Best American-Made Clothing, Boots & Apparel

Socks are the easiest American-made clothing to find. The mills cluster in Vermont, in Mount Airy and Burlington, North Carolina, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and in Fort Payne, Alabama, which once called itself the Sock Capital of the World. Many knit from a mix of domestic and imported yarn, and the clearest brands say so on the label.

Darn Tough knits, finishes and packages its merino socks at family-owned mills in Northfield and Waterbury, Vermont. The Cabot family has run the Northfield mill for more than 40 years, and the Darn Tough Vermont line, with its lifetime guarantee, launched in 2004. The yarn comes from America and abroad; the company names Australia, South Africa and Patagonia among its wool regions.

Fox River knitted socks in Osage, Iowa, for 125 years until a Mount Airy hosiery company bought the brand in August 2025 and moved production to North Carolina. It uses US and imported yarns. Cloudline knits every pair in Fort Payne, and Boardroom Socks knits its dress socks in North Carolina, both from domestic and imported yarn. Thorlo makes its padded running, hiking and work socks in North Carolina the same way, but its Light Cushion Casual CMX and CMM styles are made in Italy. Point6 knits in Chattanooga from New Zealand merino spun in Europe.

Wrightsock knits its double layer anti-blister socks at the family's Wrightenberry Hosiery Mill in Burlington. Swiftwick, a Tennessee company, puts a Made in USA badge on every product page. Feetures knits its Merino 10 and High Performance socks in the US but imports other lines, including Elite. Crescent Sock Company knits in Niota, Tennessee, and makes some lines in South Korea, so read each page. Dahlgren, which designs in Montreal and makes its socks in the US, the American Made line from Alabama Wholesale Socks in Sylvania and Fort Payne, and Bamtech's California bamboo-viscose socks round out the list.

If you want the fiber to be American as well as the knitting, a smaller group of brands can show it.

Farm to Feet, a division of Nester Hosiery, knits merino socks in Mount Airy, North Carolina, from wool grown by American Sheep Industry ranchers, from the Damascus light crew to the Kodiak expedition sock. Wigwam has knit socks in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, since 1905 and buys its wool almost exclusively from American spinners who buy from American growers; the nylon and spandex in its blends are not covered by that statement. DeFeet knits cycling and running socks in Hildebran, North Carolina, and its wool socks use USA-grown merino from Oregon. Sockwell knits merino compression socks in Chattanooga and at mills in North Carolina and Alabama from US-grown merino.

For cotton, Zkano knits organic cotton socks at its family mill in Fort Payne from cotton grown in West Texas and spun and dyed in North Carolina, and Boldfoot sews its dress socks near Charlotte from American-grown materials. Kentwool, a Pickens, South Carolina, yarn company founded in 1843, says its socks are made in the USA from start to finish. The Buffalo Wool Co. of Weatherford, Texas, knits bison and merino socks, gloves and beanies in the US, and marks the few blends that use imported silk or bamboo.

Merino holds warmth when damp and resists odor over several days of wear. Nylon is what makes a sock last, so a 100% wool sock wears through faster at the heel. Match cushion to the boot, since a heavy sock in a snug boot crowds your toes.

Red Wing Heritage is the easiest boot line to buy American. Every men's Heritage style, including the Classic Moc, Iron Ranger, Blacksmith and Weekender Chukka, carries a Made in USA label. Charles Beckman founded Red Wing in Red Wing, Minnesota, in 1905, and the leather comes from its own S.B. Foot Tanning Company in the same town. Some Red Wing work footwear outside Heritage is labeled Made in the USA with imported parts, or Assembled in the USA with uppers stitched overseas, so read the label on work boots.

Thorogood's American Heritage moc toe and 1957 Series boots are built by Weinbrenner Shoe Company at two factories in Merrill, Wisconsin, and one in Marshfield. Other Thorogood lines, such as the Thoro-Flex slip-on, are made abroad. Danner builds its Bull Run moc toe and Mountain Light boots in Portland, Oregon, sells imported styles too, and states which on each product page. White's Boots hand-sews its Smokejumper, Semi-Dress and other work boots on East Ferry Avenue in Spokane, Washington.

Carolina, Double-H and Corcoran build union-made lines in Martinsburg, Pennsylvania: Carolina's AMP USA and Ferric USA moc toes, Double-H's Union Built western boots with global parts, and Corcoran's jump boots. Their other lines are imported or carry no US claim. Justin builds a few styles, such as the USA Roper, in El Paso, Texas, with imported parts, and Georgia Boot makes its USA collection with US and imported components while most of its range is made abroad.

USA in a model name is a clue, not proof, so check the origin line. Then check the sole. A stitched welt or hand-sewn construction lets a cobbler resole the boot several times; a cemented sole is glued and usually ends the boot's life when it wears through.

Allen Edmonds still hand-makes its classic dress shoes and boots in Port Washington, Wisconsin; Elbert W. Allen founded the company in 1922 in Belgium, Wisconsin. The Park Avenue, Fifth Avenue, McAllister and Randolph penny loafer read Handcrafted in Port Washington, Wisconsin with imported materials, such as European suede, while the original Strand oxford and the Landon boot read simply Handcrafted in Port Washington. Its Randolph and Vail sneakers are imported.

New Balance makes a limited share of its shoes in five New England factories: Lawrence and Methuen in Massachusetts, Norway and Skowhegan in Maine, and Londonderry, New Hampshire. Models sold as Made in USA, such as the 990, 992, 993, 1300 and 1540v4, contain 70% or more domestic value. Most New Balance shoes come from suppliers in Asia, and the 991 is built in England, so buy a model with Made in USA in its name.

SAS, the San Antonio Shoemakers, makes its Time Out, Free Time and VTO comfort shoes at its own factories in San Antonio and Del Rio, Texas; some dress styles are made in Italy.

Okabashi makes flip flops and slides in Buford, Georgia, where Bahman Irvani founded it in 1984, from a US-made material that is 45% soy by weight. Chaco makes some sandals with USA in the model name in Rockford, Michigan, where it also repairs sandals, but most of its range is imported. Check the label on any Chaco.

L.C. King has cut and sewn workwear in downtown Bristol, Tennessee, since Landon Clayton King founded the company in January 1913 and named its first line Pointer Brand. Its Pointer Brand and L.C. King chore coats, barn coats, jeans and bib overalls are marked Built in Bristol, TN. The Wabash stripe chore coat is sewn there from Japanese denim, and the leather belts use imported materials.

Diamond Gusset makes gusseted jeans with much of the sewing done in Blue Ridge, Georgia; its Defender jean uses Mount Vernon Mills denim woven in Trion, Georgia, and a few styles use imported materials. All American Clothing Co. of Arcanum, Ohio, makes its jeans in the USA from US material. Prison Blues jeans and hickory shirts are sewn by adults in custody at an Oregon Corrections Enterprises factory inside the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution in Pendleton. Tellason cuts and sews selvedge jeans and jackets in San Francisco from Cone Mills denim and Japanese Kaihara denim.

Filson has made outdoor clothing and bags in Seattle since 1897. The Mackinaw Wool Cruiser and the Rugged Twill bags read Made in USA with imported material, since the Rugged Twill cotton comes from Britain. Its plain cotton tees are US-made. Filson's boots and nylon bags, such as the Dryden briefcase, are imported.

Stormy Kromer cuts and sews its wool caps, vests and coats in Ironwood, Michigan, with US and globally sourced materials; its graphic tees are imported blanks printed in the US. Devium, a small Truckee, California, company, has its work pants and flannels made by US mills and sewing shops from American fabric and trim. Crye Precision sews combat pants and shirts in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and Flint and Tinder sews its 10-Year Hoodie in Los Angeles but also sells imported lines.

Much of the US-made basics on this page are sewn in Southern California. Bayside knits, dyes, cuts and sews its 5100 tees and 900 hoodies at its own plant there from US-grown cotton, and has a union-made line. Los Angeles Apparel knits, sews and dyes its Tri-Blend and Fine Jersey tees in Los Angeles; over half its yarn is domestic. American Giant names the city on each product page: its Classic Full Zip is made in Los Angeles from Carolina cotton, and its socks in Mount Airy, North Carolina. Camber Sportswear of Norristown, Pennsylvania, makes 24 oz double-thick hoodies from US yarn and cloth and sells only to the trade. Shaka Wear specifies US-grown cotton for its heavy tees but does not say where they are sewn.

For base layers, Duckworth makes merino tops from wool grown on the Helle family ranch near Dillon, Montana, spun, knit and sewn by US partners, and WSI Sportswear cuts and sews in Eagan, Minnesota. Soffe makes its military socks and Hero tee in the USA, but the classic Soffe Short is imported.

Women's clothing sewn in Los Angeles includes Michael Stars, which makes over 70% of its garments there, LAmade tees, Hard Tail Forever leggings, Kurve seamless activewear and Runyon Canyon Apparel tanks. Hanky Panky and good hYOUman sell both US-made and imported styles, so read their labels.

Gitman Bros. and Gitman Vintage sew their shirts in Lafayette, Tennessee, often from imported cloth such as madras handwoven in Chennai, India. Birdwell has sewn boardshorts in the USA since 1961, and Tuga cuts and sews rash guards to order in San Diego, partly from imported fabric. Nine Line prints shirts in Savannah, Georgia, and inktastic prints kids' shirts in Wooster, Ohio; the garment label, not the print shop's location, tells you where a printed shirt was sewn.

Stetson and Resistol both make hats in Garland, Texas. Stetson's felt and straw cowboy hats and fedoras, including the Marshall 4X and the Alamo 10X straw, are marked Handmade in the U.S.A. or Handmade in Garland, Texas. Its boots are made in Leon, Mexico, and its shirts, jeans, belts, wallets and trucker caps are imported. Resistol makes its fur felt and 10X straw hats in Garland, though some lower-priced hats are only designed in Texas. The X rating is set by each maker, so a 10X from one brand does not match a 10X from another.

Belts are a good category for small US makers. Bison Designs has made webbing belts in Longmont, Colorado, since 1987. GRIP6 makes no-hole nylon belts and wallets in Midvale, Utah, on its own lasers and CNC mills. Nohma Leather finishes belts and buffalo leather rifle slings by hand in an Ohio workshop, and BullhideBelts.com makes full-grain belts in its Indiana and Ohio shops. Hanks makes its belts in the USA, but its Tuscany wallets are made in Italy. F&L Classic says its one-piece belts are American made without naming the city.

For wallets, American Bench Craft makes riveted leather wallets by hand in Wilmington, Massachusetts, and Tanner Goods makes wallets and belts in Portland, Oregon, from American vegetable-tanned leather. Flowfold sews sailcloth wallets in Maine from domestic and imported materials. Rogue Industries makes its Made in Maine collection in Standish, Maine, and imports the rest.

A one-piece full-grain belt is cut from a single strip of hide and outlasts a belt labeled genuine or bonded leather, which is often split or reconstituted leather that cracks and peels at the edges. Buckle origin is often unstated even when the strap is US-made.