California Apparel News

For years, Noelle Nguyen took most of her production for private-label blue jeans to far-flung factories overseas, where prices were lower than in the United States.

But after dissolving her clothing company and completing her MBA, Nguyen’s passion has turned to breathing life back into the “Made in USA” apparel concept.

To do that, she recently launched an e-commerce site dedicated exclusively to selling domestically crafted garments and accessories that she and her team have selected from scouring various sources in the heart of the downtown Los Angeles Fashion District, the Internet and trade shows.

“The goal is to find as many American-made brands and support them,” she said. “I would like to be the Amazon.com for everything made in the USA.”

Her website, American Love Affair (www.americanloveaffaironline.com), launched on March 29 after two years of development and five months of searching for products. She and her team of eight have wandered through the California Market Center in Los Angeles and other showroom buildings, hunting for the right blouse or pant or dress. They have scouted for U.S. labels at trade shows and contacted Los Angeles apparel makers discovered on the Internet. “It is literally boots on the ground,” Nguyen said.

Once a source is found, a buyer contacts the apparel maker or sales representative. A test order is placed to see how the product performs. Nguyen buys much of her merchandise and uses a 3PL, a third-party logistics provider, to store her inventory and ship it off as soon as possible. Or she may ask manufacturers to set aside enough inventory to fulfill potential orders.

Items on the site range from a woman’s deep V-neck T-shirt for $32 to a maxi-dress for $198. There are men’s button-up shirts for $68, handbags for $54 to $490 and earrings for $62.

The website features vendor spotlights to showcase “Made in USA” manufacturers, including Fifteen-Twenty, Fluxus, Division E, Tees by Tina and Michael Lauren.

Nguyen’s website is in tune with the new call for more American-made products. Specialty-store owners have said many of their clients have grown more patriotic and are searching for “Made in USA” clothing.

Nguyen has years of experience in the apparel industry. She studied at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles. From 2004 to 2008, she and several partners ran an apparel company called Moda. They made private-label goods for stores such as Macy’s, Forever 21 and Charlotte Russe.

Nguyen, who recently completed work for an MBA at Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif., spent 18 months studying the domestic and global apparel industry for an academic project. Shortly after presenting her project, she launched her self-funded website, whose offices are located near the Los Angeles Fashion District. She and eight workers have space on the ground floor of The Blackstone Apartments at Broadway and Ninth Street. Through the tall floor-to-ceiling windows, you can see people busy at their computers. Stacks of clothing are piled on a table. A small photo studio is set up to take pictures of merchandise. A message in the window says “Buy American. Rebuild the dream.”

Long journey

Nguyen’s call to support American-made goods comes from someone who appreciates the United States. Nguyen was a Vietnamese refugee who, with her mother, fled that Southeast Asian country after the Vietnam War. They left in a 20-foot boat with 65 other refugees who were lost at sea for a week.

They met up with her father and older sister and brother in a Thai refugee camp where they lived for two years before being transferred to another refugee camp in the Philippines. Six months later, a U.S. church sponsored the family, and they moved to Baltimore.
Nguyen remembers they didn’t live in the best neighborhood in town. When her family hand washed their laundry and hung it out to dry, they were astonished to find their clothing stolen when they weren’t looking. Despite those shaky beginnings, Nguyen is a diehard supporter of the United States.

“I love this country,” she said. “Nothing pains me more than to see this economy deteriorate. ... I don’t think we should sit back and do nothing about it.”

Stephen Goldfield, the business manager for Tees by Tina, said he met one of the website’s buyers in February at the MAGIC trade show in Las Vegas. He appreciates a website that touts what his 2-year-old company is trying to do. “We know we can make our products less expensively outside the United States, but we have made the decision to make it here, and we support anyone who markets and supports ‘Made in U.S.A.’ goods,” he said.