More Than Just A Shirt | Why American Made Truly Matters
It's so much more than just a shirt. It's the fabric of America.
Red White Blue Apparel, American made clothing brand, with 14 years plus experience manufacturing, printing, warehousing, and designing quality clothing, proudly in the USA.
There are plenty of patriotic shirt brands out there. They are a dime a dozen. You see a shirt, like the print, and that's where it ends. If you strip away that screen printed design, there's nothing. Just an empty imported blank shirt that stands for nothing, represents nothing, and does nothing for this great country.
American made, though, that changes things.
Choosing to take the path of American made by nature gives our brand purpose. It provides us with a set of values we operate within. It puts purpose over profits. When you operate with purpose, it provides an extra edge to weather storms. As a brand, we're willing to endure more because the cost of failing doesn't just affect us, it hurts the whole ecosystem we've built here in America.
So what do we mean when we say "empty shirt that stands for nothing"?
Well, the core root of patriotism in this county is living for something greater than ourselves. That something is, for many, is God. On the other hand, that something is also freedom and the foundations that built this country. It's a true America first mentality. America gave me this opportunity, so it's American of me to pay it back.
In our opinion, an imported shirt just falls a little short here.
- Anonymous Origin. The blank shirt is mass produced by popular brands in factories all over the world, except America. They are made by people you'll never know, from shops you've never heard of, halfway around the world. They are designed for pure profit, cost cutting, mass production. Sure you have a design on the front that may speak to you, but the shirt is an empty soul inside.
- It's Not Our Economy. Think about it. You buy a shirt from a brand that "designs & prints" in America. Your hard earned dollars may go to THAT particular American company, but when they go to reprint that shirt, your money leaves this country eventually. It isn't refueling American jobs that live within that ecosystem we laid out above. It generally cuts off at that "design & print" bullet above, with all the previous positions removed from this country.
- It's Hypocrisy. I mean, big time display of patriotism with extra loud graphics, Red White & Blue. Hell yeah, I can get on board with that. But, a brand loses me when they preach all that patriotism then go to China, Mexico, Pakistan to purchase blank shirts. There is nothing patriotic about that, it's the opposite if you ask me.
What "Made In USA" ecosystem are we talking about here?
The American made ecosystem we operate in is a network of the following:
- Actual weaving of the fabric
- Dying of that fabric
- Warehousing & Transport of that fabric
- Pattern making & Design of garments
- Cutting & Sewing
- Warehousing & Transport of finished garments
- Brand design for our finished products
- Local screen printing shops / local seamstress shops
- In house fulfillment & warehousing
- Parcel delivery services to your door
Let's not forget the administrative, billing, sales, R&D, accounting, and all the other aspects that come with each one of these small American businesses that support our brand.
This is the ecosystem you directly impact when you purchase a patriotic American made shirt from our established decade plus brand. We've developed roots into the American workforce, why, because we are purpose driven.
Why Choose American Made? It's Simple Really...
It all comes down to how much of America are we touching. With companies that design & print in America, there is a definitive cut off point where the investment back into this country, well, leaves this country. It's the heaviest part of the process, the one that affects the most jobs, involves many small businesses, and, to be honest, it's the hard part. That's why they import. Profits over Purpose.
The chart below gives you a telling visual where the American impact falls off for imported garments. For us, the choice is clear. Even if the shirts are apples to apples, identical. The American shirt provides so much more in value, it actually does stand for something.
| Process | Red White Blue Apparel Made In USA | Designed & Printed In America |
| Weaving | USA | Foreign |
| Dying | USA | Foreign |
| Logistics | USA | Foreign |
| Patterns | USA | Foreign |
| Cut & Sew | USA | Foreign |
| Logistics | USA | Foreign |
| Design | USA | USA |
| Decorate | USA | USA (sometimes) |
| Logistics | USA | USA |
Choose America Over Everything
The chart above isn't a choice, it's a line in the sand.
Option A. The imported patriotic graphic tee that's all design and zero substance. The commitment to America ends at the border.
Option B. Our American made patriotic t-shirts. They represent who we are as Americans, investing back into the the greater good. Dollars that go back to America. The American flag represents the American businesses, American workers, and American paychecks that built it.
On a website, they may look real similar. But those imported guys, they have a product ABOUT America. Here at Red White Blue Apparel, we have a product OF America.
For well over a decade, we've been committed to keeping our patriotic apparel manufactured here in the USA. We believe in building an ecosystem that supports American businesses and American workers. Purpose over profits.
Common Questions About American-Made Patriotic Apparel
Q: How is American-made different from "printed in USA"?
A: American-made means the shirt itself is manufactured domestically. "Printed in USA" often means an imported blank with domestic printing—missing 6-7 manufacturing stages.
Q: Why the price difference?
A: Domestic labor, materials, and regulated production cost 40-60% more but support American jobs and communities.
Q: How do I verify true American-made?
A: Ask for: specific factory locations, material sourcing percentages, and supply chain transparency. Look at tenure. American-made isn't something you can fake. If someone has been at it a long time, it's a good indicator.