West Elm, which is known more for sectionals than swag, is currently selling some Brooklyn items from both their online and brick-and-mortar shops. That's cool, Brooklyn is a brand now, after all, but some of the items brandish the words "MADE IN BROOKLYN," when they are actually made in... China.
The Brooklyn Paper spotted the goods, which include a $24 hat (“Rep the city where it all began with our classic, cuffed Market Beanie featuring our exclusive Made In Brooklyn logo"), a t-shirt, a growler, and a tote bag. The Paper reports:
“As we already know, the Brooklyn brand is hot, not just here in Brooklyn, but across the world — including in China,” said Carlo Scissura, president of the Chamber of Commerce. Scissura’s group rolled out a certification program called “Brooklyn Made” earlier this year as a way to weed out Kings County posers and to make sure real Brooklyn companies get the credit they are due. "The Chamber continues to believe ‘Brooklyn Made’ truly means Made in Brooklyn," Scissura said.
The company claims the items are "a fun nod to the potential contents... You can fill the growler with lager from Brooklyn Brewery, and the shirt and hat refer to the person wearing them.” They've also got Brooklyn Blend potting soil, which contains soil from Long Island, which Brooklyn is technically a part of if we're talking land mass, so they get a pass on that one.
The company is actually a Brooklyn native, "born and raised in the DUMBO," and their store in the neighborhood includes "everyday things that we haven’t stocked in West Elm stores that are coming out of Brooklyn specifically.” Except when they're Made In China.
