Freep: Kid Rock's clothing line says 'Made in Detroit' -- but isn't

**JBMcB** · February-08-12, 10:42 PM

Originally Posted by partystore

I'm just sayin'... is Kid Rock absolved from criticism?

No, but only when the criticism is valid.

Seriously, Detroit hasn't had a major textile industry since beaver pelts were traded at Trapper's Alley. There are, maybe, a half dozen factories in the US producing T-shirts. Unless you are going to be producing hundreds of thousands of units a year, you aren't going to break even, much less turn a profit, making T-shirts in the US.

It's so much cheaper importing them, it would be more cost effective to outsource them and just give some people the money they'd otherwise get working in the factory as charity. Which is essentially what Kid Rock is doing.

You may as well complain that GM doesn't buy tires made of rubber that has been vulcanized in Detroit.

**Django** · February-09-12, 01:01 AM

Im not a huge fan of his music but have bought and enjoyed one of his works and find myself tappin my foot often enough to him on the radio. The guy promotes Detroit, as a Detroiter I'll take all the help we can get. Wherever he lives he's a booster, a big booster. Fuckin A Kid Rock. I dont care where the shirt was sewn. I would think the promotion of Detroit he does outweighs the jobs it might produce if the shirts were actually made within the city.

Loved the Detroit grown cotton remark^.

**jcole** · February-09-12, 09:54 PM

KR's response to all this:

Susan Tompor: Kid Rock's clothing line says 'Made in Detroit' -- but isn't

Posted by Kid Rock
February 10, 2012

Dear Susan Tompor,

Let me first start off by cordially inviting you to go fuck yourself. I have always said that I do care what people in my hometown think of me, and the hatchet job you have just written about The Made In Detroit company in The Detroit Free Press has made me so upset that I am left with no choice but to defend myself and my company. I purchased MID out of bankruptcy and asked a friend of mine [[Tom Dubak) to give up the security of a good paying job at a car dealership for a chance to help revitalize this brand. The goal of MID is to re-instill a sense of Detroit pride, give back to the community, try to create jobs in our home state and maybe one day build our own facility somewhere close to the riverfront in Detroit. We have succeeded in most of the this and have big plans for the future, not to mention the scholarship fund we have created at Wayne State, the numerous sponsorships we do every year and the hundreds of thousands of dollars we have given to local charities [[all of which somehow had no place in your attempt to slander us in your article).

You failed to say that the majority of our products are in fact MADE IN AMERICA. Let me address the small number of MID products not made in America, which were explained to you, but that you felt unimportant to print as part of a well-balanced and fair story. You didn’t care about printing the fact that 98 percent of all clothing sold in America is not made in America. It’s very difficult to even find quality and affordable USA made products, lord knows we have been looking from day one, not only for the MID brand but also for the Kid Rock merchandise we sell on tour. A simple phone call to my KR merchandise company FEA or calls to our suppliers or any other clothing company in America would have told you this. The majority of the clothes that are made in America still import the cottons and other parts needed to make these items from outside of the country.

In addition, we have NEVER laid claim to our items actually being made in Detroit, it’s been on our website since we took the company out of bankruptcy what we are about –

Made In Detroit has created jobs for people in and around Detroit, we’ve made money for local merchants and donated money to many local charities on behalf of MID, Badass Beer and The Kid Rock Foundation along with creating 7 jobs at MID alone. As the owner of Made In Detroit I’ve never taken a dime of salary or profit or even expensed a meal. We, like most brands in America, use some products that are not created in America. That doesn’t mean we can’t do better. We’re trying to move away from those products while still keeping our prices affordable and keeping us and the stores that depend on us in business. You will find a list of things we have done with MID below in which we are extremely proud and because of these and the many other things I have been able to do I walk around my hometown with my head held high. You and your editors ought to be ashamed of yourselves for not only entirely missing the point of what we do but trying to knock down MID, myself and other local brands that have done nothing more than try to prop our city and state up.

I’ll finish by saying that as a result of your article and the lack of respect from not only you but from your editors, The Detroit Free press is on my shit list and my subscription has been canceled. And yes, I will go so far as to ask other like minded folks to do the same if they are tired of garbage, irresponsible reporting like yours.

If there is one thing I have learned from growing up in and around Detroit it’s “Don’t take any shit from no one and be proud of where you come from!” I am. FUCK YOU.

And to the bloggers and press, if you choose to only print part of my statement, please give a link to my website or make my whole statement available on yours.

Sincerely,
Kid Rock

PS. If you’re interested in a fair look at the clothing industry in America check out this ABC News story:

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/MadeI...8#.TzJya5iId9l

PPS. Here’s a list of charities Made In Detroit has supported since I’ve taken over. This doesn’t include the well over $1,000,000 the Kid Rock Foundation has donated since just 2010.

Charitable Donations and Sponsorships since 2006
Light House Women’s Shelter
Tara Grant Children Fund
Rainbow Connection
Arts, Beats and Eats - Every year
Stars & Stripes Festival – Every year
Movement Festival – Every year
Detroit Music Awards – Every year
St. Mary’s Prep
Wayne State University Scholarship
DKWIO
Mikie’s Minutes
Karmanos Cancer
Capuchin Soup Kitchen
Coalition on Temporary Shelter
Haven Inc.
American Red Cross
Friends of Belle Isle
Habitat for Humanity Detroit
Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit
Youthville Detroit
Ronald McDonald House
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Boy Scouts of America [[local pack)
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Mitten's For Detroit

Boys Club of Flint Relay For Life-American Cancer Society

**401don** · February-09-12, 10:04 PM

Thanks Kid. You defended yourself far better than rest of us who tried to instill a little common sense into this thread on your behalf.

**Gistok** · February-09-12, 10:08 PM

[[Standing Ovation)

**Wheels** · February-09-12, 10:52 PM

Thats what I'm talking about!

**black gold man** · February-09-12, 11:33 PM

Kid on the corner of 8 mile and pelkey a new
DETROIT business just opened maybe you could
throw them some business. They print T shirts.
I just got a Paul Newman DATSUN one today.

**tvaspen** · February-09-12, 11:34 PM

Werd!!!!!!!

**black gold man** · February-10-12, 12:01 AM

Your FUCKING weird.

**RedeemerKid** · February-10-12, 08:11 AM

Kid comes out swinging for sure.

**canuck** · February-10-12, 09:32 AM

There is something in that reply that makes one think Kid Rock may have been insulted and perhaps was a wee bit upset by the Freep article, in substance if not in tone. I may be wrong but I stand by my assertion. What do you guys think? I mean the F word comes up a couple of times and that is usually a sign in and of itself that a negative emotion is conveyed by the author on some level.

**XDetroitr** · February-10-12, 12:34 PM

I also think it's hypocritical, but.... That's how the free market works. It's the American way.

**noise** · February-10-12, 12:46 PM

While I've never been a fan of this gentleman's music or persona, I think his response was clear, concise, and explained the situation perfectly. I certainly don't view anything about this business as a misrepresentation, but then I don't see "Detroit" as only what's within the city limits.

**Wheels** · February-10-12, 01:07 PM

Originally Posted by XDetroitr

I also think it's hypocritical, but.... That's how the free market works. It's the American way.

Making a blanket statement is easy.

Would you care to elaborate?

**Wheels** · February-10-12, 01:09 PM

Originally Posted by black gold man

Your FUCKING weird.

We get it. You like Datsun's.Move on.

**adamjab19** · February-10-12, 01:19 PM

Originally Posted by canuck

There is something in that reply that makes one think Kid Rock may have been insulted and perhaps was a wee bit upset by the Freep article, in substance if not in tone. I may be wrong but I stand by my assertion. What do you guys think? I mean the F word comes up a couple of times and that is usually a sign in and of itself that a negative emotion is conveyed by the author on some level.

Hell yes he was insulted! He was called to task with ridiculous acquisitions. I mean really, did anyone think that just because the shirt says Made In Detroit it was actually made in Detroit? The slogan is a mantra not a fricken' production location!

**Islandman** · February-10-12, 01:45 PM

Originally Posted by adamjab19

Hell yes he was insulted! He was called to task with ridiculous acquisitions. I mean really, did anyone think that just because the shirt says Made In Detroit it was actually made in Detroit? The slogan is a mantra not a fricken' production location!

I find your lack of sarcasm detection disturbing.

**Baselinepunk** · February-10-12, 01:53 PM

Wow, Mr. Richie's response surely put her in her place.

/eyeroll

**kenp** · February-10-12, 01:56 PM

Let me first start off by cordially inviting you to go fuck yourself.

Well said.

**Jimaz** · February-10-12, 02:06 PM

The Treachery of Images

**noise** · February-10-12, 02:39 PM

Originally Posted by Baselinepunk

Wow, Mr. Richie's response surely put her in her place.

/eyeroll

If you actually read both and aren't totally oblivious, it surely did.

**adamjab19** · February-10-12, 02:53 PM

Originally Posted by Islandman

I find your lack of sarcasm detection disturbing.

haha! My 'sarcastic' meter actually was beeping a bit....use smilies people!

**Baselinepunk** · February-10-12, 03:25 PM

"If you actually read both and aren't totally oblivious, it surely did."

I did and to me, Mr. Richie came across to me as very defensive and narcissistic; trying to be a bit too much "Detroit" for a poser like him.

Look, the guy sure has give a lot of money to a lot of things; looks to me that he'll use that white-wash for when situations like this come up pretty quickly. He can self-aggrandize all he wants; I ain't buying it. Blaming corporate America for his inability to get US-made T-Shirts is a cop-out.

Shit like this coming from a punk who flies the Confederate flag [[and knows just what it represents) at his concerts is just noise to me, noise.

**tvaspen** · February-10-12, 05:45 PM

Originally Posted by black gold man

Your FUCKING weird.

That was 'Werd' vernacular for 'word'. And it's not my FUCKING weird...

**tvaspen** · February-10-12, 05:51 PM

Originally Posted by Baselinepunk

"If you actually read both and aren't totally oblivious, it surely did."

I did and to me, Mr. Richie came across to me as very defensive and narcissistic; trying to be a bit too much "Detroit" for a poser like him.

Look, the guy sure has give a lot of money to a lot of things; looks to me that he'll use that white-wash for when situations like this come up pretty quickly. He can self-aggrandize all he wants; I ain't buying it. Blaming corporate America for his inability to get US-made T-Shirts is a cop-out.

Shit like this coming from a punk who flies the Confederate flag [[and knows just what it represents) at his concerts is just noise to me, noise.

Baselinepunk ....Name fits.