Supima cotton world leader, performance fabric innovator. Cone Denim, Polartec fleece inventor, Repreve recycled fiber. Berry Amendment compliance. Made in USA certified. Carolinas textile cluster, Dalton carpet capital. CAFTA near-shore supply chain.
The United States textile industry punches above its global production weight through three distinct strengths: premium cotton, performance fabric innovation, and domestic compliance requirements. Supima cotton — American-grown Pima extra-long staple cotton — is the world's premier natural fiber for luxury knitwear and shirting. The Supima Association licenses the trademark only to verified 100% American Pima cotton, with luxury brands including Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Zegna and Frette specifying Supima for its measurably superior hand feel, strength and color retention.
Cone Denim (Greensboro, NC) is America's most storied denim mill — maker of Levi's original White Oak selvedge denim. Polartec (Lawrence, MA) invented performance fleece in 1981 and remains the world's leading producer of technical fleece fabrics — The North Face, Patagonia and Arc'teryx all use Polartec. Unifi (Greensboro, NC) created Repreve — the world's most widely used recycled performance fiber, made from plastic bottles, with over 35 billion bottles recycled to date. Repreve is used by Patagonia, Ford Motor Company, Haggar and major brands globally.
The Berry Amendment (10 U.S.C. § 2533a) requires the US Department of Defense to purchase only domestically produced textiles — creating a significant, stable captive market for American textile manufacturers. Brands requiring Made in USA certification for marketing (Patagonia, L.L. Bean, American Apparel) also drive domestic production demand.
| Supima cotton | American Grown Pima ELS cotton — world's finest; Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Zegna, Frette specify Supima |
| Denim | Cone Denim (Greensboro NC) — Levi's original White Oak selvedge mill; America's most historic denim producer |
| Performance fleece | Polartec (Lawrence MA, est. 1981) — fleece inventor; The North Face, Patagonia, Arc'teryx primary supplier |
| Recycled fiber | Unifi Repreve (Greensboro NC) — world's most used recycled fiber; 35B+ bottles recycled; Patagonia, Ford |
| Berry Amendment | US DoD must source 100% domestic textiles — stable government procurement market for US mills |
| Certifications | Made in USA (FTC), Supima trademark, OEKO-TEX, bluesign, GRS, Repreve certification, Woolmark |
Supima cotton (world's finest ELS cotton — Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Zegna specify it), Cone Denim (Levi's original White Oak selvedge mill), Polartec (performance fleece inventor — The North Face, Patagonia, Arc'teryx), Repreve recycled fiber (Unifi — world's most used recycled performance fiber, 35B+ bottles). Berry Amendment drives domestic military textile procurement. Made in USA certification for consumer-facing brand premium.
Supima = American Pima extra-long staple (ELS) cotton from US Southwest and California. 35% longer fiber than standard cotton — stronger, softer, better color retention. Supima Association trademark: only licensed to verified 100% American Pima. Used by Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Zegna, Frette, Brooks Brothers, premium Japanese denim mills. Trades at 3-5x standard cotton premium — justified by measurable quality superiority in hand feel, durability and lustre.
The Berry Amendment (10 U.S.C. § 2533a) requires the US Department of Defense to buy only 100% domestically produced textiles and apparel. Any supplier to US military contracts must comply — 100% US fiber, US yarn, US fabric, US cut-and-sew. Creates a significant captive market for American mills. Key Berry-compliant suppliers: American Apparel (Augusta GA), Propper International, Tru-Spec. Critical for any brand or manufacturer pursuing DoD contracts.
Luxury brands needing Supima cotton (shirts, knitwear — measurable quality premium). US brands needing Made in USA certification for consumer marketing. Government/military suppliers requiring Berry Amendment compliance. Performance brands specifying Polartec fleece or Repreve recycled fiber. Not cost-competitive for standard apparel vs Asia or even nearshore CAFTA countries — US is the premium domestic and innovation tier.