The Los Angeles-based company makes clothing for hundreds of businesses, from the U.S. military, labor unions, gyms and yoga studios to sporting goods retailers and private label companies.
When Zion Shamshian and his two brothers started a fabric manufacturing business in Los Angeles in 1993, they never imagined that their company, Expert Brand, would become one of the largest performance apparel manufacturers in the United States.
You may not have heard of Expert BrandsThat’s because for the majority of its 31-year existence, the company sold its products wholesale only to other companies in the performance apparel sector, under private label brands.
Through aggressive research and development, Expert Brand has created innovative, eco-friendly fabrics that form the basis of many of the t-shirts, tank tops, running shorts, hoodies and other apparel products it produces in its factory in an industrial area of Vernon, California, near downtown Los Angeles.
Today, the company offers 16 performance fabrics and holds eight fabric patents, including Siro, TriTech, American MoCA, AirStretch and the best-selling OxyMesh. Apparel features permanent moisture wicking technology, antibacterial treated garments and other odorless fabrics.
If you’ve ever bought performance clothing from a major American brand, or are a member of the country’s large running community, you’ve probably worn a product made by Expert Brand.
“We primarily make performance items and sell to a lot of running-related companies, including two of the largest in the U.S.,” said Shamshian, founder and president of Expert Brands. “We sell to over 400 running events that buy our products. We’re also one of the largest suppliers to the military in the country; they buy what we call our training shirts.”
“We are subcontractors for other companies, who buy our American-made goods and resell them with their designs, logos and labels, so people may not know it’s an Expert Brand product, but they love our fabrics and styles.
“We worked with a major U.S. fiber and yarn manufacturer on research and development that called for the use of microfiber polyester in the manufacture of protective shirts, motion wicking shirts and anti-odor shirts. Due to supply chain issues, we decided in 1998 to start manufacturing garments as well as fabrics.”
Expert Brand avoids supply chain issues by conducting the entire manufacturing process, from fabric construction to finished product, within a 20-mile radius of the Los Angeles area.
After enjoying some success as a performance fabric manufacturer in the early 1990s, Expert Brand began manufacturing its own clothing in 1998. The expansion began with three employees, two apparel styles, and producing fewer than 100,000 garments per year. Today, the company has approximately 85 employees producing over 200 apparel styles, and producing millions of items each year.
Expert Brand currently supplies over 800 businesses, including promotional product distributors, apparel decorators, gyms, marathons, sporting goods retailers, yoga studios, the U.S. military and labor unions.
“We’ve seen a growth in more sustainable products with less of a carbon impact, and we’re proud to introduce eco-friendly products made in the U.S.,” Shamshian said. “We’ve developed a 100% recycled polyester product line, we make 100% organic cotton t-shirts, and we’re constantly introducing new fabrics, which we think are important because of climate issues that are more important to the younger generation.”
“What’s even more important to us is that these products are made in the U.S. We see other products from overseas claiming to be eco-friendly, but we believe that U.S.-made eco-friendly products are more trustworthy than many other fabrics. There is no way to trace the source of these products.”
By manufacturing over 85% of its products entirely within the United States, Expert Brand has been able to address the logistical issues that come with importing foreign-made clothing.
“For us, Made in USA is not just about feeling patriotic. I think Made in USA contributes to both the U.S. economy and the global economy,” Shamshian said. “It creates more domestic jobs in a lot of different industries. Here it’s not just cutting and sewing, it’s the supply chain from the technical staff to the marketing of the suppliers. It creates an industry and it creates a lot of jobs.”
“Also, the research and development that takes place here helps innovate new products and actually expands our investment opportunities. We also know that the biggest advantage of making in the USA is that we can respond quickly to ongoing demand. The fashion industry is changing very quickly right now, but we can respond smartly.”
“U.S. manufacturers are more efficient than a lot of other places. We stock certain yarns and fabrics, so if someone needs 10,000, 20,000, 30,000 units of a product, we can turn it around in 30 days instead of the four or five months it would take overseas.”
Though Expert Brand is a versatile vertical manufacturer, the Made in USA tag comes at a small price, and while T-shirts are still fairly affordable, retailing for between $9 and $18, Shamsian knows he can’t compete with fast fashion brands like Temu and Shein.
“Our research shows that 70 percent of Americans are willing to pay more for quality American-made products,” he said. “They’re willing to pay 15 to 20 percent more, but not more than that. If we put out higher quality products, as we do, that helps us.”
“People aren’t happy with fast fashion, where you go to a big discount store, buy a T-shirt for $4, $5, $7, wash it a couple of times and throw it away. If it lasts a lot longer than that, people are willing to pay a lot more.”
“Since the pandemic, we’ve seen a surge in U.S.-made goods, especially among retailers. Retailers may place large orders from overseas and then have to wait six months to get the goods. By the time they get there, trends have changed a bit and they’re stuck with discontinued products. Here, they can order in smaller quantities and repeat every month or every few months. By buying U.S.-made goods, they’re making a better investment and I think buyers are starting to understand this.”
Shamsian understands the growing interest in American-made products, so about 18 months ago, Expert Brands decided to offer a retail line of performance apparel so consumers could buy individual garments and be confident they were made in America.
“We are also building a direct-to-consumer market and are getting a good response,” Shamshian said. “The direct-to-consumer business is growing and we can’t ignore it because, after all, we have plans that we want to drive towards it. We don’t want to be just a private label company.”
“A lot of our customers ask their vendors to use our products because our products are superior products. The track record proves it. Customers want American made. A lot of our customers want that American manufacturing, that quality, and a product that lasts longer. And that’s what we make.”
Expert brand e-commerce items include: Retail WebsiteFor the complete company website, including wholesale products, Learn more.
