does.
