Hacker News Reader

I agree with that statement generally.

One (sort of) case in point is American Apparel. While they are now in deep shit (nearly going to bankruptcy but just got rescued), they were doing pretty well for a few years as a vertically integrated apparel maker, with a factory in downtown LA.

Hard to think of other examples.

View on HN

I think its debatable whether american apparel did well because they were vertically integrated / located in the US, or in spite of it.

Nucor is another example frequently cited as a company innovating in a shrinking industry. But they have had their share of troubles as well.

Absolutely. There are all sorts of folks looking for clothes made locally and well. I buy American Apparel for both of those reasons.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com