Registry for U.S. apparel, footwear suppliers

   The U.S. Commerce Department and the city of Los Angeles will develop a new online resource to highlight domestic suppliers of apparel, textiles and footwear.
   “There is incredible demand for products stamped with the label: ‘Made in the USA’ globally, but it’s sometimes difficult to identify domestic resources for these products. We are collaborating to develop a new registry that will assist anyone looking for U.S. textile, footwear and apparel manufacturers,” Undersecretary for International Trade Francisco Sánchez said.
   “I applaud Mayor (Antonio) Villaraigosa for his efforts in Los Angeles, and look forward to exploring opportunities to work together to strengthen manufacturers in his city, and across the nation,” Sánchez added.
   Sánchez and Villaraigosa made the announcement at the opening of the “Americas” Pavilion at the largest apparel sourcing trade show in North America – M.A.G.I.C., in Las Vegas on Monday.
   “We hope our work with the Los Angeles Regional Export Council will connect the links in our apparel supply chain so that when companies want to do business with L.A.’s apparel industry they will know right where to go,” Villaraigosa said. “We look forward to working in concert with the Department of Commerce in this effort.”
   In 2011, U.S. textile and apparel exports exceeded $22.4 billion, an increase of 35 percent from 2009. The U.S. textile and apparel industry directly supports nearly 400,000 jobs, according to the Commerce Department.
   Las Vegas is the first stop on Sánchez’s “Made in America” tour to promote the benefits of strengthening America’s manufacturers and expanding U.S. exports to create jobs. He will also visit Phoenix and Denver.