MADE TO ORDER, LESS WASTE™
KITSBOW
Kitsbow
Our responsible Makers are cutting and sewing premium, durable apparel for your activities in the outdoors right here in Old Fort, NC.
When you acquire our gear, you’re part of a movement to buy higher quality that lasts longer, thereby minimizing damage to the Earth and helping employ Americans in an artisan skill that has largely vanished since the 1970s and 1980s.
Today, Just 2% of clothes purchased in the U.S. are made here in the U.S. By purchasing Kitsbow gear, you are helping bring back the skill of crafting premium apparel here in America.
Our design team ensures that these clothes are stylish, functionally perfect, last for years, and fit so well that they “disappear” as you move on the bike and trail.
And we offer sizes for every body, an initiative we began several years ago with 49 different size combinations of our travel pants, and continues today. Sign up here to be updated on our constant innovation, increased size ranges, and new news.
We’re part of the community in this historic town of Old Fort, but we weren’t first. The indigenous people who lived in this area... grew sustainable crops, and acted as stewards of the land until they were forced to leave. The Cherokee, Yuchi, and Catawba people were here long before the Europeans. We benefit today from their stewardship.
See the Magic for Yourself: Factory Tours
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED AT LEAST 2 DAYS IN ADVANCE
Book your Factory Tour with this scheduling tool (generally available weekdays, 8AM to 4PM). No open toe shoes and members of your party must be at least 8 years old.
The Ride House is your base camp for activities of all kinds in Old Fort, NC with the Pisgah National Forest within walking and riding distance from the front door.
Free long-term parking, filtered chilled water, breakfast and lunch with burritos and sandwiches, the best espresso for miles around, pastries (sweet and savory), and expert advice on what to do and where in the Pisgah are available 7 Days a week from 7:30AM at the Ride House.
We also offer all of our apparel for purchase at the Ride House, where you can consult with one of our Rangers on the best fit and application of the gear -- and try it on before buying. If we don’t have what you need in stock, we’ll ship it for free to your home after it is made for you.
MORE
For more about Kitsbow’s work building community in Old Fort see Visit our Better Together Collaboration. This helps explain one of our first projects, an amazing mural celebrating the efforts to desegregate the schools in the South before Brown v Education.
For more about the living wage jobs we have created, and continue to create, see The Stakes Couldn't be Higher.
For more about how Kitsbow supports Owning Our Planet, see Owning vs. Renting (hint, every form of packaging used by Kitsbow can be buried in your garden at home, as it is consumer-compostable).
For more about the exciting new trails in the Pisgah -- more than 40 miles under development, including accessible trails for all abilities, see Hometown Trails.
For more about how Kitsbow uses Lean Manufacturing with one-piece-flow to change the apparel industry, checkout this podcast.