One of our biggest dissapointments when we began creating Ojamas was the lack of textile manufacturing in the US. We obviously would have dearly loved to proudly put “Made in America” on our Ojamas labels, and we tried very hard to find a vendor here at home, but ultimately we were only able to find textilers in Asia that could meet our production needs. While most of our customers have not mentioned the issue, a few have expressed their concerns which we truly share.
The reality of textile manufacturing is that the industry has all but completely left our shores due in large part to the reduced costs of foreign labor. Most of the clothing found in the US with a “Made in America” label, sadly, is actually made in China or Southeast Asia. How can that be? Frankly, it’s a matter of encomics. The textile companies recognize two groups of consumers. The first group is comprised of those consumers who place a higher priority on value and price. The second is a group which places at least some importance on buying American-made products. Without so much as a wink to ethics, some companies are sticking “Made in America” on items made elsewhere simply to “trick” consumers into buying their products.
This was never a consideration for Ojamas Sleepwear. We’re a true American company trying to find a way to breathe life into an industry at home and restore American jobs and quality in our own market place. We will not accomplish that by fraudulently labeling our products, as much as we’d love to sell more. No gain is worth sacrificing the trust we’re trying to build with our customers. Currently over 97% of all apparel is made outside of the USA. With your help, we’re going to try to take some of that back.
You haven’t seen new products from us since our original Ojamas because we’ve been working hard to find American partners that share our vision. We have, however, made tremendous improvements in the products we’re importing. If you’ll continue to support us as we delivery higher quality products, you’ll also be enabling us to build greater manufacturing capacity (and jobs) here in the US. We’re not there yet, but when you see a “Made in America” label on Ojamas Sleepwear, you’ll know it’s the real deal – a name you can trust. Thanks for your continued support. For more information please see this article by Terri Gruca of WCCO.
