Over the past few years, there has been a rapid rise in fast fashion. Trends quickly come and go, and stores are selling clothing with synthetic materials derived from fossil fuels, such as polyester and nylon, which have a negative impact on the environment.
Some clothing makers, like Jewish couple Joe Willis and Shayna Samuels, are fighting back against this trend. They created City Threads, a sustainable children’s apparel brand that sells styles that are locally knit and dyed in Los Angeles. Making clothing locally is important to the couple, who met at Santa Monica High School in 1994.
“If apparel brands don’t continue to invest in and partner with this ecosystem, the possibility to build a Made-in-USA clothing brand will eventually go away.” – Joe Willis
“There is a robust ecosystem of clothing manufacturers, dyers, cutters, samplemakers, patternmakers, as well as shops that offer trims and notions in LA,” said Joe. “If apparel brands don’t continue to invest in and partner with this ecosystem, the possibility to build a Made-in-USA clothing brand will eventually go away.”
City Threads offers a wide range of children’s clothing, from tops, bottoms, dresses and skirts to leggings, hats and sensory friendly garments made of 100% cotton fabric.
“We love being a mom-and-pop shop that cares about the clothing, every aspect of it, and we are making things that we feel great about putting on our kids and ourselves,” said Shayna.
Both Joe and Shayna come from European-Jewish backgrounds and a long line of Angelenos who lived in Pico-Robertson and West Hollywood. Shayna’s grandmother, Dolores Freedman, was a clothing sales representative at the California Mart downtown. She also owned a children’s clothing store called Samplings in Culver City; Shayna grew up visiting her shop every week. Joe’s grandfather, Lou Willis, born to Jewish immigrant parents in 1903, worked for decades as a manager in a shoe factory. Joe’s other grandfather, David Glait, a Polish immigrant, was a garment cutter in L.A.’s fashion district.
Joe and Shayna started dating when they both ended up going to UC Santa Cruz. While working as a nanny in 2001, Samuel came up with the idea for City Threads. Joe, who was an assistant to a TV composer, saw that his wife’s business was growing, so he pledged to take off time from his career in music to help her. He ended up loving it and stayed on.
Though other manufacturers tried to persuade the couple to make their clothing overseas, they wouldn’t budge.
“Every other company we knew was manufacturing in China or other countries,” said Shayna. “We often heard, ‘You should try importing too! The prices are great and they do all the manufacturing for you.’ However, we knew that without being near our products, seeing the garments and touching the fabrics, we wouldn’t be able to stand confidently behind our quality and be proud of what we sell.”
Additionally, sending the manufacturing process overseas would mean a slower production process.
“We could produce in just a few weeks while overseas could take months and, with high demand, we needed faster turnaround,” said Shayna. “We love the relationships we’ve built with our factories and that we have eyes and hands directly involved throughout the manufacturing process. And we love giving our business to the local production team that supports us.”
Joe and Shayna have been married for 23 years, and all three of their sons grew up wearing the clothing they make. Their Jewish background plays into their work, teaching them the importance of treating everyone involved in their business with respect.
“Jewish values taught us to always consider the well-being of others, and those teachings have helped us keep a trusted staff and team of local manufacturers around us for many years, as well as returning customers who’ve been with us for season after season,” Joe said. “It’s the glue that keeps us running.”
