Nine Line Apparel, a veteran-owned clothing company, is launching its first-ever crowdfunding campaign Tuesday to expand its American manufacturing footprint.
The patriotic apparel brand aims to raise $2.5 million to grow its Savannah, Georgia, production facility and add brick-and-mortar locations, CEO and Army CPT (ret.) Tyler Merritt told the Daily Caller. He said Nine Line manufactures its products in the U.S. and provides 200-300 American jobs annually.
“Now more than ever there’s a desire to bring manufacturing back to United States to grow U.S.-based jobs,” Merritt told the Daily Caller. “There’s certain actions that have been recently specific towards frozen tariffs to try to level the playing field for U.S. manufacturing around the world, and we’re certainly seeing those effects with with our customers increasing their demand.”
Nine Line, founded in 2012, operates eight brick-and-mortar stores across four Southern states in addition to its manufacturing facility in Savannah, Merritt said.
“President Trump has tasked the country with a bold mission to jumpstart American job growth and reshore good-paying, blue collar jobs. At Nine Line, we intend to answer the call and do just that by growing our manufacturing operations right here in Georgia and continue to offer more private sector opportunities to hard working Americans,” Merritt told the Caller. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Veteran-Owned Clothing Company Calls On Other Brands To End Use of Slave Labor Products)
The crowdfunding campaign is a “significant step in Nine Line’s commitment to revitalizing American manufacturing,” the company said in a statement, noting its plans to open two more stores within the next year.
Funds raised through the campaign will also help boost on-hand inventory and improve operation efficiency, Merritt added.
“The initial offering is to provide friends and family with an opportunity to invest now as we’re in a pretty good growth momentum and trajectory,” he said.
Part of the funding will support expansion of Nine Line’s patented Tailgater Hoodie — designed to let wearers “hold beverages hands-free in a kangaroo pocket,” Merritt said.
Roughly 1,400 people had already registered to invest as of Monday, with more than $1 million pledged following the initial outreach to friends, family and loyal customers, he said.
“The people that have supported us the longest should be able to get in at the ground floor,” Merritt said. “I’ve never offered any aspect of the company publicly like this, and I figured if I’m gonna give the best and first deal out there it’s gonna be to my friends, my family, my closest customers.”
