It's expensive to make blue jeans in America

In the quiet town of Shawnee, Oklahoma, the rapid whir of sewing machines fills one of the last surviving American garment factories.

In the quiet town of Shawnee, Oklahoma, the rapid whir of sewing machines fills one of the last surviving American garment factories. Inside, denim from 100% American cotton is cut and sewn by hand into jeans, with a “Made in USA” tag stitched into every pair.

Founded in 1903, Round House Jeans is Oklahoma’s oldest manufacturer. Vice President David Antosh, whose family has run the company for over six decades, describes making affordable American-made jeans as both his family’s heritage and a way to support his community.

“Our No. 1 goal here at Round House Jeans is to make affordable American-made jeans that the average American can buy,” explained Antosh, who prices his denim pants at just $70 a pair and says he pays his employees above-market wages. It’s a vision that comes at a high cost and low return.

“Our profit margins are extremely low,” Antosh admitted about his American factory. “We make hardly any money on these jeans.”

Founded in 1903, Round House Jeans is Oklahoma’s oldest manufacturer.TODAYThe company embodies a lot of President Donald Trump’s “America first” economic ethos, but it’s also an example of how hard it’ll be for the president to compel clothing manufacturers to move operations to the United States. Despite higher tariffs intended to reshore manufacturing, scarce and costly skilled labor, limited domestic materials, and outdated technology have made manufacturing overseas both cheaper and more efficient.