Looking for a list of American products made in China? Did you know that most of the renowned American products aren’t really made in the US, but they are made in China?
Most of these products are pretty much the most Iconic American brand names, and the list will feature a good number of surprises.
The main reason for this is that there has been a steep decline in the state of manufacturing across the US, especially because the country continues to be a hot button politically.
So, despite the gradual growth in the real estate and the finance industries, a situation that has led a big number of people employed in these industries (some coming from the manufacturing industry), the local manufacturing industries have still suffered, and a good number of these plants have had to close down.
Unfortunately, the move to China means that most of the products on the market today might not be made in the US as you would have expected.
That said, these are some of the companies that, unexpectedly, have ditched local manufacturing and now have their products made in China.
1.Ray Ban
Nothing looks more American than the perfect pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses?
Ray-Bans have been seen on all the who’s who in America from JFK to Jack Nickolson, as well as Tom Cruise, but did you know that Ray Ban sunglasses are produced in China.
This hasn’t been the case, though, as the move was made in 1999 when the eye-care company, sold out the brand to Luxottica, one of the biggest brands in Italy.
This management change that led to the move to have these stylish shades made in China.
2.Hush Puppies
The Hush Puppies are the most iconic brand of casual shoes, and they pretty much are the standard of casual shoes throughout the US, having been on the market for at least 60 years since their first production in Michigan.
In one of their marketing slogans, the company claims to have invented casual, and there really isn’t denying that.
Over the years, the company has supplemented their original humble and brushed and elegant suede-styles of shoes worn by most A-list celebrities like the Legendary David Bowie, to Tom Hanks, among thousands of other Americans.
Hush Puppies also really stand out because of the unique designs and the rainbow colors, as well as finishes. The production of Hush Puppies has, however, shifted to Vietnam and China.
3.Arrow Shirts
Do you have Arrow Shirts? These shirts hold a long and beautiful heritage that dates back to the 1850s. These shirts originated from Troy (New York) Chicago. The company prides itself on these roots, as well as the ever-stylish and very popular line of shirts, the Arrow (USA) 1851.
Unfortunately, Arrow Shirts, like most other companies in the fashion industry, has halted their productions in the US, and today, these shirts are made in different parts of the world, not just China.
While some of the Arrow Shirts 1851 were borne in the US, you will now find the same shirt designs with different tags, such as the Arrow China 1851, Arrow Cambodia 1851, Arrow Kenya 1851, Arrow Bangladesh 1851, and even Arrow Ethiopia 1851.
4.Gillette
Gillette has got to be the biggest and one of the most reputable razor companies across the globe, and though this American brand might have gone through periods of bad press, they hold the fort as the go-to razor company for most people.
This American brand is by far the most American brand there is, as they even have a stadium named after them, the Massachusetts’ Gillette Stadium, home to the Superbowl-team, the New England Patriots.
Unfortunately, even this ‘very American’ brand has its products made in China as the Truthinadvertising.org, a watchdog group advertising, Gillette might have overhyped its connections with Beantown, as the company is now known to make its products not just in China, but also in Brazil and Mexico.
5.Barbie
Sorry to break the bubble, but Barbie, the biggest figurine in many girls’ lives across America and the rest of the world, is now made in China (well, this has been happening since 2002).
The American Barbie Doll made by Mattel, headquartered in the US, in California, closed its American factory back in 2002, and the production of the Barbie dolls has since been outsourced to China.
6.Woolrich
Woolrich is a legendary company that dates all the way back to 1830.
Woolrich supplied uniforms to the troops in the Civil War, and at the time, all Woolrich products were actually made in the US.
Today, this company doesn’t boast the Made in USA tag on its products, and all their cozy woolen products carrying that distinctive red-black Buffallo check-pattern are now produced overseas in China and Vietnam across other countries.
Note that Woolrich made and their woolen blankets along with products from other big brands like Eddie Bauer and L.L. Bean, but the production of all Woolrich products moved overseas following the closure of the company’s Pennsylvania plant in late 2018.
7.Huffy
If you own a bicycle, there is a high likelihood that you own a huffy, a brand that’s been regarded as one of the biggest American bicycle brands for a really long time now.
The Huffy comes emblazoned with the US flag on its frame, but this was the case up to 1999 when the company hit major financial struggles.
These struggles came about from the overall drop in bicycle prices as there was a surge in bike sales by Walmart and all other big retailers.
As a result of the money troubles, Huffy had to lay off hundreds of its employees from their plants in Missouri, Ohio, as well as Mississippi, as they moved their operations to China and Mexico.
8.Levi’s
Levi’s is that one American brand that has survived the worst of economic times since it was founded during the California Gold Rush.
Levi remains an inseparable brand known for its iconic blue jeans.
Levi’s aren’t made in the US anymore, and most of the garments by Levi’s are made in China and Vietnam, but they have production plants everywhere else in the world.
9.Converse
Converse is easily the biggest footwear company that’s very well known for its all-time running line – Chuck Taylor All-Stars.
Unfortunately, this company, like most others that you will see here, struggled financially and the only way to remain on the market was by shifting manufacturing out of the US.
Even before this move, Converse’s struggles forced them to file for bankruptcy a couple of times, and they eventually had to sell to Nike, which helped in the resurgence of the shoes’ brand.
However, Nike moved its operations China, Indonesia, among other Asian countries.
10.Nike
When it comes to brand logos, Nike’s Swoosh is, without doubt, the most recognizable brands, and it’s also regarded as one of the very American Brands on the market today.
Nike offers the best athletic footwear. Over the years, Nike has scores of top-level endorsements from American Athletes.
What you might not have known is that this company, established in Oregon, has been running the manufacturing of their shoes from international plants from the 1970s.
However, with changes in laws across many of the countries that Nike has manufacturing plants in, thanks to the enactment of more protective wages and labor laws by those countries, specifically in S.Korea, Taiwan, etc.
Nike moved into the less prohibitive countries such as Vietnam and China.
Nike is, however, shifting its production works to Vietnam among other leading Asian countries as China increases its minimum wages, but you still find Nike made in China.
11.Schwinn
The Schwinn bicycle brand is among the most popular bicycle brands in the US, and the main reason for this is that Schwinn manufactured and also sold their lightweight bicycles in Chicago but this changes in 1991 when competition from international markets prompted the production of Schwinn bikes overseas.
The need for change to adapt led to the sale of the company over to the Pacific Cycle based in China (this is a multinational conglomerate for Dorel Industries).
Note, however, that the new bikes from the brand are different from the classic Schwinn bikes.
12.Black & Decker
Black & Decker offers one of the best portable electric drills, and the drill design is an American invention.
The drill was first made in 1917 when Black & Decker was headquartered at a small machine shop in Baltimore.
Today, the brand is owned by Stanley Works, and though it still has its roots in Baltimore, and there are a few production facilities in some parts of North America, most of their manufacturing takes place in China.
Conclusion
These are just a few American products made in China and Asian companies, among other parts of the world.
The other products include Craftsman, American Girl, and even the Donald J. Trump Collection.
There are many other products made in China, and these are only a few of the products we could list.
Want to know more brands, please visit this page for more.
Tiger is a fashion&jewelry lover. He is also a fashion jewelry manufacturer that help thousands of small business to grow and also do business with some big fashion jewelry brands. He is a truly metal expert and he will share some information you are looking for.