RELATED CONTENT


Download a PDF of Made in USA.

NEW YORK—If there’s one constant in a post-2020 world, it’s change. The economy, labor market, retail landscape and overall world we live in has been in constant flux since March 2020, teaching us all how to be adaptive and inventive in everything we do. For many consumers, products labeled as “Made in the USA” have long been preferable—from giving back to the local economy to lowering your carbon footprint, there are plenty of reasons that Americans want to buy homegrown products. That has not changed—though inflation has put a slight damper on what Americans are willing to spend.

A 2022 poll from Retail Brew and The Harris Poll found that 72 percent of respondents said that even with the challenge of inflation they seek out American-made products “very often or somewhat often,” and 48 percent said they were willing to pay about 10 percent to 20 percent more for a product made here in the U.S. There is a slight generational divide, though: just 9 percent of Boomers strongly agreed with the statement that American-made products are too expensive, while 13 percent of Gen X, 23 percent of Millennials and 16 percent of Gen Z agreed.

Notably, the survey found that respondents said they would be most likely to buy a product labeled “Made in America,” more so than “Manufactured in America,” “American-made,” or “Product of the U.S.” Seventy-five percent of respondents said it’s either very or somewhat important for brands to make their products in the U.S., while 74 percent said it’s very or somewhat important for brands to be based in the U.S.

In 2021, of course, the FTC introduced a new rule clarifying what it means to be “Made in the USA,” prohibiting companies from using that verbiage unless “virtually all” pieces or ingredients are made and sourced in the U.S. Final assembly of the product must occur within the U.S. as well. It’s become clearer and clearer what “Made in the USA” really means—and the fact that consumers search out American-made products remains clear too.

Each year, Vision Monday takes a look at the state of American-made eyewear. From coast to coast, American eyewear companies are growing, thriving and creating a new landscape for themselves—showcasing part of what it means to be born in the USA.