Where are Reyn Spooner shirts made learn about their quality sources now

Okay, so today I got totally sidetracked wondering about my Reyn Spooner shirts. You know those Hawaiian ones, bright patterns? I grabbed a few over the years, mostly secondhand scores. Wore one yesterday, felt super nice, really sturdy. Then I picked up a different one today and honestly? It felt kinda… cheaper? Thinner fabric. Weird, right? Same brand supposedly.

Anyway, it got stuck in my head. Where are these things actually made? And why does the quality feel different sometimes? Decided to dig in right then.

Starting Point: The Tags

First thing I did? Drag every Reyn Spooner shirt I own out of the closet. Five of ’em. Laid ’em on the bed like a weird shirt inspection lineup.

• Fliped each one inside out.
• Squinted real hard at the little sewn-in tags, mostly near the collar.

Found a mix:

• One really old, faded one just said “Reyn Spooner, Made in USA”. Simple.
• A couple had tags listing a few countries: “Made in USA, China, Guatemala, Philippines” or something like that. Vague, super vague.
• The one that felt thinner? Tag just said “Imported”. Helpful… not.

Okay, so even their own tags aren’t super clear. Had to look elsewhere.

Hitting the Website (And Getting Nowhere Fast)

Jumped onto the Reyn Spooner website. Figured they gotta brag about where they make stuff, right? Especially the “Made in USA” bit, that’s a selling point!

• Clicked “About Us”.
• Scrolled through “Our Story”. Lot of talk about Hawaii since the 50s, great designs, quality fabrics… blah blah blah.

Nothing. Absolutely zip about current manufacturing locations. Nada on explaining the country mix on the tags. Seriously frustrating. Felt like they were dodging the question.

Digging Deeper: The Rabbit Hole

Fine, website’s useless. Time for the real detective work. Started typing things like “Reyn Spooner factory location”, “where is Reyn Spooner manufactured now”, into different places.

• Found some old forum posts mentioning California for the US-made stuff.
• Saw a bunch of people complaining about the same “Imported” tag mystery and feeling unsure about quality.
• Stumbled on older articles mentioning Reyn Spooner shut down their main California factory awhile back and moved production overseas, but kept some US production going for specific lines? Confusing mess.

The picture forming was this: They do still make some shirts in the USA – maybe a smaller facility, or contracted out. But a huge chunk is definitely made elsewhere now: Guatemala popped up a lot as a key place recently, maybe the Philippines too, and probably China for some stuff (like that “Imported” one I hated).

Connecting the Dots: Quality vs. Origin

This is where it clicked for me. Held up that thin shirt again. Felt it. Compared it to my oldest one, the one clearly marked “Made in USA”.

• The USA one? Heavy cotton poplin, super tight weave.
• The “Imported” one? Lighter weight poplin, weave felt looser. Edges felt a bit rougher.
• Two others with the mixed-country tags? One felt close to the USA one, one felt closer to the “Imported” one.

It seemed obvious: The shirts made in the USA consistently use that heavier, denser fabric they’re famous for. The overseas stuff? Seems like they might be using lighter weight materials in some cases, or maybe different quality control. Hence the difference I felt straight away. Not all “poplin” is created equal, apparently.

Wrapping Up My Hunt

So, where does Reyn Spooner make their shirts? It’s complicated.

• Some are still made in the USA, likely using traditional heavy poplin.
• A lot are made overseas, primarily places like Guatemala.

But here’s the key takeaway I figured out:

• The country tag (USA vs. Imported) is a huge indicator.
• The mixed tags seem like a dodge. Finding out requires looking specifically at the tag on the item itself.
• And yes, where it’s made seems to seriously impact the feel and likely the durability. The USA shirts just feel like tanks compared to the lightweight imports.

Next time I shop, either online or thrifting, you bet I’m zooming in on that tiny tag location first thing. “Made in USA”? Grab it. Just says “Imported”? Gonna be way pickier, maybe even skip it. Simple as that.