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Inside The Brooklyn Factory That Makes Suits For America's Most Powerful Men [PHOTOS]

Jul 22, 2014, 02:41 IST

Melia Robinson/Business InsiderMartin Greenfield Clothiers is the last unionized men's clothing factory in New York City with more than 100 employees.A menswear factory in Brooklyn has been "doing things the old-fashioned way" for more than 60 years.

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Martin Greenfield Clothiers produces handmade men's suits, an impressive feat considering less than 3% of clothes sold in the U.S. is American-made. Most U.S. apparel companies outsource their labor to places where clothing is faster and cheaper to make. But Martin Greenfield isn't in the menswear business for the money alone.

Greenfield arrived at Brooklyn manufacturer GGG Clothes in 1947 from Czechoslovakia; it was his first job in the States. He carried unfinished garments from one station to the next. A poster boy for the American Dream, Greenfield worked his way up from blind stitcher to supervisor to vice president, and eventually bought the factory, renaming it in 1977.

Today, he continues the tradition of making suits by hand at his four-floor warehouse in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where his client list includes Barak Obama, Bill Clinton, Michael Bloomberg, and Leonardo DiCaprio. "I see my suits being worn all over the world," Greenfield says. "I love to see the results."

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