We’re proud of where we make our stuff. Countries like Italy, Canada, Japan and Portugal, in addition to fair labor laws, all have a certain resonance in terms of being known for quality tailoring and fabrics. This extends, of course, to Noah products made in the USA. With this season’s Pullover Windbreaker, however, we wanted to be even more specific. We’re proud to say it’s made in New Jersey.
While The Garden State may not leap to mind when it comes to high-quality clothing, the truth is that a significant portion of New York’s garment industry has migrated there over the years, as the city became prohibitively expensive for manufacturing. This is the case for the factory we worked with, but there is even more to the story. Meet Wilson Quesada, a veteran garment maker and immigrant success story.
When he was only 7 years old, Wilson took fabric scraps from the trash bins of his uncle’s factory in Ecuador to make his own jeans. This set him on a path toward his future, which involved a perilous 6-month trek across war-torn areas of South and Central America to arrive, finally, in New York at 19. He got a job grading, marking and cutting by hand in midtown, and parlayed this into his own operation after only 2 years.
He gradually expanded, acquiring equipment and employees as he grew. After 25 years, losing his lease on his factory in the city forced him to move. After Brooklyn and Queens proved too expensive, he settled on his current location (which is near where he lives) in New Jersey. Now operating with 15 employees, Wilson’s been successful enough to acquire a range of high-tech equipment that allows him to fully construct an entire piece of technical outerwear, from cutting and sewing to trims. He can even provide the laser cutting necessary for the reflective sleeve logo.
Perhaps most importantly, Wilson and his team have the expertise to live up to the standards of quality we’ve come to expect from manufacturing in countries like Italy, Canada, Japan and Portugal. Even though this jacket is comparatively more expensive than some of our other products, its retail price is actually less than if we’d made it abroad. Noah is happy to be able to support operations like Wilson’s, and to say that a key piece from our Spring/Summer 2020 season is Made in NJ.
