Making U.S. Apparel Manufacturing Work Without Breaking the Bank

Lionel Vargas has spent over a decade in U.S. textile manufacturing, from military apparel to commercial production. On this episode, he shares why balancing efficiency, labor value, and cost is harder than most brands realize—and why overproduction is a silent threat to sustainability.

We dive into the real inefficiencies on the production floor, the importance of shared risk and reward between manufacturers and brands, and how investing in people and innovation can keep U.S. manufacturing competitive.