Warren

Slow and considered menswear. Entirely made in New England. A Q&A.

We spent the Thanksgiving holiday in France this year, and it was an inspiring trip on several fronts. Firstly, Paris at this time of the year is wonderful. The French have already elevated the humble floodlight to its highest levels, but then, when they add in the lights for the festive season it’s hard not to feel something special. The other reason I’m feeling energized is the fact that I packed a very tightly edited wardrobe for the trip, and I felt great in what I was wearing. An organized, limited group of good pieces can excel in a way that having options can’t. We don’t need much, but the few things we own have to be good. Not to be depressing, but this idea runs counter to Black Friday and, honestly, much of the commercial holiday season. It’s a way to frame the world, and brands like Warren are an embodiment of focus and quality that we all need in our lives.

When I met the Founder, Peter Holoien I appreciated his story and the road he was taking to make clothes in America. Having a small collection of well-made clothes goes against the logic of modern e-commerce strategy, but to me, it’s appreciated. The Six Season Flannel shirts are the type of things you can wear every day. They are made from beautiful, heavy 10oz organic cotton, which is made by American Woolen in Stafford Springs, Connecticut, and sewn in Boston. These flannels are versatile and balance a rugged, clean aesthetic, allowing them to fit into our lives nicely. The Warren collection also includes chino pants, some cut and sew items plus a few other pieces like this Barnard shirt jacket. It’s a concise but solid line-up.

I appreciate Peter’s attention to detail and his ability to take a big chance to figure this thing out. Warren is exactly the type of business that I want to highlight on this page. It gives me hope in this especially strange world we live in to know things like this continue to exist. I wanted to talk to Peter about his point of view on building Warren and about making things in America in 2025. We spoke by phone, and our chat is below.

Warren Founder Peter Holoien.

ACL: Let’s get right into it. Tell me about your experience making clothes in America. How has it been?

Peter Holoien: It’s been about as hard as I expected, especially since I knew nothing about the apparel industry when I started a couple of years ago. My naivety probably worked in my favor. I left my corporate job in March 2023—it was in a completely different field—and began researching suppliers, mills, and factories I might want to work with.

I started by cold emailing fabric mills and cut-and-sew shops, sharing my ideas. A few responded and were interested, and we went from there. It took much longer than I thought to get a product out—almost a year and nine months—to make just two products. I wanted the first ones to be high quality, and I made plenty of mistakes along the way.

ACL: Do you think consumer behavior aligns with the “Made in USA” rhetoric?

PH: Not really. People love the idea, but many don’t grasp the cost and complexity behind it. I see comments on social media scoffing at prices—it stings because they don’t realize how hard and expensive it is to make things here.

It’s interesting—people will spend freely on travel or dining but hesitate to pay for quality clothing. There’s still this idea that clothes should be cheap, even among those who care about craftsmanship. That disconnect is one of the hardest things to overcome.

ACL: Exactly. Americans are used to fast, cheap consumption. The system works too well. Quality manufacturing here is highly specialized now—we can’t compete with $28 shirts made by the thousands overseas. But if you make something that lasts, it ultimately costs less and has less impact. People just need to think differently.

PH: Right. People will spend hundreds on dinner or flights without a thought, but hesitate at a $250 flannel that will last years. It’s a mindset issue—people have a short time horizon when they buy things.

ACL: Totally.

PH: We’re doing our part to encourage buying things that last.

ACL: Tell me about the origin of Warren.

PH: I moved to Boston in 2019, and my wife and I spent weekends exploring New England. You can’t drive far without seeing old textile mills. That image stuck with me. I didn’t know much about the region’s manufacturing history until I visited MASS MoCA in North Adams, a museum in a converted textile mill. Reading about its history sparked my interest.

I learned that textiles and garments were central to America’s industrial growth, moving first to the South, then overseas. But I discovered some mills and cut-and-sew shops still operating in New England, making incredible products. That inspired me to start a brand that celebrates and supports them—to help tell their stories and revive that legacy.

The name Warren came from that journey. It’s the only town name found in all six New England states—and it was also my late grandfather’s name. It felt perfect: local, meaningful, and personal.

ACL: That’s great.

PH: Thanks.

ACL: What motivated you to leave your corporate job and take this risk?

PH: I knew that if I stayed, I wouldn’t be fully invested, and without that commitment, the quality and passion wouldn’t be there. I was fortunate to be in a position to get by without income for a couple of years to get this off the ground. I had to go all in to make it worthwhile.

ACL: Did people think you were crazy, or were they supportive?

PH: It was a mix. Some family members were very supportive, others were skeptical once they heard what the price point would be. Many people aren’t used to clothes that cost as much as the Warren line. Some thought it was crazy, but they liked the mission and story. Talking to people opened their eyes to a new way of consuming apparel. A few with industry experience told me not to do it—it’s really hard—but by then I was already committed.

ACL: That probably goes back to your earlier point—because you didn’t know how hard it would be, you just went for it.

PH: Exactly.

ACL: Tell me about where Warren sits in the market. Is that how you typically shop—willing to spend more for small, high-quality, made-in-USA brands?

PH: I’ve always been thoughtful about what I buy, but my values have completely changed in the past two years. I’ve become focused on sustainable, independent, and American-made brands. Growing up in California, I loved Patagonia—they were local and committed to sustainability. As I built Warren, I discovered many small brands I hadn’t known before.

Now I buy less but better. I try to support independent brands and designers whose products I’ll wear for years. I admire small teams creating beautiful work—what big brands need dozens of people to do. That’s inspiring.

ACL: I feel the same. Seeing a brand’s process builds a deeper connection.

PH: Exactly. I love sharing how something is made—where the fabric comes from, the story behind the mill. It makes what you wear more meaningful.

ACL: Not everything is made in Fall River, right?

PH: The brand promise is “crafted with care in New England.” I want everything at least finished here. The Six Season Flannel fabric is from Connecticut. My knitwear, T-shirts, and hoodies are knit in Canton, Massachusetts, then sewn in Boston or East Boston. I work with a few factory partners across New England and source locally whenever possible.

ACL: Has sourcing been the hardest part, or is it sales now that you’re live?

PH: Sourcing was tough. Some mills I wanted to work with made home textiles, not apparel. I found that most fabric mills are now in the South or Los Angeles, which limits what’s possible locally. Beyond sourcing, my challenge now is building sales and awareness—meeting retailers, getting the word out, and shifting from a supply-chain mindset to a sales one.

ACL: You really have to wear a lot of hats to run a brand. What’s your long-term goal with Warren?

PH: The mission is to help revitalize New England’s textile industry. If Warren grows, I’d love to invest in local mills—help them modernize, expand, and make fabrics that used to be made here, like cotton canvas and denim. Eventually, I want a local sewing operation where people can shop and see clothes being made. It would also make prototyping faster and more flexible. The ultimate goal is to help bring textiles back to New England in a real way.

ACL: I really admire what you’ve built. The product looks beautiful, the branding is strong—it’s all very cohesive. I hope people check it out.

PH: Thank you. I appreciate your support and for helping spread the word about Made in USA and high-quality goods.