Search "Made in USA silk dress" and you'll get thousands of results. It's one of the most trusted labels in fashion — shoppers associate it with quality control, fair labor, and accountability. But the label carries a legal weight that most brands using it never mention: it has a strict definition, and most silk clothing simply can't meet it.
The FTC standard, in plain language
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission requires that for a product to carry an unqualified "Made in USA" claim, it must be "all or virtually all" made in the United States — meaning the final assembly happens domestically and nearly every input, down to the raw materials, is of U.S. origin.
That second part is where silk runs into trouble. Commercial silk production requires large-scale sericulture (raising silkworms and processing cocoons into thread), and the United States has essentially no domestic silk textile industry at that scale. If a brand tells you their silk gown is "Made in USA" without qualification, it's worth asking where the fabric actually came from.
Where our gowns actually come from
We'd rather tell you directly: every Bella Monnar piece is cut and sewn entirely in our own studio in Los Angeles, California. The silk fabric itself — our charmeuse, crepe de chine, and habotai — is imported from Korea, a region with centuries of sericulture and weaving expertise behind it. You can read more about how we work with that fabric on our craftsmanship page.
Why we say "Handcrafted in California" instead
We use "Handcrafted in California" rather than "Made in USA" because it's the claim we can actually stand behind: every pattern, cut, seam, and finish happens in our studio, by hands that know silk. It doesn't overstate what we do, and it doesn't understate it either — you're getting domestic craftsmanship on imported, high-quality fabric.
What this means for you as a shopper
When you see a "Made in USA" label on a silk garment, it's worth a second look. Ask where the fabric was woven, not just where it was sewn. We cover this in more detail in our guide on what "Made in USA" really means for silk, and in how to read a clothing label honestly.
If you want to see what California craftsmanship looks like on Korean silk, browse our gown collection.