The journal was there to report on the return of boutique manufacturing outfits. Not large operations but, small shops that do one thing, and one thing well.

Like shirts.

In our little (26,000sq ft) factory we have no shortage of skilled hands. For many of our workers shirts is all that they know. They’ve grown up around the factory. Many started here while young, slowly learning their craft- whether that was to navigate patterns sets or developing a cadence so that lockstitch flowed from machine to garment with one continuous fluid motion.

This region has such a rich sewing heritage that we can’t image having our company anywhere else.  A century ago Fall River was home to textile magnate, known not only for volume, but for producing some of the finest pieces money could buy. Today there are still some scattered artifacts of that age. Abandoned factories dot the landscape- to the far east and west water’s edge. Smokestacks eagerly awaiting revival.

One can certainly appreciate the patriotic inclinations of the “Buy American” movement- but it’s deeper than that. It’s part of a paradigm shift in how men purchase clothing. Our customer today is not the same one from ten years ago. He’s savvy. Educated about the product and the world. He knows how the product is made, how it can be made, and how it should be made. He looks past label and origin and knows that “Made in America” isn’t so much about a tired factory in some old milltown as it is a mentality. He prefers things that last. Sometimes vintage, sometimes modern, but always quality. Things that extrude his values and subtle tastes. He recognizes that style is a voice- and clothes a podium.

And despite being the most discerning kind of customer one can have, he’s the one that justifies our existence.

Longtime stockist and friend of the factory Mr. Rob Babigian, of  Wharf was also on site to offer some insight;

“Americana is big worldwide now. It’s almost like it has come back home,” said Robert Babigian, owner of Providence men’s shop Wharf Clothing & Wares,where more than half the inventory is American-made.“There are these little pockets [of manufacturing] that keep popping up and it’s getting bigger.”

The article originally printed in Sunday’s Journal but you can view it here.

First stop was David Wood Clothiers. David has always been a good friend of the factory. When we opened as New England Shirt Company two years ago the Maine haberdasher was one of the first stores to stock our shirts. Recently they moved to a larger space down Commercial Street and to mark the event decided to host a “Buy American” weekend, a kind of tour de American clothing.

The multi-week event included the opportunity to meet with other great old American manufactures like Southwick and Hertling.

October 22, we’ll be at Giblees in Danvers, MA and Drinkwater’s in Cambridge (MA) with literally hundreds of different fabrics. Find something you like, we’ll take your measurements, choose from one of nine different collars, what style cuffs and other details. In a few weeks you’ll have a shirt that is uniquely your own. Sewn by us, of course.

From patterning, to the cutting room floor, to sewing machine we hurried to finish the piece in time.

What better a duet for the man known for pioneering the Great American Songbook than a great American shirt?

The May 2011 issue of Vanity Fair [pg. 153] featured a spotlight of classical music composer Michael Feinstein, entitled “Man of Standards” in which he is photographed wearing a New England Shirt Company shirt.

Since 1904 convivial masses have flocked to Times Square to usher in the new year. 1907 marked the first year of a proper lighted ball drop. Crowds would be greeted to a city backdrop not too dissimilar from the pictures below. Tonight as we uncork a few bottles of bubbly let’s propose a toast. Here’s to the sum of our histories and to the potential of our futures.

See you in 2011.

Times Square at night, New York, N.Y Estimated 1900-1915

Broadway and Times Building, New York City Estimated between 1903 and 1910

Times Square as we know it

“It’s Christmas Day!” said Scrooge to himself. “I haven’t missed it. The Spirits have done it all in one night. They can do anything they like. Of course they can. Of course they can.” -A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens

click through for the full series:http://www.prepidemic.com/archives/prepidemic-fall-style-guide-day-3/

People to Watch: Segment Two – Video – WCVB Boston.