Update: We regret to report that Hold Your Haunches are no longer made in the USA.

Black Capris. Yes! Made in America. Oh! Make my butt look smaller. Oh yes! Yes please!  It is the perfect trio and I found them in Hold Your Haunches pants.

They sent me a pair of their capris to wear to my spring conferences and they were a HUGE success.  In June, I went to New York for three days to attend the BlogWorld & New Media Expo.  I wore my HYH capris, a blouse and cardigan, and a pair of cork wedge sandals.  I packed pj's, undies, two more blouses and that's it! Everything I brought could have fit in half a tote bag.

I wore my capris with a different look each day.  I was comfortable, I felt fabulous, and this is hard to describe without making it sound weird, but I got three totally unsolicited comments on how great I and my butt looked (it doesn't – it was the pants!) “You must be a runner!” (I am not.) “I can tell you are really into working out.” (Nope.) “You look great. You should do TV.” (Hahahaha…) Needless to say, I was sold and I am now an official fan, but there is something you should know about Hold Your Haunches pants.

First, let me tell you about them.  Hold Your Haunches are black pants – boot cuts, leggings, or capris – that have strong shapewear built right into an inner layer while the outer layer is a substantial, matte black that would look equally at home in a yoga class or accessorized for the office.  They are the product of a cheeky pair of ladies, Erin Bickley and Jenny Greer who post the funniest things on their brand Facebook page.

I contacted them right away when I heard they were made in the USA, but I was dismayed to hear that although the pants sold through their website and all of their capris are still American-made, the pair had decided to take their manufacturing overseas when they expanded into the wholesale market.  It is not an uncommon story – one I had heard before. I thought this was an important opportunity for our readers to hear first hand from a small company grappling with these decisions.

Here's what Erin had to say about it:  “Like any Americans would, we went into this business with full plans to make our product in the USA, using our local manufacturer and hopefully providing jobs for the folks in our small, southern city. We soon discovered that the price to manufacture our product in the USA was totally cost prohibitive-in fact, costing more for us to make than what we were asking retailers to pay!  We can sell HYH directly online and have a margin, but that market reaches only a tiny fraction of our potential customers. Luckily, we have kept everyone busy, and our conscience clear by employing our Macon GA manufacturer to continue making the capris and to be our warehouser/distributor for the overseas product.”

The USA Love List Team is hopeful that with increasing consumer demand for clothing made in the USA, American manufacturing will strengthen and more businesses will be able to stay American-made or reshore their overseas products. In the meanwhile, please connect with Erin and Jenny on Twitter or on Facebook and let them know your thoughts or share some support. You can treat yourself to a pair of their American-made capris to take you through summer and into the fall by ordering directly on their website. Enjoy!

Disclosure: USA Love List received this product unconditionally for review purposes. Our opinions are always our own, and we aim to write fair and balanced reviews to promote only the very best of American-made products.