Our bags are cut and sewn by us in our Portland studio, but our “Made in USA” label means more than that. Manufacturers are required to specify country of origin for their products, which includes not only the assembly of the product (which is essentially what we do), but the manufacture of that product’s materials as well. For soft goods (bags, apparel, etc), this means fabrics. Both our shell and liner fabrics come from US fabric mills in New Jersey and Connecticut, respectively. Because of this, we’re proud to put the “Made in USA” label in every bag we make.
What does this mean? A simpler supply chain makes for a more flexible business, which means more savings. We’re often asked why we don’t outsource manufacturing overseas to places like Vietnam or China. The answer is simple - our supply chain is here, and our customers are here. We’d have to ship fabric from Connecticut to the other side of the planet. That’s like booking a flight from Portland to New York City with a layover in Tokyo - it just doesn’t make sense.
By keeping our supply chain domestic and our production line queued with made-to-order bags, we’re able to respond immediately to market changes, without wasting time or money on large inventories, redundant shipping, or simply guessing wrong about sales.
The result is that all of the money you spend on your panniers with us stays in the US economy. We do charge a premium for our ‘Made in USA’ label, but those dollars go directly to local & domestic businesses, helping to grow the workforce and rebuild the manufacturing industry in America.
