Proudly made in the US of A?

When I was a teenager and the family was on holiday in Cape Town, I would catch the train into the city and walk a few blocks down to the Foreshore, to a shop called Nordic Clothing, whose customers were mainly sailors off the ships in Table Bay harbour.

- Brendan Seery

I went there for one thing: genuine Levi's jeans. They were the ultimate fashion accessory - a notch above Wrangler and Lee. And they were - tough stitching, copper rivets and leather patch on the back waistband - proudly Made in the USA.

That was part of the attraction, I suppose - a link to the youth rebellion of the '60s, although my mates and I were more born to be mild than wild.

Levi's were the jeans to have, but when it came to denim jackets, Wrangler had the edge... and so I bought one. Only when I got home and went over it carefully did I see the "made in Malta" logo. The American frontier was being farmed out in what was one of the first steps towards the globalisation we live with now.

Yet, I have had little desire to own other American-origin products, other than a pair of Vortex binoculars, which are so well made the manufacturer offers a lifetime guarantee.