but isn't!!!!!
Sure, many clothes are no longer made in the U.S.A. But sadly, you'd have to wish that a Made in Detroit T-shirt wasn't one of them.
When it comes to doing Detroit proud, Kid Rock hits all cylinders with his song "Times Like These."
Some days, driving north or south on Woodward, I get a bit choked up when I hear him sing: "I heard them say they're shuttin' Detroit down. But I won't leave cuz' this is my hometown."
Those are fightin' words, the kind of don't-you-go-there spirit that keeps this town kicking. And yes, the kind of words that make Kid Rock a popular personality here.
Made in Detroit.
So why in the world are Kid Rock's high-end "Made in Detroit" T-shirts made in the Dominican Republic? Or some other country?
Oh, really? Sort of takes a knife right to the heart of the whole thing.
On top of that, many of the adult-sized Made in Detroit shirts no longer have any labels to tell you exactly where the T-shirts themselves are made.
The design originated in Detroit, but the blank T-shirts aren't from here. The Clarkston company buys the cotton canvases from suppliers and then adds the design.
But where are those unlabeled Made in Detroit shirts made? And where are some other notable shirts made, including others bearing prideful slogans such as "Say Yes to Michigan" or "Imported from Detroit"?
Susan Tompor finds Detroit-pride gear is made worldwide -- and even worse, in Ohio
The Made in Detroit brand has a heart-tugging story to make you want to believe that this brand now owned by Kid Rock is doing what it can. The brand, launched in 1991, hit the skids in 2005. The Motor City rock star later bought the brand out of"Today, Made in Detroit is more than a Kid Rock brand, it's the official mark of a movement that belongs to all of us," says the website at www.madeindetroit.com. "Born to represent, this is Made in Detroit."But many of the T-shirts are missing a mark -- a label telling exactly where garments are made.
I first heard this T-shirt manufacturing issue raised by a Free Press editor who read critical remarks online. I'll admit my first reaction was: Who has any clothes that aren't made somewhere else, outside the U.S.?
Shopping for clues
Are the "Made in Detroit" shirts made in China?I did some shopping and later reached out to Made in Detroit, a trademark owned by an entity called Bobby Moscow.
Oddly, it's not tough to find plenty of Detroit shirts.
I examined my "Imported from Detroit" T-shirt at home. What's on that label?
"Made in USA, The Track Shirt American Apparel."
The original Imported from Detroit T-shirts, which rose out of the popular Eminem Super Bowl commercial for Chrysler last year, are indeed made in the USA.
"The Chrysler brand team felt that it was important that the products were produced here," said Dianna Gutierrez, a spokeswoman for Chrysler. What about other shirts?
I visited the Pure Detroit store in downtown Detroit, where Pure Detroit shirts had labels showing they were made in the Dominican Republic, Peru and the U.S.A.
I took a spin to trendy Caruso Caruso in Birmingham, one of many official retailers for the Made in Detroit brand listed at www.madeindetroit.com .
On the
There was a "Say Yes to Michigan" shirt, $28, made in Ohio by Homage, a small- to medium-sized company based out of Columbus. That's kinda ironic.
And I found a Made in Detroit shirt, selling for $40, with a label that said it was made in the Dominican Republic.
When I took a ride to Incognito in downtown Royal Oak, I found a Made in Detroit baby onesie priced at $22 and made in India. And I saw a toddler Made in Detroit pink shirt priced at $18 made in Honduras.
But I did not find any label for where an adult-sized Made in Detroit shirt at Incognito was made. Sort of keeping that manufacturing process incognito, I guess?
I later took a drive and met with Tommy Dubak, who runs operations for the Made in Detroit brand out of a rural area of Clarkston. Kid Rock's brother, Billy Ritchie, who is a teacher, joined us.
"We're trying to do as much as we can to help Detroit," said Ritchie, who said he is not on the payroll for Made in Detroit.
In 2008, Kid Rock and Wayne State University established a partnership that involved a limited-edition Made in Detroit T-shirt. The proceeds funded a $25,000 student scholarship.
The Made in Detroit brand also is proud of building sales for smaller, mom-and-pop retailers in suburban towns, including Berkley, Plymouth, Royal Oak and Roseville.
What about that labeling?
Dubak knows some critics ask: "Why do you guys cut the 'Made in China' tags out?"
Dubak said the T-shirts aren't made in China, noting that higher-end clothing lines are made in China, not T-shirts for a smaller company.
Some shirts sold with the Made in Detroit designs are made in the U.S., he said, but others can be made elsewhere.
Dubak said it sometimes can be hard to know where a T-shirt will be made. One manufacturer can have the same shirts made in one or two different countries. He said right now the Made in Detroit operation, which has seven full-time employees, uses eight or 10 different manufacturers.
I asked Dubak about the lack of some labels in some shirts.
Dubak said he has cut out labels from some T-shirts that are bought from suppliers as part of the design choice.
He wanted to use an imprint near the neck that lies flat on the material and uses a screen-print process. Why cut out the tag?
"I hated tags in my shirts," he said.
Are companies, such as Made in Detroit, allowed to cut out labels and eliminate the country of origin? Dubak said he believes he can, and that the country of origin would be needed if he was shipping the items internationally.
Labeling rules are complicated. But T-shirts are not exempt from labeling, and failure to disclose where a T-shirt is manufactured can lead the Federal Trade Commission to take action, according to Matthew Wilshire, staff attorney at the FTC.
Goods covered by FTC textile regulations, including t-shirts offered for sale to the general public, must have a label disclosing country of origin. Companies can substitute new labels for old labels, but those labels still must disclose country of origin, Wilshire said.
Regulators did not address the specifics of the Made in Detroit shirts.
Like Kid Rock, the T-shirts are popular.
The Road Show in Roseville says it appreciates the traffic that the Made in Detroit website brings the store, which sells snakes, spiders, rock 'n' roll items and T-shirts.
"It's a pride thing. People are proud to be 'Made in Detroit,' " said Josh Hoffman, 29, manager for the Road Show. His father Bruce Hoffman, 61, the store's owner, said he thinks people who buy the Made in Detroit brand don't focus on where the T-shirt itself is made.
Not everyone is happy about the Made in Detroit style. Robert Stanzler, who worked to build the Made in Detroit brand in 1991 and later worked as a consultant when the brand was bought out of bankruptcy, now has a new brand, Detroit Manufacturing. He charges that the Kid Rock operation is "just an ATM to them."
Dubak said the Made in Detroit brand is proud of what it's done so far and wants to do more.
"We're a small company, and we're trying to do good for Michigan," Dubak said, noting that Kid Rock does not take a salary or expense anything.
"He's never charged a tank of gas to these companies," Dubak said.
Would it take a heroic effort to get a T-shirt made in the U.S.?
Dubak -- who used to run the parts and service department for the Lincoln Mercury dealership once owned by Kid Rock's father -- said it would cost more for Made in U.S.A. shirts but said the company is working toward using more U.S.A.-made shirts.
I hope that works out.
Sure, many clothes are no longer made in the U.S.A. But sadly, you'd have to wish that a Made in Detroit T-shirt wasn't one of them.
Contact Susan Tompor: 313-222-8876 or stompor@freepress.com
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