The Native-owned brand sources locally whenever possible and manufactures modern, high-quality clothing in the United States.
Of the 112 companies featured in the 2024 Made in America Holiday Gift Guide, only one makes apparel inspired by the people who lived here before the United States was founded.
Ginyu is an Oregon-based clothing company that produces contemporary American clothing based on American Indian tribal designs. Inspired by centuries of tradition, the apparel represents the hardworking Native American peoples of the West.
Ginew was founded in 2010 by Native Americans Eric Brodt and Amanda Bruegl. The couple both have daytime jobs as practicing physicians. The domestic company’s clothing honors each of its ancestral tribes, including the Ojibwa, Oneida and Stockbridge-Munsee tribes.
“My wife and I are Native American, so a lot of the creative elements come from us,” Brodt said. “We employ designers and collaborate with Native artists, especially in product creation and product design.
“A lot of the clothes that our grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great-grandparents wore were really cool icons of utilitarian style for men and women, more of a Western ranch style or a Western workwear style. We take inspiration from the clothes they wore, our tribe, and the artists and graphic designers we work with, most of whom are Native American. Masu.”
Ginyu began manufacturing belts and leather goods soon after Brodt and Bruegl were married. They created their first series of belts from traditional wedding buffalo, which were hunted, prepared, tanned and hand-dyed by the family.
Ginew introduced their first American Indian line of denim jeans in 2017 and expanded to make coats, T-shirts, vests, scarves, and other merchandise in 2020, and each item they make is inspired by their culture and kin. Directly inspired by.
As a small company that manufactures apparel in small quantities, Ginew contracts with other apparel manufacturers to produce creatively designed garments.
Located in Portland, Oregon, Ginew uses the nearby Pendleton Textile Mill to weave material for jacket linings. Most of the manufacturing is done at a cut and sew shop in California.
“We’re probably best known for our court,” Brodt said. “We use Pendleton fabric on the inside of the premium shell. We have waxed canvas and denim, which are really beautiful fabrics, and we have great relationships with several fabric suppliers.”
The Heritage Denim Coat has become one of the brand’s signature pieces, paying homage to Brodt’s great-grandfather.
“I started thinking about his transition from hunter-gatherer to farmer,” Brodt said. “I thought about what he would have worn at the time and how practical, functional and sturdy it needed to be.”
The result is a thick denim outer layer and a graphic printed wool lining. Made by Pendleton, it was designed by a Native American artist and incorporates colorful Ojibwe and Onedia symbols and teachings.
The Ginew team tries to source all materials in the United States, but some items are sourced from global suppliers. The original denim jeans collection was sourced from the famous White Oak denim factory in North Carolina, but since that factory closed, Brodt had to look elsewhere for denim fabric.
“We use some imported fabrics, but not a lot,” he said. “They dismantled the White Oak factory, so now we source some of our products from Japan. We only use imported fabrics when they are no longer available in the United States.”
Ginew, which does its best to keep its products American-made, also sources its denim from Vidalia Mills in Louisiana, which purchases many of its looms from Cone White Oak Mill.
Ginew creates apparel using natural fibers such as cotton, deerskin, and wool. After purchasing the fabric, Ginew sends it to a manufacturing partner for cutting and sewing. Finished products are shipped back to Ginew’s Portland warehouse, where direct-to-consumer orders are fulfilled.
“Our typical customer is a socially minded, very discerning consumer who pays incredible attention to the longevity of their wardrobe,” Brodt said. “We are a small-batch producer, not fast fashion. We carry a large selection of heirloom quality clothing.
“Our goal is to make things that last, that last for generations and even decades. We want to reduce mass consumption and waste.”
In that spirit, Brodt still wears the first coat Ginyu made.
“I’m still wearing the samples,” he said. “I’ve been wearing that coat for over 10 years and it will continue to hold up well.”
Brodt recognizes the extra cost of manufacturing clothing in America, but wants people to know that “Made in America” is respected around the world. I am.
“What’s interesting about our collection is that there are a lot of people in the United States who are interested in Made in America, but are put off by the price,” Brodt said. “It’s interesting to me that in Europe, Japan, and even China, American-made products are a luxury product. They don’t even look at the price.
“The reality of manufacturing in the United States is never easy. Just as our government supports agriculture here, there are factories overseas that receive government support. In China, the government They cannot compete because they are subsidized by the government.
“We try to make the highest quality we can, and that comes from producing in the United States. No one else can make Pendleton wool fabrics like this. I We work with some really great factories here.”
Ginew products are sold in some boutiques, but most sales are online purchases. You can buy Ginyu on that website.
