American Woolen Co.’s mill in Stafford, Connecticut, had become the only U.S. supplier of camelhair and cashmere fabrics, CEO Jacob Harrison Long told the Journal Inquirer, which reported the news on Jan. 11, 2016. The first run of the material came off the line about a month earlier.
Rescued mill, growing staff
Long bought the former Warren Corp. mill in 2014. The 161-year-old mill had been set to close by its former owner, Italian clothier Loro Piana, which had run it for 25 years. Employment grew from about 31 early in Long’s ownership to 41, all of them former Warren workers, he said.
Customers
- The company had agreements to supply fabric to J. Crew and online retailer Bonobos.
- It was working out a supply deal with New York clothier Hickey Freeman.
- It runs a showroom in Manhattan’s garment district.
State support
In 2014 Connecticut’s Department of Economic and Community Development gave American Woolen a $300,000 job-creation incentive loan and a $100,000 matching grant, aimed at building costs and at least 38 jobs. Long said he chose Stafford over the South because of the Warren workers’ skills, and he expected demand for USA-made goods to keep growing.
Source & credit
Source: Journal Inquirer: “Stafford mill starts exclusive production of cashmere, camelhair”, Jan. 11, 2016.