A local clothing maker is putting a new spin on a sore subject: American Apparel Inc. is opening stores in China this spring, and stocking them with T-shirts, shorts and hoodies made in downtown L.A., the Los Angeles Times reports.

Talk about going against the tide: One-third of the clothes sold in the U.S. come from China. Just 6% of the things we wear are made here.

Taking T-shirts stitched in L.A. to consumers in Beijing, Shanghai and Suzhou would fit American Apparel’s business plan. The company has carved a niche in the last 10 years cranking out casual clothes in the Los Angeles warehouse district, where a banner atop the factory reads — in red letters — “American Apparel is an Industrial Revolution.”

It’s more efficient and less expensive to source from one country than from multiple sites, as many other companies do, Chief Executive Dov Charney said, and importing products from a collection of nations involves more headaches and costs.

“Made in the USA,” he said, “becomes a competitive advantage.”

Charney said the company would pay sales clerks in the Chinese stores hourly wages exceeding the U.S. minimum of $5.85, which in some parts of China is more than a worker makes in a day.

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