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This is one of the largest denim mills in the world, turning out 1.4 million pairs of jeans a month. Here, thousands of workers do everything from weaving the fabric to sewing the final pair for big American brands like Levi's. In fact, more than 90% of denim clothing worn in the US today is made abroad. But, it wasn't always this way. In the early 1900s, the US produced over a third of the world's denim. And jeans were more than just clothing. They were a symbol of America itself. But now, there's only one major denim mill left here, and it's trying to reinvent itself by selling made in America as a premium product.
You're producing a piece of art. And a piece of history. Oh, there's no doubt about it. But does anyone even care if their clothes are made in America? I'm going to try to get to the bottom of it. I think everybody likes the idea of made in America. But, unfortunately, a lot of people just want their brand at cheapest price they can get it. So, can American mills actually compete with the massive industries abroad? And what are they doing to stand out? Denim was invented in 17th century France. The name denim comes from the French de Nîmes, which means from Nîmes. To save money, only half the yarn was dyed, with blue yarn woven in one direction and white going across it, giving denim its signature look.
The fabric was cheap and sturdy and became popular in Europe and the US as heavy-duty workwear. But, denim didn't become jeans until 1873, when Levi Strauss, a Bavarian immigrant, patented a design for pants with copper rivets. The durable jeans were advertised to workers like farmers and mechanics and were popular with gold miners and lumberjacks. Celebs like James Dean and Marlon Brando helped make jeans fashionable. Over time, they became linked with counterculture and rebellion. By the 1960s, 95% of clothing Americans wore was made in the US.
Everything from weaving fabric to stitching the garments. With women making up most of the workforce. But today, just 2% of clothing sold in the US is actually made in the US. Now, the top three denim fabric producing countries in the world are China, India, and Pakistan. We visited one of Asia's largest textile manufacturers to see what US factories are up against. Crescent Bahuman Limited, or CBL, is located in Punjab, in the heart of Pakistan's garment industry. It produces more than 20 million yards of denim each year. Far more than any denim mill in the US.
Turning it out on such a massive scale requires thousands of workers and cutting-edge technology. But what gives this factory a real edge is that it also turns this denim into jeans. Something US mills rarely do these days. CBL sends their jeans to big brands like Levi's, Target, and American Eagle. One big reason why garment assembly has moved to Asia is lower wages. A textile factory worker in Pakistan, for example, earns an average of 35,000 rupees per month, or $127. That's 20 times less than the US.
The industry in Asia is also notorious for poor working conditions. But CBL says it's trying to raise the bar. Even beyond what some US companies offer. By providing on-campus housing, transportation, and vocational training for some of its 8,000 workers. We have a full training academy on ground. That means that whoever comes in, we train them so they're remain employable for life whether with us or without us. This is what US mills are up against. Highly productive one-stop shops that make fabric and the finished product.
Meanwhile, the few denim mills that have survived in the US only make fabric. Mount Vernon Mills is one of them. Our competition is not really a fabric mill in, let's say, Pakistan. It is the entire production of a garment in Pakistan. When garment production has migrated, the fabric production has followed. John Sedevie handles the supply chain at Mount Vernon. We cannot compete, even if our pricing could somehow be competitive. We're at a geographic disadvantage in terms of response time. So, the 180-year-old mill is trying to shake things up, starting with its dying process.
Their plant in Georgia uses synthetic dye to color the yarn because natural indigo is harder to acquire in such large quantities. But the synthetic version is riskier for the environment. If it leaks or gets dumped, the dye can pollute local waterways. So, Mount Vernon partners with the town to treat its waste runoff. And this gives the mill a leg up over textile factories in developing countries that are a major source of pollution. I've walked across mills in Asia where literally my shoes turned blue. I've seen a lot of blue rivers. The mill has also invested heavily in machinery so it can scale up. Like these looms that weave the blue yarn.
One person can operate up to 19 of them. You show them that you can run these machines and you can get extra machines. So, the more machines you have, better money you make. The machines have gotten much faster, too. They turn out fabric at more than triple the rate they did 30 years ago. And that's cut down on the need for more workers. We probably had close to 2,000 employees when I started working here. Now, we've got maybe 600. But some experienced folks, like Lynn Ledbetter, have held onto their jobs because when machines mess up, she's there to fix those mistakes.
She's an expert at tying a weaver's knot, something a worker might do a hundred times a day every time a thread breaks. And you barely just hold it together your thumb and hold it with this thumb and you tie it. Okay, I left it try. Okay, here you go. So, that one under there and I'll pull. Yeah, go ahead. I knew it was going to do that. It didn't work. Many of Lynn's family members have worked here, too. It's a trend we saw across the mill. My brother was a supervisor. My sister's a smash hand. My mom was training instructor to weave. So, if there was a death in the family, it was practically
shutting the mill down. Yeah. She even met her husband at this plant 26 years ago. Well, I tell everybody I'm the plant manager, but she's the boss. Yeah, that's what he says. But these days, it's hard for the US textile industry to fill jobs. The challenge is always there to find people who are willing to work a job that's labor intensive. But again, it's a very good honest job. You're going to work for your money, but it's a very good job. When I was growing up, my dad worked 7 days a week and the mill ran 7 days a week.
Now, we work 4 days a week, 12-hour shifts, give our employees, you know, 3-day weekends, which helps keep retain employees. And that's an issue not just in textiles, but across manufacturing. At the end of 2025, there were nearly half a million manufacturing job openings in the country. And it seems like not many people want to fill them. In one survey, 80% of Americans said the US would benefit from an increase in factory jobs, but only about 25% said they'd be better off working those jobs themselves. They say, "Well, those, you know, people don't want those jobs anyway." Do you think that's true? When you pique their interest in the complexity, the workmanship that's required, you'll get those people involved.
We need people to run the machinery, we need people to fix the machinery. We also need people to develop the different types of textile products. Coming up with new and unique fabrics is one of Mount Vernon's biggest bets as it tries to not just survive, but even grow the business. When I first came to work, we were the king of American denim in every major retailer and discount store in the United States with our fabrics. Now, that's primarily out of Asia. So, what we had to do is focus on niche markets that required a higher degree of quality and technical expertise. That includes specialized fabrics like flame-resistant denim.
The type of FR treatment that we do here is actually a chemical reaction in the fiber that is not just a topical coating that will wash off. This type of denim is used by oil field workers and electricians, and the mill can make a lot more money selling it. The integrity and quality required in that area is something that people are willing to pay for. They really don't want to wear cheap fire-resistant clothing. The final test comes when lab workers expose the fabric to a flame. The regular denim sample burns right up. While the flame resistant sample chars and the fire burns out.
Along with going high-tech, the mill is racing to preserve low-tech, relying on vintage machines and techniques that give it a rare edge in a crowded market. This loom was cutting-edge technology when it was first invented in the mid-1900s. It was as big a revolution in our industry as the Model T was for automobiles. There's no question about it. Modern looms cut the crosswise threads after each pass, creating fringe at the edge. On these older looms, the crosswise thread is continuous. And you can see it doesn't have the fringes out to it.
This unique look is called selvage denim. And if you get a real large selvage piece of denim, it's price points are higher, the craftsmanship is there, and it's you're buying a piece of history. Garment makers will sew that edge into the side seam of jeans, so that when cuffed, the selvage pokes out. This look has become a status symbol, a sign of luxury and craftsmanship. And people are willing to pay a pretty penny for it. That's actually a market now that some people are waiting 2 years just to get fabric. Levi's sells selvage 501 jeans at nearly double the price of its original version. And that high margin is why Mount Vernon decided to buy up these old looms from
another historic mill that shut down. But they were in rough shape, and the team here is still working to get them up and running. One person described it as the world's worst IKEA project. So the company brought in experts. Hector Tobaras and Jose Lopez are both originally from Colombia. Each has about 50 years experience in textiles. When he comes to the United States, he was all the way a loom fixer. I got lucky and I got trained in the United States.
Fixing looms like this is nearly a lost art. We got our folks learning with them. They are willing to pass the knowledge, so we're very lucky on that also. Even with their expertise, it'll probably take a year before all these looms are turning out selvage denim. Meanwhile, Japan is already the leading producer of this look. And foreign factories are never far behind on what's trending. If we get what I call a hit product, I figure we have at the most a two to three year run on it before it's knocked off in Asia. But does anyone even care if their clothes are made in America? I'm here in SoHo, an iconic shopping destination,
and I'm going to try to get to the bottom of it. When you shop for clothing, do you check the tags inside and see like what country it's made in? Sometimes I do. At some point I kind of stop and I only realize it when I actually kind of have it in my face. It's really hard to find US made clothing. If I am buying something made in the US, it means I'm in some way contributing to the growth of a business that's going to affect the economy. So, I kind of would prefer if it's made here, but if it's not, I'm not going to be angry about it.
I mean, if you're American, you want the people in America to have the jobs and opportunities and so forth, and it should be Americans in that process if we can. Is it something that you would like pay a little extra for if you saw it on a tag that it was made in the US or not really? That's where we get sketchy. I don't know. I don't think the American consumer would. I don't think they care enough, actually. Still, Mount Vernon Mills has managed to survive for almost two centuries, and the team hopes to continue this legacy right here in the American Southeast.
Yes, it's hard work, but it's good honest work. Anybody can make a career out of it, and it's it's really fun. To me, the Made in America tag on a product is a sign of dedication to the American worker. And no matter where you are, pride in your craft is a sentiment everyone can relate to. I've been a tester for 38 years. Wow, that's a long time. And you know, goodness.
