Everybody’s got a favorite T-shirt, but fashion brand Buck Mason has iterated on its humble design 50x in pursuit of “a superior T-shirt,” per The New York Times.
The company, founded in 2013, now sells pants, button-ups, and other apparel, but its T-shirts account for ~30% of overall sales. The shirts aren’t exactly cheap, starting at $45, and featuring flattering details like curved seams and angular sleeves.
In December…
… Buck Mason purchased a Pennsylvania sewing factory and cloth mill previously owned by Stitch Fix, which halted production in October 2022 and laid off 56 employees — some of whom have since been hired by Buck Mason.
The operation produces ~10k shirts/month with plans to ultimately quadruple production.
It’s certainly cheaper…
… to outsource labor to other countries — but with a commitment to domestic production, Buck Mason can:
- Entice customers who prefer American-made clothing.
- Have more oversight and, thus, better quality control.
The latter seems essential for crafting the perfect T-shirt — though they do start at $45 each.
Is there a market for that?
Many Americans are shifting away from fast fashion, toward longer-lasting products with less environmental impacts. A 2021 report found fast-fashion retailers could face a 10%-30% decline in revenue over the next decade.
And while companies like Shein draw ire for cheaply churning out a boatload of options, companies do find success with less.
Case in point: Sustainable underwear brand Parade, recently acquired by underwear company Ariela & Associates International, was valued at $200m in 2022.
