So Low Finds Success With USA Manufacturing

For the people at Los Angeles contemporary label So Low, their “Made in America” hangtags are helping the California economy and themselves.

Label co-president Mike Bastegian said all of So Low’s styles are manufactured in the Los Angeles area and 90 percent of its knits are sourced locally. He and label founder Sarah Siegel-Magness said they gain emotional satisfaction by producing in California. “We’ve been working with the same factories for seven or eight years. It makes me happy that we are keeping 200-or-so people employed,” Bastegian said of his contractors.

He finds the “Made in USA” label offers a competitive edge to retailers who changed their ordering habits after the economic meltdown of 2008.“They are placing orders a lot later,” Bastegian said. “It gives us less time for production.”

Those producing overseas typically have longer lead times. It sometimes means they can’t make retailers’ deadlines and they miss out on business.

So Low tried once in 2003 to manufacture overseas, but the overseas orders did not meet the 9-year-old label’s quality standards. Since then, So Low has not been tempted to move its manufacturing overseas.

However, manufacturing locally does create challenges. “People are looking for cheaper items. We can’t compete with the H&Ms and the other companies that strictly import,” Bastegian said.

So Low hopes to attract consumers who value fabric and design quality over price. But Bastegian also believes his label’s prices are fair. Wholesale price points are $28–$35 for bottoms, $35–$45 for jackets, and $21–$25 for tanks and T-shirts. The line has been sold at retailers such as Fred Segal, Revolve Clothing and Bloomingdale’s.

The label started in 2001 when Siegel-Magness designed low-rise underwear to be worn with low-rise jeans. Six months later, the label quickly transitioned from underwear to foldover pants with a foldover flap of fabric on the waist. It became the label’s top-selling category and has been used in a number of different styles.

In 2008, So Low developed other categories such as kids’ activewear. By late August, it will debut a maternity line to be sold exclusively at the maternity wear chain Pea In The Pod. The basic items in the line are foldover pants for pregnant women and a zip-up hoodie. For more information, visit www.solowstyle.com.—Andrew Asch