For this Throwback Thursday: Made in the U.S. A., Let’s take a look back and a look forward at Apparel Made in the U.S. A.:

Unionwear: Thriving in a New Manufacturing Landscape

Unionwear, located in Newark, NJ, remains the real deal in union-made, USA-made hats, bags, and accessories. Their president Mitch Cahn continues to be a strong advocate for worker’s rights — and he’s been busier than ever.

A decade ago, Cahn explained how the ACA’s small business exemption expiration and minimum wage increases drove many domestic hat manufacturers out of business, while Unionwear’s union shop model,  already built around living wages and healthcare, actually saw costs decrease under Obamacare. In 2024, Unionwear became a national story by producing the viral Harris-Walz camouflage hats, cranking out 5,000 hats per day with 160 workers on overtime. Cahn reported producing over 300,000 Harris hats in less than three months.

The bigger picture, domestic manufacturing in 2025:

The challenges described in 2015 have evolved but haven’t disappeared. U.S. labor still averages $25–$30/hour compared to roughly $6–$7 in China, and nearly 500,000 manufacturing jobs remain unfilled due to skills gaps. Despite tariff policies designed to encourage reshoring, the U.S. has actually lost about 59,000 factory jobs at the end of 2025.

Unionwear is automating bag production to reduce labor costs to roughly 15% of the product cost. The company purchased a machine that fully automates canvas tote bag manufacturing, replacing the work of 44 sewing machine operators, while still employing 150 operators. Unionwear anticipates that automation will ultimately reduce domestic production costs by 75%, enabling the same labor force to triple output. Cahn says “I believe in two years, you’ll see a lot more automation. And when that happens, manufacturing domestically may even be less expensive than the cheapest country in Asia.”

The “perfect storm” ahead:

The USA’s 250th birthday in 2026, the U.S. is co-hosting the World Cup, which historically drive demand for Made-in-USA merchandise. Combined with tariff uncertainty pushing companies to consider domestic sourcing, there is a surge in inquiries from fashion brands seeking U.S.-based manufacturing as a hedge against trade policy volatility.

The through-line from 2015 to today is consistent: Unionwear’s model of paying fair wages, providing healthcare, and investing in efficiency has always been a competitive edge. What’s changed – the conversation has shifted from “how do we survive labor costs?” to “how do we automate fast enough to meet demand?”