Congress has reacted to this by presenting legislation that would force the government to buy apparel that's 100% made in America. Here's another article on Senator Sherrod Brown's (D-OH) collaboration with designers Nanette Lepore and Lawson Nickol, as well as his Wear American Act of 2012. Representatives Dan Lipinski (D-IL) and Walter Jones (R-NC) have introduced similar legislation in the House.
So what should we make of all this? Well, there's an internal conflict within the fashion industry. While it's important to create more jobs and become self-sufficient within the industry, it's also really expensive to manufacture clothing in this country. A rise in costs for designers will surely mean a rise in costs to the every-day consumer. While these Congressional bills only affect the federal government, we, the tax payers, are the ones paying for it.
I truly believe that our Olympic Team should have been representing the country with bright, crisp uniforms made in this country, simply because of who and what they represent. I'm not sure that I would want this to be a blanket policy across the whole of the United States, but I'd love to hear your thoughts.
And here's a super cute, work-appropriate outfit that's "Made in America" :
