The iconic indigo jeans that help define the youthful image of the United States – derived from cultural references like the rebellious outfit of movie star James Dean or the album covers of rock musician Bruce Springsteen – are 
being manufactured again in the US.
American workers were already wearing indigo jeans in 1873, when Levi Strauss, a San Francisco storekeeper, and Jacob Davis, a tailor from Reno, Nevada, sewed pants with denim joined by strong copper rivets for work use. These pants – initially used as overalls to withstand the dirt of the mines – became popular in the 20th century among teenagers, Hollywood stars, and, in the end, even presidents.
The world’s passion for fashion has turned indigo jeans into a global market worth $65 billion, with 3 billion pairs sold worldwide in 2022, according to business data site Statista.
But in the early 2000s, American factories that produced millions of pairs of indigo jeans were closing because they couldn’t compete with low labor costs abroad.
A new generation of pioneers is bringing production back to the US. In 2012, Pete Roberts founded the apparel company Origin in Farmington, Maine, believing that American indigo jeans could be produced locally profitably. “We need to be able to make things in the United States today,” says Roberts.
Origin is one of two dozen companies producing indigo jeans in the United States and is among those that compete with imports in terms of price. The company recovered old looms, modernized factories, and trained American workers in a nearly forgotten craft. “We were about to lose all the knowledge,” says Roberts.
The company has expanded and now employs 400 people and sells 150,000 pairs of indigo jeans online each year.
The United States (with a population of 330 million) offers apparel manufacturers access to a strong consumer market and abundant natural resources.
Communities also benefit, as indigo jeans manufacturers create jobs and return tax revenue to fund schools, police, and firefighters, says BJ Nickol, marketing director of All-American Clothing Company, founded by his father, Lawson Nickol, in 2002. Headquartered in Arcanum, Ohio, All-American manufactures jeans 
in facilities in Illinois, California, Texas, and Kentucky.
Rob McMillan of Dearborn Denim, left, and Pete Roberts of Origin, right, are part of a renaissance in US jeans production (©Dearborn Denim, © Origin).
Secretary of State Marco Rubio states: “‘Made in America’ (Made in the USA, loosely translated) is not just a slogan – it is an economic and national security priority.”
Dearborn Denim, a Chicago company founded in 2016, proves his point.
Having an apparel factory, it began manufacturing masks for hospitals during the Covid-19 pandemic (…) and helped protect countless American healthcare workers. Now, its focus is back on making jeans, which are sold starting at $59, matching the average price of imported products.
Rob McMillan, founder of Dearborn Denim, says that to keep prices low, the company provides cross-training to employees and relies as much as possible on local supply chains. This reduces transportation costs and truck emissions – while supporting local jobs. When the company sources some materials 
from other places (for example, jeans from South Carolina or Mexico), it hires independent verifiers to ensure quality and fair working conditions.
Some other domestic indigo jeans producers also establish international connections. Todd Shelton, from New Jersey, creates high-quality jeans with Japanese and Italian denim. And Round House Jeans, the oldest US national indigo jeans manufacturer, opened in Shawnee, Oklahoma, in 1903, exports the popular pants to Asia, Australia, and Europe. Together with companies like Round House, these new jeans manufacturers are helping to reestablish a robust American industry that can boost local economies. We are “manufacturing in Chicago. We are paying fair wages, [offering] good working conditions, and creating jobs in the domestic market,” McMillan told Fox Business Network, a financial news channel.
Source: ShareAmerica