Ben Waxman and Whitney Reynolds Waxman, founders and owners of American Roots, in Westbrook Photo: Tim Greenway for Mainebiz By Renee Cordes To the sounds of African gospel music, stitchers seated at sewing machines are attaching sleeves, pockets and zippers onto thick green and blue garments piling up on tables around the room. Working in a 40,000-square-foot, light-infused factory inside Westbrook’s Dana Warp Mill, they’re making hoodies, jackets, T-shirts and custom apparel for American Roots, a clothing manufacturer founded in 2015. It sells in bulk to unions and business organizations. Stitchers work in teams, supervised by two floor leads who started as stitchers themselves. “We make sure the work is flowing nicely, and we check also the quality,” Makenga...
Whitney Waxman and Ben Waxman are co-founders of American Roots Apparel in Westbrook. The Trump administration’s push to revive American manufacturing through tariffs, as highlighted in a recent New York Times article (“Trump wants America to make things again. Does it have what it takes?” June 4) has sparked a heated debate: Can America make things again? As a wife-and-husband team who has spent a decade building American Roots — a 100% U.S.-made, unionized apparel company in Westbrook — we believe the answer is yes. But it won’t be easy, and tariffs alone won’t get us there. The Times article profiles Saitex, a company producing 70,000 pairs of jeans monthly in Los Angeles, dwarfed by its Vietnam factory’s output of...
Apparel manufacturer American Roots gets into retail game with gear for pro soccer fans.
The sport of soccer, globally known as football, does not have its roots in America.
But apparel manufacturer American Roots has begun its initial foray into the retail market through professional women’s soccer played here.
For the past 10 years, American Roots of Westbrook, Maine, has produced 100% American-made clothing constructed entirely of materials sourced in the United States and made by union workers.
We love seeing women win. On Aug. 25, players from the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) walked out in matching white T-shirts reading "We Said Now" in bright pink script. Although clearly presenting as a united front, the message of the shirts may be lost upon those who aren't up-to-date with recent developments in the NWSL. For context, on July 11, the National Women's Soccer League Players Association (NWSLPA) — a labor union advocating for players' rights — announced they had officially negotiated "a groundbreaking new CBA" with the NWSL.
Westbrook, ME and Asheville, NC, July 14, 2024 – American Roots, known for its American-made, union-made apparel crafted from entirely American-sourced materials, is thrilled to announce a trailblazing multi-year licensing agreement with the National Women’s Soccer League Players Association (NWSLPA) for player-branded fan gear. Launching on Labor Day 2024, this collaboration marks the first sports license agreement in American Roots’ history. It celebrates the incredible athletes of the NWSL with the only officially licensed women’s soccer fan gear made in America by union labor with materials sourced exclusively from the United States.
Listen to Maine Voices Live: Making it in America, featuring American Roots co-owners, Ben and Whitney Waxman and author Rachel Slade.
Nine years ago, Ben and Whitney Waxman began an experiment: Could an American company manufacture high quality apparel using only domestic materials and union labor? The improbable answer is YES!
