New American-made jeans

The attached certificate is a tracking number to prove these were grown, processed and made in the US.

One thing I always looked forward to during the Fourth of July…beyond a three-day weekend, was getting a couple pairs of new jeans. Years ago I got hooked on the Lucky brand through Costco. The price was amazingly good (I recall they were under $40 then) and more importantly, they were made in the US (I’m also cool with Europe, Japan, Australia or Canada). I later stumbled upon their bi-annual sale at their mall stores which was pretty nice because Lucky tends to be in the higher-end locales. In Austin, they’re at the Domain, across from the Apple Store and near the center of Barton Creek. I often see them in the more expensive shopping sections of Las Vegas too.

Back to the sale.

Around early July, I would hit the Lucky store, buy two pairs for the price of one and I was set. Gradually, year over year, I was purging those outsourced jeans from the numerous Third World sweatshops while building up a steady stable from Lucky. Even on sale, many considered their price-tags steep, close to $60/pair. To me they were worth it. As Lincoln once countered protestations over a tariff in 1865, the latter half is what I take to heart, “…when we buy manufactured goods abroad we get the goods and the foreigner gets the money. When we buy the manufactured goods at home we get both the goods and the money.” I would like to add that jobs are an important reason, especially in a nation of 300-plus million people. There is no way the United States or other like-minded countries can survive, prosper or continue if shopping for cheap, imported stuff is the cornerstone of their economies. I also don’t buy into the ‘savings’ myth. The lower labor costs aren’t really passed on to the consumer. Case in point, my one big weakness I readily admit to, Converse All Stars (aka Chucks). Before some sleazy raiders and Nike acquired Converse (20o1 and 2003 respectively), many were made here and ran about $30/pair in 1999 (what I paid at Academy and Rooster Andrew’s). Now they’re made in China, Vietnam or Indonesia and go for $45/pair. If inflation were taken into account, the same $30 shoes would really be $39. Plus we all know why the previously listed Asian nations are used, they have obscenely low wages and non-existent labor laws. Thus, ‘savings’ is Newspeak for ‘larger profits.’

Sadly, Lucky has given in to this cynical, greedy strategy. Everything I examined said it was made in Mexico, same price as before too. I complained to their Web site, received a robotic answer claiming they still carried some US-manufactured stuff online yet couldn’t get any directions on where it existed.

I wasn’t totally discouraged. Internet searches can yield good results when you invest significant amounts of time and effort into them. It’s just a little harder through a mobile device. This wasn’t the case for replacing Lucky. Within 10 minutes I found All American. I rolled the dice on three pairs (shipping was free for an order over $100): two regular, one shorts. They arrived yesterday afternoon. How are they? Right now I’m breaking in the shorts and I’m pretty pleased. I probably should’ve washed ’em first yet I was too excited to wait. I’ll give these pants another week before giving a more elaborate judgment. Things look pretty favorable unless something unusual happens.

Now my American Apparel shirts won’t be lonely.