The CM Graveyard: First Sartoria Partenopea... next J. Crew?

[gnatty8]

I believe Ratio was using that exact factory to your point, so I guess no more made in NC shirts for them. I saw for other shirts Ratio mentions a NJ factory, so maybe they had already been preparing for possible move...

Possible. Interestingly, my last order came with two shirts that were noticeably different (for example, one had the classic, thin BBBF mother of pearl buttons, the other had thicker, not as nice buttons) which surprised me. Wonder if one was NJ, the other was NC?

 

[SmellBlind]

hopefully, though I assume BB as a base load helped the business case, not sure how they would operate stand alone

This is true. The Brooks orders kept the factory running and third party sales were icing. A couple other brands were big enough to make a dent (Thom Browne, etc) but would not sustain the factory on their own. They tried for years to grow the third party but cost and quality issues never got worked out.

Its sad and I would love to be wrong but there does not seem to be a future for the factory.

 

[sid11111]

I wonder if that'll be the end of the BB Makers & Merchants shirts.

Anyway, I'm sure it's simpler to close a US plant than to face the truth that Red Fleece is garbage, outlet stuff is worse than garbage, and no one in their right mind is paying $100+ for Chinese-made cotton sweaters (oh, excuse me, SUPIMA cotton).

Lol not this anti-china snobbery again. People complaining about MIC and the price of MiUSA is precisely why MiUSA is failing. The Chinese can do it far cheaper and better than you would care to admit.

The price of MiUSA just doesn't have any value bar any sentimental ones. No need to argue the great big MiUSA capitalist machine causing MiUSA to slowly die off is the very proof that what I say is true.

 

[jts287]

Lol not this anti-china snobbery again. People complaining about MIC and the price of MiUSA is precisely why MiUSA is failing. The Chinese can do it far cheaper and better than you would care to admit.

The price of MiUSA just doesn't have any value bar any sentimental ones. No need to argue the great big MiUSA capitalist machine causing MiUSA to slowly die off is the very proof that what I say is true.

My post has less to do with quality of construction and more to do with BB getting garments made cheaper and not passing enough on to me. I don't doubt the quality is there- If BB's going to buy supima here, ship it to China for production, then ship the finished product back, they must be saving a ton of money on manufacturing. Fine, but don't try to charge me $150 for a cotton sweater. Or, do, and be shocked when no one wants your clothing despite your 200 year history.

If a shirt is made in North Carolina, I understand that I must pay more so the factory workers get a living wage. I have a closet full of their Malaysian-made non-irons. If they did the non-irons here, I'd have fewer shirts total, but more of the NC shirts than I do now. I swear by BB because I'm a 16-36 and it's tough to find that fit on other otr brands. I hate ironing.

 

[mosivy]

Possible. Interestingly, my last order came with two shirts that were noticeably different (for example, one had the classic, thin BBBF mother of pearl buttons, the other had thicker, not as nice buttons) which surprised me. Wonder if one was NJ, the other was NC?

Ratio used to work with the Brooks Brothers factory in NC as well as Tom James / IS in NJ. I personally liked the BB shirts better, but alas those are the in the past. Now I believe it's Tom James only.

 

[stuffedsuperdud]

The NJ factory you are referring to is probably that OEM operation in Newark. Seems like they (used to) mostly make for other labels but now have a direct to consumer MTO wing too, under their "High Bar Shirt Co." brand. Prices very reasonable for MTO MiUSA (about $100 a pop) and they will talk to you one on one to go over details too, something you can't get from a faceless foreign factory or even a sophisticated internet company like Proper Cloth.

 

[Big A]

****. The Garland factory hits hard.

I'm actually working with someone trying to buy this factory. The entire town might not get laid off after all

 

[clee1982]

My post has less to do with quality of construction and more to do with BB getting garments made cheaper and not passing enough on to me. I don't doubt the quality is there- If BB's going to buy supima here, ship it to China for production, then ship the finished product back, they must be saving a ton of money on manufacturing. Fine, but don't try to charge me $150 for a cotton sweater. Or, do, and be shocked when no one wants your clothing despite your 200 year history.

If a shirt is made in North Carolina, I understand that I must pay more so the factory workers get a living wage. I have a closet full of their Malaysian-made non-irons. If they did the non-irons here, I'd have fewer shirts total, but more of the NC shirts than I do now. I swear by BB because I'm a 16-36 and it's tough to find that fit on other otr brands. I hate ironing.

given how bad the US retail does, I'm sure when you buy on sale you're capturing the saving (vs. the MIA ones would out right be a lost...)

 

[Spaghettimatt]

I'm actually working with someone trying to buy this factory. The entire town might not get laid off after all

Are you able to say more? Will MTM continue? I love the OCBDs coming out of that factory and would gladly pay $200 for the right fabric.

 

[othertravel]

I'm actually working with someone trying to buy this factory. The entire town might not get laid off after all

Alexander Kraft?

 

[bry2000]

Alexander Kraft?

He’s thinking about turning the factory into a boxing studio.

 

[Big A]

Are you able to say more? Will MTM continue? I love the OCBDs coming out of that factory and would gladly pay $200 for the right fabric.

I don't know what the plans are exactly - only that a client of mine is interested and they think they can utilize the factory and most of the labor for their own operation. I don't know if they are planning to expand into manufacturing for other labels or not. I assume they will, but right now my only role is trying to see if there is even any interest on BB's part. The state & local gov. are obviously interested in seeing the place stay open, I'm coordinating that end of things. That's really all I can say.

Oh yeah, my client isn't Kraft, LOL

 

[Spaghettimatt]

Word is BB is closing Southwick and it’s tie factory in Haverhill as well now.

 

[smittycl]

Word is BB is closing Southwick and it’s tie factory in Haverhill as well now.

No more made in USA suits for BB I guess. All at Lardini? Apart from their lowest end stuff from Thailand I think?

 

[clee1982]

I never get on the Southwick train, they do decent amount of private too? Though I suspect it's also the case that BB base demand helped...