You want your outdoor wear to be rugged, sturdy, and, let’s admit it, cool. Or…KÜHL? Jokes aside, KÜHL Clothing is a mountain culture clothier that makes some pretty decent stuff.
They began as Alfwear in 1983 and transitioned to the KÜHL title in 1994. The brand name is derived from the German language and literally means “cool.” This name swap was inspired by the brand’s pattern-maker at the time, who hailed from the slopes of Germany.
Though its name is German, the company started in the US and is still headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is privately owned and respects its product so much that it has never had a sale. Along this same ethos, it vows never to overproduce its goods.
From a high podium of ethics, KÜHL strongly believes in remaining independently owned to retain its values. We’d like to know if one of those values covers manufacturing. Scroll down to find out more about the KÜHL brand and where its products are from.
Verdict: Is KÜHL Clothing Made in the USA?
No, KÜHL clothing is not made in the USA. They are made in Vietnam and other countries.
To get started on our search, we chatted with customer service. It’s expected, but sometimes, those help representatives beat around the bush a bit. It’s a simple question: “Where is this made?” It shouldn’t take an entire conversation to figure it out.
Here is what the KÜHL employee was willing to work with us on (spoiler alert, it was basically nothing):
To our question, “Where are your items made?” We received the answer, “All over the world.” However, a request for details beyond that yielded no more information. A company should at least know where the majority of its items are made.
The only item produced in the US is the Kuhl Wax, a natural wax blend used for waterproofing fabric like pants, backpacks, hats, and more.
It’s respectable for a company to stand strong on the value of its items, like when KÜHL refuses to have any sales. But… if your items are made so well, why won’t you tell us where they are made? That’s an integral part of the quality story.
On their About Page, they state that their partners are environmentally conscious and ethically minded, and the facilities meet high standards. Yet, why can’t they tell us where these wonderful factories are?
So, if they won’t tell us, we’ll just have to do a little secret shopping of our own. And that’s exactly what we did.
As you can see above (sorry about the weird angle), this shirt is made in Vietnam. We noticed that country of origin on a lot of the clothing items we looked at.
KÜHL takes a stand as being a company that breaks the rules, stands for free will, and destroys mediocrity. If these represent authentic values, we’d ask for more effort regarding manufacturing practices and transparency.
We now know that KÜHL clothing is not made in the US. So, if you’re shopping for American-made outerwear, look elsewhere.
Popular American Made KÜHL Clothing
- None, just the Kuhl Wax
Popular KÜHL Clothing Not Made in the USA
- Dynawool Jacket
- Revel ¼ Zip Sweater
- Deceptr Pants
American Made Alternatives
- Pants made in the US
- Chinos and khakis made in the US
- Winter coats and jackets made in the US
- Hats made in the US
