Tux Repair Company to Start Manufacturing in Tennessee

A Tennessee company plans to start manufacturing garments domestically, countering what has been a 15-year trend of moving production out of the country.

Michael Priest has a company that repairs rental tuxedos near Chattanooga. He says he’s watched as quality has declined. And when an excited prom-goer does decide to rip the flimsy sleeves off his jacket like the Incredible Hulk, Priest says it can take months for tuxedo shops to get another one from a factory in Korea or the Dominican Republican.

“We’ve seen the trouble that our customers are having with getting fill-ins or replacement items when the coats are too far gone to be able to repair because everything’s being manufactured wherever they can find the cheapest labor.”

Priest plans to unveil a line of tuxedos under the name G. Alexander this week at the International Formalwear Association Expo. With enough orders, he hopes to begin full production in Cleveland, Tennessee, with as many as 100 workers. The tuxedos with a “made in America” label would be available in time for proms next year.

“Anytime we have an opportunity to make a product here in America that’s going to put people back into jobs, put money back into our local economies, I just think that’s very important and I think people need that choice.”

Priest says he also feels American-made garments could be stitched to higher standards.

Becky McManus edits the formalwear association’s newsletter and says she’s starting to hear from tux rental companies that they would be willing to pay more for durability.