New Sweatshirt Capes offer Apparel Alternative from Fall River

News Flash: This is no Ordinary Hoodie

PROVIDENCE  – Cleverhood, the Rhode Island company with the unique line of outerwear for livable cities, introduces its new Sweatshirt Cape. Designed here in the Creative Capital and carefully crafted in nearby Fall River, MA, this is no ordinary “hoodie.”

The Cleverhood Sweatshirt Cape is an elegantly simple design offering a fresh style and utility. This new addition complements the Cleverhood bike-ready rain capes, which have gained recognition in cities around the world. The Sweatshirt Cape is also unisex. It features a hood with a striped drawstring and two inner pockets. The fabric is soft fleece and is available in two colors: Rhode Island Red and Slate Gray. All components are of US origin.

“Our first priority is to ensure our apparel is well crafted, it’s the best advantage we have as an indie label,” said Cleverhood head Susan Mocarski. “We’re psyched to be working with skilled garment workers in nearby Fall River on our new Sweatshirt Capes. Our close proximity affords us advantages in collaboration and helps us to support our local economy in our small way.”

Fall River, Massachusetts was the textile center of US and an industrial leader for a time. Its skyline reveals distinctive New England mills that date back as far as the 19th century. In 1940, nearly one-fifth of the city's workforce was employed in the garment industry, which survived in the city well into the 1990s. The town’s centuries-old motto is “We’ll Try.” But since 1990, Fall River has lost nearly 70 percent of its manufacturing jobs in this era of globalization.

Still trying, Fall River is starting to show signs of resurgence. Here in this former textile town, Cleverhood is subcontracting with skilled cutters and sewers to produce its new Sweatshirt Capes. Although this is a small indie label, it does offer some work for talented garment workers living here.

Based in Providence, RI, Cleverhood LLC, is a family business with a special brand of outerwear that reflects an affirmation of American ingenuity, local places and solid reliability. The Cleverhood rain cape is US-made with a traditional style and modern features that’s used in livable cities worldwide.