Next Level Apparel (NLA) enters a strategic partnership with San Pedro Sula, Honduras-based GK Global (GK) to provide nearshore fabric supply. The combination of the two — a provider of blank apparel and a global textiles company, respectively — is the latest move toward 100% U.S.-grown cotton for Next Level Apparel.

“There are many benefits of this partnership with GK, including shorter lead times and reduced exposure to geopolitical risks,” Next Level CEO Randy Hales says in a press release. “Bringing our fabric production closer to home allows us to have complete supply chain transparency, including upstream traceability to the cotton.”

“In 2022, GK invested more than $236 million (USD) aimed at expanding our world-class operations and allowing us to bring the full strength of our global supply chain to our relationship with NLA,” GK Chairman Yusuf Amdani explains.

GK’s Background

Established in Central America and Mexico in the early ’90s, GK’s Textile operations were one of the first foreign textile investors in Honduras, according to the release. The company boasts vertically integrated production covering the textile supply chain from sustainable fibers, yarns, and fabrics to garment manufacturing.

According to GK’s website, Amdani is a FUNDAHRSE board member, a Honduran foundation committed to corporate social responsibility. Further, the company says it weaves sustainability into every aspect of its operations, including business models, procedures, projects, and company culture.

For more on the reshoring story, see what Unionwear, Lane Seven Apparel, and Redwood Classics Apparel have to say about manufacturing closer to home.