Gustin Footwear

When you really boil it down nothing is truly made in the USA. Hell, almost all of the denim we buy and rave about is woven at mills in Japan, Italy, and elsewhere. Some of the cotton even comes from Zimbabwe. When the denim is sewn into jeans here in the states it's done so on machines with parts which were manufactured overseas, the workers sit on chairs which were manufactured in Taiwan. Etc, etc, etc.

This isn't about nationalism, it's about fair labor treatment. Sometimes it doesn't make sense to make things in one place over another. For example there's no benefit to making porcelain anywhere but China, as that's where the material comes from, and that's where all the manufacturers of it are. Juki still manufactures industrial machines in Japan, I believe all the chain stitch machines out there were made in the USA, though I would guess maybe replacement parts might come out of China. 

Many of the finest shoe manufacturers are in Italy, if Gustin has gone to the extent that Patagonia does in vetting their manufacturers, and they are not taking advantage of people to make shoes and sell them to me, then I'm not that upset about it. I think they need to address it, though, since their main page, right now, says "Always made in America", and I haven't heard of Italy being annexed by the United States -- I imagine that'd be big news.

To be fair, and maybe clear up any potential misconceptions, the way the EU works means that any number of workers in any given EU nation may well not be citizens of that nation. Under EU law, anybody from any other EU member state can live and work in any other EU member state for as long as they like and never be a citizen of their host nation. That's not only a legal right, but one enshrined in and specifically encouraged by EU legislation.

As an example, the company based in Italy that makes G's footwear could be entirely owned, run and staffed by Estonians and it would all be entirely legal. In fact, they'd probably be supported by EU grants.

The EU also has to deal with the fact that many countries outside the EU have the route for their citizens to gain legal entry to EU nations via archaic ex-colonial links. For example, Goans are entitled to Portugese passports... and as Portugal is an EU member state, those Goans who hold a Portugese passport could fly to Italy and then, perfectly legally, live and work there for the rest of their lives. All they need is an EU member state passport.

Any EU company operating within any EU nation must adhere to EU employment/labour regulations as well as those of the nation they're operating in. As with other nations outside the EU, that does not necessarily mean all companies operate within the law. That said, and rather interestingly, Italy is one of the very few countries within the EU that does not have a national minimum wage.

Many countries in the EU have a huge problem with illegal immigration - Italy being one of the worst affected - but, again, I would very much doubt that any companies involved in producing the quality of footwear that Gustin might use would be operating that kind of business model. I mean, look at the spotlight that's already been cast on the origins of these items even after a couple of teaser photos. No company operating illegally is going to risk that level of attention.

who manufactures exclusively in USA?!?!


LD&CO!

Pretty sure it was OSB loafer or camp moc. Basically quality of like eastland but priced higher than rancourt.

Either way it's going to come down to price, material, construction. If they are made in USA or Italy it still comes down to that.

Still says Made in America on the footer, but the writing's on the wall, so to speak.

Just waiting for it to change to "Made in... Places"

That copy is within the footer on their template on every page - not as easy to swap out as the "hero image" in the main body. Or, they didn't proof the page(s) when they made the edit. 

Do you think Cody got fired for trying to talk Josh out of his long-term vision of outsourcing all production to Malaysia and renaming the company "G. Crew"? The shoes could be the first step in his master plan.

Vietcong?

I have zero interest in shoes not manufactured in the USA. There are plenty of options to buy imported shoes. Simply having them branded by Gustin will do nothing for me. I'll be very disappointed if they change their US manufacturing model - especially on shirts and denim. It will eliminate a major reason I buy from Gustin. Although I understand their product is made from imported materials, at least it's helping generate manufacturing jobs in the States. As the son of a retired auto worker, it's critical for us to maintain good paying manufacturing jobs here.