"an American factory making the quintessential American garment."

Here's a nice article about the Taylor Togs jeans plant in North Carolina. The business was on the verge of closing, but has found new life by producing premium and vintage-style jeans.

http://www.telegram.com/article/20070829/APF/708290514

They're now producing for Rag & Bone and Levis Vintage (LVC).


Some nice quotes about Rag & Bone here:

"But there's also got to be some romance in clothing, if you ask me," he said. "There's got to be some feeling. You look at a pair of (Taylor Togs) jeans and see someone very skilled has made them. It's important to us, that love and skill and attention to detail that goes into what we make."

Once gone, he said, that traditional American craftsmanship would be lost forever. To help reinforce that idea, Rag & Bone shares its garments' stories with customers, describing the Micaville factory on cardboard tags and using labels that read "Handmade in N. Carolina."

"(Wainwright and Neville) are wonderful," Garland said. "They really care about their products. They want to learn. (Wainwright) will sit out there and watch the girls sew ... If we're out of work, it worries him to death, because he doesn't want us to close."

I also found a similar (probably more original) article here:

http://www.mensvogue.com/clothing/threads/articles/2007/02/rag_and_bone

Perhaps I'll get a pair of Rag & Bone jeans next...