AmericanMadeHeroes.com
We honor America's best manufacturers keeping America's future strong!
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American Made Hero Award Honoree. |
| At one time, Fort Payne made half of the socks produced in the USA. Today, the industry is all but gone. Gina’s parents Terry and Regina had established Emi-G Knitting in 1990, and two years ago, Gina found herself wanting to do something to help support her family's small business so she incorporated her love of green living by creating Zkano & its' expanding offering of 100% organic fashion socks into her family's business & its' growing & expanding! |
An American Made Hero!
Gina "I’m deeply passionate about promoting USA manufacturing"
Click photos for more details.
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“The coziest organic cotton socks you will ever put on your feet” -- gina zkano ... a truly American Made Hero Company.
I couldn’t be more proud of what Zkano has become. I believe our socks are perfect for performance and everyday wear.
They are simple, but they are good. I’m deeply passionate about promoting USA manufacturing,
delivering a product that’s both high quality and comfortable and educating as many people as possible about the benefits
of using organic cotton as opposed to conventional. I hope you love our socks as much as I do!
Gina's story -- I’m originally from the small town of Fort Payne, AL, which is formerly known as the sock capital of
the world. Funny but true.
Until about 10 years ago, a very large percentage of socks you could purchase in these United State of America were made in our quaint
little town. Unfortunately, outsourcing has greatly taken away from Fort Payne’s textile tradition.
Twenty years ago my dad Terry had a dream to start his own sock manufacturing company, and Emi-G Knitting (named after my
sister and me) was born. As a child, I watched my parents work to create a successful business that started from nothing.
In short, after years of a lot of hard work and dedication, this tiny company became a success. In the meantime, I
discovered my own passions for organic and green living and wanted to incorporate this into the family business. I just
hadn’t discovered the “how.” About 3 years ago, I had an epiphany and realized that I could combine my desires of joining
my family's business and supporting an organic & green lifestyle by creating an organic cotton sock.
My wheels began turning, and after extensive research and product development, my sock company Zkano became a reality.
And, of course, my parent’s company manufactures all of our socks. I’d finally found a way to be involved in the family
business that is incredibly near to my heart, while taking it in a completely new direction that reflects my passions of
organic living and sustainability.
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Alabama mill fights to survive!
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Click here
for Wall Street Journal article.
Alabama Sock Town Suffers as Cotton Soars
"FORT PAYNE, Ala.- This rural town was once nicknamed the "Official Sock Capital of the World ." A decade ago, one of every
eight pairs of socks manufactured globally came from Fort Payne's more than 125 sock mills."
In 2009, he and Gina, now 31, launched a line of socks made from organic cotton , called zkano. The socks are sold at
several retailers in Alabama, Tennessee and Washington, and Ms. Locklear also sells them at some local farmer's markets.
When shoppers learn where she's from, she says, they ask, "Wasn't that the sock capital of the world?"
Most U.S. sock manufacturers—here and elsewhere across the South—have moved production overseas in the past decade,
lured by cheaper labor and lower real-estate costs. Now, with record-high cotton prices pressuring profit margins,
Gildan-Prewett, the town's largest remaining sock manufacturer, plans to close four mills here by April ..."
Click here
to learn how Gina Locklier is fighting back with her dad Terry.
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Alexander Hamilton |
"Not only the wealth, but the independence and security of a country, appear
to be materially connected with the prosperity of manufacturers. Every nation ... ought to endeavor to possess within
itself all the essentials of a national supply. They comprise the means of subsistence, habitation, clothing and
defense ... The expediency of encouraging manufactures in the United States, which was not long since deemed very
questionable, appears at this time to be pretty generally admitted."
-- Alexander Hamilton ... an American Made Hero! |
I Thank You! & remember to laugh today! |
Simply E-mail your "Hero" recommendations to ...
E-mail us the name of the domestic manufacturer(s) or the name of an individual who speaks in support of our American manufacturing and we gladly will consider them for recognition as American Made Heroes! |
... or simply send E-mail to Comments@AmericanMadeHeroes.com
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