Domestic manufacturing is very important to the CFDA with programs such as the Fashion Manufacturing Initiative (FMI) to elevate and preserve garment production in New York City.
It’s also key to many CFDA Members, including Joseph Abboud. The Boston native is committed to making his collections stateside, but the designer’s dedication has taken the idea to a new level by operating the largest menswear manufacturer in the North America, 100 percent Made in the USA. An hour outside of Boston in the thriving small town of New Bedford, lies the Joseph Abboud factory. The massive space alongside Buzzards Bay is the creation point of every suit produced by both Abboud’s namesake and Men’s Wearhouse collections. The suits, all made of Italian fabrics, are produced by an army of skilled employees, who create over 1,300 suits a week, or roughly 300,000 suits a year.
Recently, Abboud and his team opened the doors to seven menswear influencers for a private tour of the factory given by the designer himself and President of the Joseph Abboud Manufacturing Corporation, Tony Sapienza. The influencers were Moti Ankari (@themetroman), Denny Balmaceda (@denny623), Bobby Hicks (@thisfellow),Kyle Krieger (@kylekriegerhair), Chris John Millington (@chrisjohnmillington), Steven Onoja (@stevenonoja), and Sam White (@samwhiteout). Prior to the tour, they met weeks before for a custom suit fitting at the Joseph Abboud New York flagship store, giving each a glimpse into the world of the Abboud brand and the process of designing a custom suit. On the day of the tour in New Bedford, final fittings were first on the agenda by master tailor Salvatore Mellace, with a final sign off by Abboud, who placed his seal of approval in the form of his signature inside each suit. Abboud’s final piece advice to each influencer: to make their custom suit truly special by accessorizing and tweaking it with their personal style.
Suited up in their custom Joseph Abboud suits made of exclusive fabrics only available within the custom collection, the influencers were given a brief overview of the company by Sapienza, who stressed the importance of the American-made clothing – “the integrity and authenticity of the Joseph Abboud brand,” as he put it.
The guided tour led by Abboud and Sapienza began with the step-by-step making of a suit jacket, a process which includes 200 assembly stages before a final quality check. It takes nearly three hours to make one suit (not including the hours of design prior to assembly). The tour ended with the making of the trousers, a sneak peek of the newest Joseph Abboud Collection pieces which was recently shown during NYFW: Men’s and a lunch in the showroom, complete with paper plates and simple sandwiches and bites – a nod to the company’s humble nature despite its success.
Post-factory tour, the influencers returned to Boston for an intimate dinner with the Joseph Abboud and Men’s Wearhouse teams at the historic Waterworks Museum along the Chestnut Hill Reservoir. Drinks and canapes were served as Abboud walked the group through the history of the space, which, to the surprise of attendees, was attached to the designer’s private home.
Abboud toasted the group to a successful day, ending with a note about the importance of the employees and the facilities in New Bedford. “The strength of this brand,” he said, “is what comes out of that factory.”