Hey all, Mike here from Mall American Reviews. Today, I'm talking about how to find shoes made in the USA. Shoes are another one of those industries that have had a big exodus overseas over the last several decades, but they've had a bit of a resurgence over the last few years with a lot of newer, smaller brands that are 100% made in the USA and supporting American jobs. However, it can be really tough to find those smaller brands and really tough to discern from the bigger brands which of their shoes are actually made in America. So in today's video, I'm going to cover how to tell if a pair of shoes are made in the USA. My top picks for American made shoes and make sure to stick around to the end of the video where we'll be answering some frequently asked questions. I've also written about this exact same topic before, so check in the description below for a link to that article. And if you're passionate about buying American made products, give this video a like, subscribe to our channel, and head over to allamericanreviews.com. There you'll find a ton of research and buying guides on shopping American made. Let's get into today's video on how to find shoes made in the USA. First up, let's cover how to tell if a pair of shoes is made in the USA. Now if y'all watch my video on how to find products made in the USA, you know that there are a couple more regulated industries that require the country of origin for all of the materials within the product to be listed on it. Textiles in wool are one of those industries covered by the Textile Products Identification Act of 1960 and the Wool Products Labeling Act of 1939. These laws require a lot of labeling details for textile manufacturers, the fiber content, the country of origin, and who the actual business or manufacturer was for all of the materials or who was responsible for handling the product. A common misconception is that shoes are included underneath those two acts. They are not, unfortunately, stuff like laces are somewhat covered, but that's obviously a negligible portion of the product. Socks are covered though, so we have that. Anyways, unfortunately we don't have that luxury and shoes to tell us that level of detail. However, we do have another US government regulation that allows us to track down the country of origin. In the last episode of the United States Code, the United States Code says that all products that are imported into the United States must be labeled as such on the product or packaging. That doesn't apply to their websites and marketing materials though, which is a bit annoying, so that requires us to do a little more digging. When it comes to shoes, you have to watch out for a bunch of different materials. Make sure you're choosing brands that are not only assembled in the USA, but are also sourcing all of their materials domestically as well. Stuff like rubber soles, plastic, leather, buckles, they can be sourced from all over the place, so make sure you're trying to choose companies that are sourcing the large majority of those materials domestically. Now if you haven't watched my video on how to find products made in the USA, please do so. I go over a bunch of tips on how to find the country of origin if you don't have the product right in front of you. Alright, so now that we've covered some info on how to tell if a pair of shoes is made in the USA, let's go over some of my top picks for American made shoes. Now there are a ton of awesome shoe brands that are made in the USA, and I can't cover all of them in today's video. For a full list, head over to our shoes research on all American reviews, which I've linked to in the description below, and make sure to leave a comment below with your favorite American made shoes. Alright, first up is Abelene Boots. Abelene Boots has been around since 1980, they are based out of Pennsylvania, and they make western style boots. They have a bunch of different styles, and their boots are pretty affordable. I think their basic cowboy style work boot goes for about 160 bucks. So if you're in the market for cowboy boots, check out Abelene Boots. Next up is Opiway. Now Opiway is definitely a lesser known brand, they just got started a few years ago, they are based out of Asheville, North Carolina, and they make sneakers. Not your typical basketball sneakers though. I would describe Opiway sneakers as more of a casual wear, classic, low rise leather sneaker. A bit expensive, and they do have some sneakers made of canvas, and some high top options as well, but if you're looking for a good pair of sneakers for going out or just wearing around town, check out Opiway. Next up is Softstar Shoes. Softstar makes minimalist leather shoes, and as a pretty cool story, they were founded in 1985 by Tim and Ginny Oliver, and their first workshop was in a school bus. They moved to Oregon in 1987 and opened up their first storefront and workshop, but they have a pretty fun story, so if you all haven't been at go and check it out on their website. Softstar has minimalist leather shoe styles for adults and kids, everything from running shoes to casual wear, sandals, slippers, and a bunch more. So if you're looking for something super simple and eco friendly, Softstar is a really good choice. And the last brand I'll cover in today's video is Okabashi. Okabashi is based in Buford, Georgia, and they make some great sandals and flip flops. I personally have a pair of their Mariners Men's flip flops, which are super comfortable and pretty affordable, I think they're only about 20 bucks or so. Okabashi sandals are also 100% recyclable, and they have a big focus on giving back to the community, so if you are in the market for sandals, check out Okabashi. Now, let's get to some frequently asked questions. Next up are new balance shoes made in the USA. And the answer is no, most new balance shoes are not made in the USA. They source a lot of their materials like their outer soles from China, and we were actually unsuccessful in finding any new balance shoes that are close to 100% made in the USA. Next are Red Wing Boots made in the USA. And the answer is no, not all Red Wing Boots are made in the USA. They do have some styles that are made here, but we did a big analysis of their entire product lineup and found that 25.8% of all of their products are labeled made in the USA, and the rest have either qualifiers on them or labeled as imported. And lastly are LL Bean Boots made in the USA. And the answer is no, not all LL Bean Boots are made in the USA. Some of the Red Wing, we did a big analysis of their entire product lineup and some secret chopping of our own and found 425 products in their lineup that are made in the USA. Now they have over 5,000 product skews, so it is a small fraction of their overall production. I will note though that their classic Bean Boots style, some of those styles are made in the USA. I actually made in Maine. That's it for this video, on how to find shoes made in the USA. If you have any questions, please shoot us a note at all American reviews or leave a comment below, we'll find out for you and write something up. And if you like this video, give it a thumbs up, subscribe to our channel, and thanks for supporting your country and shopping American Mitt. See y'all next time.