The modern women’s wear company Madewell was founded in 2004. Its origin story isn’t exactly one of American entrepreneurship. Instead, the brand originated when J. Crew acquired the Madewell name from its founders.
The history of the name Madewell dates back a little further than 2004. The brand originally began in 1937 as a manufacturer of American workwear. When J. Crew acquired the brand name, it transformed to cater to modern women and no longer offered men’s or children’s clothing.
Madewell opened their first store in 2006 and has been seeing success ever since, even when J. Crew has struggled. Today, Madewell continues to make clothing and accessories for women.
They readily offer a ‘Do Well’ report that describes their annual sustainability, certifications, waste reduction, and more. You can even resell your Madewell clothing to the website to improve circularity. But before that, let’s find out where these clothes are coming from in the first place.
Verdict: Is Madewell Made in the USA?
Madewell has abandoned American manufacturing. Madewell carries some items made in the USA, but most of its items are imported from countries such as Indonesia, India, and China.
There’s a clear sign that answering this question will be a little complicated. When you visit a company’s About page, it doesn’t share any “About” information to humanize the brand. Instead, there is a smattering of generalized statements about sustainability or quality.
We contacted customer service through the website’s chat function. Here is that conversation:
We very often find ourselves here when investigating large brands like Madewell. Customer service representatives are so hesitant to answer this basic question. Instead, they want to force you into choosing an item, to which they’ll tell you only where that item was made. It’s not helpful to get a bigger picture, and it’s bottom-line manipulation.
You are doing business wrong if you don’t know where most of your products are being made. Even more disappointingly, after conducting a website search for “Made in USA,” we actually found some items. Even some with “Made in USA” in the actual product name. So, why couldn’t the customer service representative have pointed us to those in the first place?
Following is the information from the Made in USA Boxy Tee:
The following information from the Madewell x Jade Swim Lana String Bikini Bottom:
Many of the products made in America are the result of collaborations with brands like Frankies Bikinis, La Réunion, or New Balance.
However, if the item is not made in the USA, Madewell clearly labels this on their website, despite the unhelpful customer service representative. Just about every item we looked into had a country of origin listed under the product details.
The following information is from the Layton Midi Slip Dress:
The following information is from The Signature Oxford Crop Shirt:
Although their transparency is to be applauded, Madwell’s origin is questionable. Have a read of this article to learn how the brand came to be and make your own judgments about the brand.
All in all, most items sold by Madewell are not manufactured here in the US. Still, a website search for “Made in USA” yields relevant results, and nearly every item is accurately labeled with its country of origin.
Popular American Made Madewell Clothing
- Made in USA Boxy Tee
- Madewell x Jade swim Lana String Bikini Bottom
- New Balance 990v6 Sneakers
Popular Madewell Clothing Not Made in the USA
- Layton Midi Slip Dress
- The Essential Bucket Tote
- The Signature Oxford Crop Shirt
American Made Alternatives
- Women’s tops of all styles made in the USA
- Women’s dressmakers made in the USA
- Leggings (workout and everyday wear) made in the USA
- Pants (work, cargo, slim fit, and more) made in the USA
- Organic clothes made in the USA
