The power of US manufacturing in fashion

Lexy Funk started Brooklyn Industries in 1998 with a line of messenger bags made from vinyl billboards she pulled out of a dumpster. As the company grew, the challenges of producing goods in the U.S. became more difficult. She was forced to turn to companies in South America and Asia for products to sell in America. However, when the recession hit, demand at Brooklyn Industries slowed and Funk was able to rethink and pivot her business to bring the manufacturing of her goods back to the U.S.

According to the new web series, 'This Built America,' the yarn in Brooklyn Industries products are woven into fabric in Clifton, N.J., then cleaned and dyed in Shoemakersville, Penn., and cut and sewn into T-shirts in Allentown, Pennsylvania. They are then sent to New Jersey or Queens, where they are screen-printed with the companies designs. This impressive collection of craftsmen here in the U.S. makes Brooklyn Industries truly unique.

Click on the video above to learn more about this remarkable company and be sure to check out more stories like this in the new web series, 'This Built America.'