"American Made Apparel" chronicles the story of the authors three aunts who were highly skilled seamstresses. One of the aunts owned and operated a sewing school, and the other two owned, and operated contract sewing shops, with contracts from top designers like Victor Costa, whose dresses were sold in the very best retail stores in the country. The authors aunt also had an exclusive contract with Neiman Marcus to sew dresses made of imported European and Asian fabrics. Only months before the author started to work at the Neiman Marcus Flagship store (1968), Stanley Marcus spear-headed an initiative for equal employment opportunities for African Americans not only at his stores but thousands of other private sector jobs as well. "Mr. Stanley's influence on the social fabric of Dallas and America in general is clearly reflected in my book", says the author. "I was immersed in two illustrious cultures at the pinnacle of the sports world, and high fashion world" says the author. Raised in the southern Dallas community of South Oak Cliff, the author grew up with Harvey Martin, who became one of the Dallas Cowboys' most celebrated defensive players, selected MVP of Super Bowl XII. That relationship led to designing and producing individual custom outfits, and hundreds of eye-popping team jackets for the Cowboys Super Bowl X and Super Bowl XII squads (full color photos in e-book). When Dallas was home to one of the nation's top fashion and apparel districts; much of the city's fashion prominence was concentrated inside of the Dallas Apparel Mart (now demolished). In its prime, it was the world's most spectacular and biggest under one roof. The book shares personal stories of the Dallas Apparel Marts glory days and contains many full color photos by courtesy of Trammel Crow Holdings LLC. When the Dallas Cowboys NFL football team captured the heart of the North Texas region and football fans all over the nation. The team's enormous success in the 1970's saw them compete in five Super Bowls, winning two, earning the NFL's #1 Offense, #1 Defense and clearly becoming the NFL's most popular team possessing the best win/loss record of the 70's. Their success swagger and aura earned them the nickname "America's Team." "American Made Apparel - The Legacy-The Collapse" shares the authors rapport with the late Mr. Stanley Marcus (April 20, 1905 - January 24, 2002), long after he stopped working for the store. A well-kept secret that Mr. Stanley shared with the author in private, is presented in detail. The book examines the decline of American Made Apparel, and how that decline has fueled the sales of counterfeit, and Black-Market fashion products worldwide. Because manufacturers throughout Asia do not respect US copyright laws, the stage was set for hard working Americans who might otherwise be unemployed, to make more than $10,000. a day in the Black Market.
