While of course there are beautiful clothes made all over the world these days (we’re not one to say no to Italian leather), in honor of our nation’s birthday, we wanted to highlight just a few of the small labels and indie designers that continue to make their clothes right here in the US. Sometimes that means it’s more expensive. But there’s something to be said for paying a living wage to someone here at home, who’s often fighting really hard to keep prices down as they grow and continue to manufacture locally.
As luck would have it, some of them are even having awesome Fourth of July sales.
So..go! Shop! It’s the American way, right?
Winter Water Factory
Clothes for babies, kids, even adults feature the most imaginative fun prints you’ll find anywhere. And it’s so great to know that they go up to a size 8 because as a mom of girls, I know that’s when it becomes especially hard to find the combo of modern design and innocent styling that disappears the tweens set in.
Save 30% sitewide with code MADEINUSA through 7/6
Coastal Dog
Boys’ swimsuits actually made in the USA? Yes, such a thing does exist through Coastal Dog, a new brand the moms of boys on our staff are taken with. The fun patterns and easy solids reeled us in, the anti-chafing aspect was a huge bonus, but the philanthropic mission of the company to support the 1.6 million homeless children here at home by donating 100% of their profits absolutely closed the deal.
Ses Petites Mains
I’ve been a fan of Beth Miles since we first met not long after Cool Mom Picks began. She continues to put out inventive, handmade toddler and girl clothes in sizes 12mo-14y with vintage flair. Her fabrics are always exquisite, details like pretty buttons and perfectly stitched hems impress, and best of all, the clothes hold up for years. There are always lovely dresses here, but it’s also a great site to bookmark if you have a wedding or other special occasion to shop for.
Save 30% sitewide on ready-to-wear pieces with code “4th” through 7/5
HiHo Batik
More slightly ironic hipster 2010’s than 1960’s hippie throwback, we’ve loved this label since we first spotted the Obama girls wearing their tees way back when. Now the collection has grown to include tons of fun designs for boys, girls and babies–some of which even incorporate American Flags in surprisingly fun ways. Plus, I love that pretty much all the “boy” designs appear in the girl category too. Hey, girls like dinosaurs! (And to be honest, boys like ring pops.)
Save 25% sitewide with code “JULY4TH2014” through 7/4
Courtney Courtney
Look at my Instagram feed and I’d say a good 50% or more of the photos of my kids feature them wearing Courtney Chu‘s awesome, upcycled dresses blocked together from pre-loved knit cotton. (Also shown at very top) We’ve seen plenty of other designers try to rip her off but honestly? Nothing compares. Not even close. Her eye is spectacular and she puts together combos that you’d never think of, only they don’t come out looking like patchwork doll clothes at all. I still have dresses of hers my kids wore at 2 years old–only now they’re delightful little tunics.
Order via email or subscribe to her Facebook page for first dibs at the new designs each month.
Kallio
Another company doing exquisite things with upcycled clothing is Kallio, a recent discovery of ours. It’s amazing to see how a men’s shirt can find a new life as a gorgeous, swingy girl’s dress, or that extra fabric on an adult denim top is reinvented as a boy’s oxford with a hoodie.
Join the email list for 20% off your first order
Brooklyn Junior
Of course I have a thing for my fellow Brooklynites, and Brooklyn Junior is one of those labels that keeps on kicking with fun new designs year after year. The yellow headphones tee we’ve featured is a new classic, but there are so many fun tees both through their online shop, in local boutiques, and at the Brooklyn Flea (holla!) on weekends.
BabyPop and Sew Plain Jane
With stores’ dress-up aisles strewn with polyester costumes shoddily stitched who-knows-where, we’ve always loved the handmade superhero costumes, capes and accessories from mom-run shops BabyPop (above) and Sew Plain Jane. You can’t go wrong with either company, each of which can customize designs just for your own superkid, and we love knowing that the purchases are supporting true small businesses.
Quirkie Kids Tees
Of course it takes an American company to take a stand on the color pink, and that’s why we love Quirkie, which makes tons of cool tees for both boys and girls in–you guessed it–pink. While there are plenty of companies that we’ve featured here that hand-print tees on USA-made American Apparel shirts, this mom-and-pop shop stands out to us as doing something cool and different. Besides, I’m guessing a few more moms are going to be okay with their kids in American Apparel now that some uh, upper management changes have been made.
Use code INDEPENDENCE for 10% off sitewide
Happy 4th, cool moms!
For more US-made gifts, clothing and toys, search our site for Etsy – pretty much every Etsy artist based in the USA is making their items here too.
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