“I still do all my designs by hand and then walk them over to the factories to talk them through with the sewers. Then I keep going back and tweaking until things come out right. Since I incorporate a lot of details into my items, this can take a while and would be a totally different process if I was making things in, for example, China. And of course, the outcome is different than it would be if I was making everything remotely.
Speaking of China, I want to say that I don’t think the quality of our clothes would go down if we produced in China. Actually, Chinese factories can be REALLY good. Sometimes better than American made in certain respects, depending on what you are looking for.
But it’s a totally different process and results in a different aesthetic. So, it depends on what you are looking for.”
– Shinya Hasegawa, founder of Battenwear, on why he produces clothes in the US