Entrepreneur

The Man Behind the Hoodie That Started the Made-In-the-USA Apparel Movement

American Giant is pushing the boundaries of Made in the USA, honing domestic manufacturing of its beloved hoodies--and more.

It took eight months and dozens of prototypes before Bayard Winthrop, CEO of online apparel company American Giant, settled on the design for the ultimate hooded sweatshirt. He started from scratch, hiring creative director Philipe Manoux, a former industrial engineer at Apple, and world-renowned pattern-design engineer Steve Mootoo to rethink every aspect of the traditionally bland wardrobe staple.

A partial list of enhancements: reinforced elbow pads; a double-lined hood; custom hardware; a carefully calculated spandex percentage woven into the cuffs and waist to hold shape and elasticity; a "dry hand" feel, achievable when premium cotton fabric has been napped, or run through machines that pick out tiny loops of thread to give it extra softness and lift; and most noticeable, a fitted shape, thanks to side paneling and shoulder ribbing that eliminates the boxy, slouchy silhouette of most hoodies and

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Entrepreneur

Entrepreneur3 min read
Making the Midlife Leap
Sometimes, building the life you want requires a big risk. That’s what Keri Gardner realized when she cashed in $100,000 of her retirement savings to buy a franchise. It was November 2020, and she had just been laid off from her executive role at a h
Entrepreneur2 min read
‘I Won’t Make That Mistake Again!’
When Shizu Okusa decided to start a new business, she knew where to find the best guidance. “I wanted to reverse engineer everything I did wrong in my last company,” she says. Raised on a farm in Vancouver by Japanese immigrants, she’d founded a cold
Entrepreneur3 min read
THE Franchise 500® HALL OF FAME
This year, we at Entrepreneur published the 45th annual edition of our Franchise 500 ranking. As we celebrate that milestone, we also want to recognize the franchise brands that have been on this Franchise 500 journey right alongside us for the longe

Related Books & Audiobooks