What does ‘Made in the USA’ mean for Quality?
It’s no secret that the tag ‘Made in the USA’ comes with the idea of being well-made; Consumer Reports shares that a staggering 8 in 10 Americans would rather buy an American-made product than an imported one! Even so, the volume of goods that are made overseas is staggering. From clothes to smartphones and even modern bath accessories, the US has outsourced a ton of its manufacturing to countries like China, Taiwan, and Mexico. Of course, this is largely due to cheaper creation costs, which in turn, affects the quality of the products that you buy.
At Mike + Ally, we are proud to stand behind a ‘Made in the USA’ label for our luxury bath accessories. Our designer bath accessories are indeed meticulously crafted in our NY-based studio by our team of dedicated artisans who have a passion for modern bath accessories, and it’s important to us that we offer the highest quality products, just as we have for the past 10+ years. In this blog, we’ll explore why USA-made products are top quality — and why you should consider seeking out that ‘Made in the USA’ label.
No Mass Production: The One-by-One Touch at Mike + Ally
Let’s face it — we live in a world that is ruled by mass production and machine-made goods. Economies are based on consumption, and our societies have even adopted ‘throwaway culture’ in which we simply throw away our goods when we’re tired of them because they are so cheap to replace. Beyond the environmental impacts of this approach to consumption, there’s also something to be said about the quality of goods that we’re purchasing.
Not only do we throw away items when we’re tired of them, but it’s also come to be expected that things you buy in big box stores for a cheap cost won’t last long. Call it an unspoken role of modern shopping, we collectively have come to accept a lack of longevity for our items. Part of our ‘Made in the USA’ promise for Mike+Ally’s modern bath accessories is a promise of legitimate craftsmanship. We don’t have an assembly line cranking out our designer bath accessories; we have thoughtful artisans who carefully create our pieces, one-by-one, transforming them into luxury bath accessories with their thoughtful touch. Other modern bath accessories that are mass produced can’t stack up to the individual detail that each of our designer bath accessories boasts.
Better Labor Standards in the US
Beyond the individual time and detail that goes into making our designer bath accessories top-quality pieces, there’s another important factor as to why the ‘Made in the USA’ marking produces the best quality goods: labor standards. The only way to guarantee that workers are being treated fairly in the production of your goods is to buy them from a country like the US where there are labor laws that are actually enforced.
You’ve probably heard the horror stories of exploited workers in developing countries who work in harsh conditions and who are underpaid. When you buy products made in the USA like Mike + Ally’s luxury bath accessories, you contribute to ensuring fair labor processes, safe working conditions, and a system that enforces accountability.
Better Materials
We take sourcing ingredients very seriously when it comes to our designer bath accessories, and this is another huge advantage of American-made goods. This isn’t just a nod to the quality of the products (because of course, better quality materials yield better quality products); it’s also a safety factor. China, for example, has a history of using problematic materials due to the lower costs and the lack of safety standards being enforced, like the lead paint that was being used on children’s toys. You can be sure that our luxury bath accessories won’t be exceeding lead limits! And as we alluded to above, using better quality materials also means there is more longevity in the product. Safety, quality, longer life — these are all excellent reasons to invest in our US-made modern bath accessories.
Bonus: Why American-Made is Better for the Earth
We are definitely living in a time in which we must be more conscious about our purchasing impacts, given the environmental issues that we face. One of the major climate impacts can be contributed to shipping products that are manufactured on the other side of the world to the US. As reported by Oceana: “Over 90 percent of world trade is carried across the world’s oceans by some 90,000 marine vessels. Like all modes of transportation that use fossil fuels, ships produce carbon dioxide emissions that significantly contribute to global climate change and ocean acidification. Besides carbon dioxide, ships also release a handful of other pollutants that also contribute to the problem. To make matters worse, these ships also burn the dirtiest fuel on the market, a fuel that is so unrefined that it can be solid enough to be walked across at room temperature. In addition to exacerbating climate change, shipping emissions have been blamed for posing a significant threat to human health. The particulate matter emissions alone from shipping can account for approximately 60,000 cardiopulmonary and lung cancer deaths each year.”
When you opt for our luxury bath accessories that are made in New York, you’re helping mitigate some of these negative environmental and health impacts that shipping is responsible for, in addition to getting a one-of-a-kind, artisan-crafted piece! Also, purchasing our top-quality designer bath accessories means that you’ll get a long-lasting piece, which lessens the likelihood of needing to buy a replacement any time soon.
So there you have it — investing in modern bath accessories with the “Made in the USA” stamp like ours at Mike + Ally guarantees that you’ll have the absolute best quality products in your bathroom. Wondering which type of luxury bath accessories Ally has in her bathroom? Check out this blog! Ready to see our stunning collections of beautiful, handcrafted bath accessories? Shop here.
