derek guy Profile picture
Dec 3, 2024 17 tweets 9 min read Read on X
My argument is simple: people who say they want to see a return of American manufacturing don't actually vote with their dollar. Let me show you. 🧵
Kash Patel runs an "America First" clothing line with t-shirts that say "Protect our People" and "American Pride." But the t-shirts are printed on Next Level blanks ... which are made in Central America and Haiti. Image
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Turning Point USA makes things easy by simply labeling things for us. In the corner of their product page, they say these are made on Next Level blanks. Thanks! Image
In one segment, Jesse Watters laments how we've shipped our manufacturing jobs overseas. But in another segment, he promotes Otta Brothers ties. I went out and bought one of the ties. Where was it made?

China. (It's also pure polyester)

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Isabella DeLuca started a clothing line called "Common Sense Club," through which she sells an "America First" trucker cap. On the product page, she removed the county of origin.

But the rest of the text is copied. Turns out, the hat is from China or Myanmar. Image
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Trump's $100k watch is made by the Swiss company BCP Tourbillons. The gold "Never Surrender? sneakers? Made in Vietnam.
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Jack Posobiec says he's willing to pay more for US-made goods, but also promotes MyPillow's apparel and bedsheets. Where are those made? Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India. Image
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Why won't these people buy US-made goods? The answer is simple: US labor costs more.

As the US has switched from an industrial to high-end services economy, manufacturing things here costs a lot of money. US wages have to be a certain amount to pay for rent, food, etc.
When Bikers for Trump sought a manufacturer for their t-shirts, they went to Haiti. Why? Because they know their consumers won't pay over a certain price.

"If I get a t-shirt made in the USA, it's going to cost about $8 more," said the organization's founder. Image
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In 2022, Lions Not Sheep was fined $211,335 for ripping out "made in China" labels and replacing them with "made in USA."

Their site included phrases like: “Are your products USA Made?” “100% AMERICAN MADE,” and “BEST DAMN AMERICAN MADE GEAR ON THE PLANET.” Image
In a video he posted online, which is what spurred the FTC's investigation, the company's owner admitted the t-shirts are from China and he just rips out the label. He was very blunt about why he did this: consumers are cheap. They don't want to pay more for stuff.
You can find US-made equivalents for everything above. Velva Sheen and 3sixteen t-shirts are fully made in the US. American Watch Company makes watches stateside. New Balance has a MiUSA line. Red Cotton has US-made bedsheets. Chipp Neckwear makes neckties in NYC.
But people don't buy the stuff because it's expensive. And prices will only go up with protectionist policies. That's because the things we use to make these goods are often imported. Chipp imports its grenadine, raw silk, and ancient madder silks bc we don't make that in the US Image
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By increasing the cost of doing business, you make US companies less competitive abroad (as they also have to compete on the global market).

You can buy US-made goods nows. They are available and the prices are as low as they'll ever be. The question is, why don't you?
More importantly, why don't people who own companies partner with US factories? And influencers promote brands that use US factories? Tell customers that, yes, stuff costs more, but that's the nature of US manufacturing. Image
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I asked a friend in the clothing industry how much it would cost to make a graphic t-shirt from start to finish in the US. Meaning, the material is made in the US, t-shirt is assembled in the US, and printing is done in the US.

He said $15 for a small brand; $6 on a large scale Image
Kash Patel sells $35 t-shirts that say "American Pride" and "Love It or Leave It."

Can he manage to take a smaller profit for his country? Or raise the price $8 to support US manufacturing?

Talk is cheap. Would like ppl to prove their values with their spending. Image
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More from @dieworkwear

Sep 15
I disagree that Obama wore "slick suits."

Let me tell you about Obama's tailoring. 🧵
I've seen people here suggest Obama was a stylish president. I couldn't disagree more. Outfits like these read better in 2025, but during the slim-fit, Euro style craze of his presidency, Obama was routinely panned for his "frumpy dad style." See Vanity Fair. Image
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His style transformation really came post-presidency. I suspect, but don't have proof, that this is partly the influence of his wife, who is quite stylish. Even his suits look better now. See clean shoulder line + shirt collar points reaching lapels + nice four-in-hand dimple. Image
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Read 16 tweets
Sep 9
Although it's rarely expressed in outright terms, people often use a very simple heuristic when solving fashion problems: they wish to look rich, which is often disguised as "respectable."

I will show you why this rarely leads to good outfits. 🧵 Image
In 1902, German sociologist Georg Simmel neatly summed up fashion in an essay titled "On Fashion." Fashion, he asserted was simply a game of imitation in which people copy their "social betters." This causes the upper classes to move on, so as to distinguish themselves. Image
He was right. And his theory explains why Edward VIII, the Duke of Windsor, was the most influential menswear figure in the early 20th century. By virtue of his position and taste, he popularized soft collars, belted trousers, cuffs, Fair Isle sweaters, and all sorts of things. Image
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Sep 6
It's funny to see people imbue traditional men's tailoring with their own prejudices. They assume every man who wore a suit in the far past must be a staunch conservative like them. The truth is much more complicated. 🧵
This bias, of course, stems out of the 1960s and 70s, from which many of our contemporary politics also spring. I don't need to belabor this point because you already know it. The framing is neatly summed up in this Mad Men scene — the rag tag hippie vs man in a suit.
Thus, people assume that men in suits must always be part of the conservative establishment. But this was not always so. The suit was once a working man's garment. When Keir Hardie, founder of the Labour Party, arrived for his first day in Parliament, he wore a suit. Image
Read 17 tweets
Sep 6
Which of these two jackets do you prefer?

There's no "right" or "wrong" answer here, so feel free to go with your gut. I will then give you my views below. 🧵 Image
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In men's tailoring, the area below the jacket's buttoning point is colloquially known as the "quarters" among menswear enthusiasts. Or the "front edge" by actual tailors. These terms refer to the edge of the coat, connecting to lapels. Image
Some suit jackets have very closed quarters, such as you see on the left. In this way, the jacket forms a Y-shaped silhouette.

Other suits have open quarters, such that the front edge sweeps back on the hips, as you see on the right. This forms an X-shaped silhouette. Image
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Read 6 tweets
Aug 30
Here are ways to dress up in the summer if you wear menswear. 🧵
We will start with the most formal and work our way down, so that you can adjust things in ways that make sense for you.

The first and most obvious choice is to wear a soft-shouldered suit rendered in a material such as linen or seersucker. Seersucker can even be tonal (pic 4) Image
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However, when it comes to dressing for the heat, it's important to remember that the fabric's weight and weave are more important than fiber. A 10oz tropical wool — known for its open weave — will wear cooler than a densely woven 14 oz linen because it allows air to pass through Image
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Aug 26
I will tell you why I think the split-toe derby is the greatest dress shoe of all time. 🧵 Image
Let's first start with some terms. The term oxford refers to a footwear style where the facings have been sewn into the vamp. By contrast, the term derby refers to a style where the facings sit on top of the vamp.

On the left, we see an oxford. On the right, we see a derby. Image
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I believe that men wore tailored clothing best from the 1930s through '80s. If you share this premise, there are certain ideas about how an outfit should be put together, such as how oxfords look best with suits, while derbies go with suits or sport coats

Read 19 tweets

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