Olympic Style, Made in New Jersey

Better Team USA has been tapped again by Ralph Lauren to supply jackets for U.S. athletes at the closing ceremonies.

On January 16, Ralph Lauren returned to Milan Fashion Week for the first time in more than 20 years to showcase his blend of American roots with European luxury. His casual but elegant designs were a monumental success as they graced the runway alongside entries from the world’s leading fashion houses.

Exactly three weeks later, on February 6, Lauren’s creations will again be on display in Italy during the opening ceremonies of the Milano-Cortino Winter Olympic Games. Lauren has outfitted Team USA for every Olympiad since 2008.

Since 2014, Lauren has partnered entirely with American manufacturers to bring his designs to life. And he is doing so again this year, outfitting the 232 athletes of Team USA for the celebrated opening and closing ceremonies.

The closing ceremonies, on February 22, will be held at the open-air Arena of Verona and Lauren has enlisted Better Team USA, a third-generation Italian American family business, to manufacture a warm and comfortable puffer coat.

Apparel manufacturing by the DiBattista family began in the 1950s in New York City’s garment district. After numerous changes over the years, the family is now firmly implanted in Clifton, New Jersey as a maker of unrivaled technical outerwear that is 100% Made in the USA.

Martin DiBattista is the fashion house’s third generation family leader, overseeing daily operations as Better Team USA company president.

“I grew up around the garment center in New York. My grandfather, my dad, my uncle; my mother was a seamstress,” said DiBattista. “Some kids want to grow up to be astronauts, and I wanted to be in the fashion industry.

“We’re like the new kids on the block in the U.S. We’re an old company with new things. We’re probably the only vertical technical outerwear manufacturer in the U.S.”

The Milano-Cortina games will be the third consecutive Winter Games that Better Team USA has manufactured the designs of Ralph Lauren.

“I’d like to say we started this relationship with Ralph Lauren because we are really good at what we do,” said DiBattista. “But in 2018 we were kind of new, so it goes to show the talent in the U.S. is limited in what we do, in this type of outerwear. So, it really began because we were probably the only ones that could do it.

“Our family has always been focused on high standards in manufacturing and working with Ralph Lauren really showcased our quality. Obviously, to get a chance to do this for Team USA gave us an opportunity to show what we can do.”

DiBattista and his team of 20 employees manufacture in a 16,000 square foot factory in Clifton, just a 20-minute drive from Manhattan’s garment center.

The first small batch production for Ralph Lauren in 2018 created challenges for Better Team USA as it was facing its first high-level test as a manufacturer of all American-made garments.

“For a small business, 10 years is a milestone,” said DiBattista. “We are proud of our work and feel established. It’s great for our business because, when you work with Ralph Lauren, it tells the industry on what level you operate. For us it has become kind of like our PR because once you mention what you did, they understand the work that you do.

“Working with Ralph Lauren shows you that attention to detail and we match very well with that, and it’s a reason why Ralph Lauren is at the top. It’s that attention to detail; it’s the commitment that you can’t cut corners on higher quality garments. They set the pace; they are the leader.”

The technical puffer jacket is made from duck down feathers sourced from Brookwood Mills in Athens, Georgia. Jacket materials for the three Olympic Games that Better Team USA has been a supplier have all come from Brookwood.

DiBattista likes to accentuate the technical side of today’s outerwear manufacturing since Better Team USA is so adept at precision cutting and sewing.

“One thing that is a key to our company is the technology we use,” said DiBattista. “We’ve been implementing it for our development process, and it helps us to see the garments at the beginning before we even make anything. We’re using computerized sewing techniques, digital web-based warehouse systems to manage our materials and as we are looking down the road we’re tapping into more technology to help improve domestic manufacturing and hopefully to support any other project that Ralph Lauren can throw our way.”

The more DiBattista speaks of his team’s Olympic Games manufacturing journey, the more he sounds like a proud father.

“It is challenging and sometimes you want to throw it out the window, but the challenge is what gets me going,” said DiBattista. “When you see those garments and you see all the Olympic jackets stacked up, completed it’s a sense of satisfaction, it’s a high.

 “We don’t do the same thing over and over again. We are constantly doing something unique, new and fashionable. It’s like no other business in the world. We are always working on creative, beautiful things.”

DiBattista feels the fashion world competition and American-made are like a sporting event for Better Team USA.

“When you’re here and see the energy the team puts into it, the enthusiasm, the attention to detail, it is like our Super Bowl,” added DiBattista. “This is where we showcase to the world everything that we do and the team really steps up.

“We take pride in our work. That’s never going to go away. We take that very seriously. When it’s time, we clear the decks and Ralph Lauren pretty much takes over our factory at that point.”

DiBattista is finally living his childhood dream of achieving success in the fashion industry and credits his success from daily conversations with his father who now lives in Italy.

“When it comes to a unique technical process, my secret sauce is my father,” said DiBattista. “There is almost nobody with that type of experience in the garment industry.

“We 100 % feel like we are bringing textile manufacturing back to the U.S. We feel that we are the new pioneers in finding a path for others to join us in domestic manufacturing. Working with Ralph Lauren just confirms that. Ralph Lauren just opened up a fund to help U.S. manufacturers, so they are not just talking about it, they are doing things about it.

“This is a good time for American manufacturing.”