Spiritus in the American Textile Industry

There’s a narrative floating around the tactical space right now that the best materials live overseas and that domestic sourcing somehow hinders innovation. Anyone who has actually spent time inside the American textile world knows that isn’t how this industry works. That perspective is usually led by novices who don’t realize the industry is actually quite robust and capable, filled with products built with passion and often held to far more stringent testing standards than many overseas alternatives.

That philosophy has shaped how we’ve built Spiritus from day one. We are manufacturers and proud members of the U.S. textile industry. We see the Berry Amendment as a critical component of national defense and have been committed to supporting and operating within it since the beginning.

For those unfamiliar with the context, the Berry Amendment dates back to World War II. It requires certain mission-critical items used by the U.S. military to be sourced domestically. The idea was simple: if American tax dollars equip our military, those dollars should help sustain the industries that support them. Textiles, clothing, footwear, body armor, tents, and food all fall within that requirement. Most people don’t think about the Berry Amendment until something breaks, but anyone who remembers the supply chain disruptions of 2020 knows what happens when critical goods depend on overseas production. It’s an easy exercise to understand the role domestic sourcing plays in military readiness and the importance in maintaining a strong defense-focused industrial base.

When we founded Spiritus, my partners and I committed to building within that ecosystem. We are proud to be builders. Owning design, engineering, and manufacturing has always resulted in better products for us, and it keeps us closely tied to the people who make this industry work.

Over the years we’ve worked closely with American suppliers to develop materials and products that didn’t exist before, but we know our customers needed. We helped expand the availability of camo-printed loop, pushed entire camouflage patterns into laminate constructions, and led development of the first color-matched film-covered polypropylene laminate. When we lead a development project, instead of pursuing exclusivity, we want these materials to be broadly adopted by all builders in our industry. We currently have several more development efforts still underway that we will be proud to reveal as soon as they are ready.

It’s easy to assume innovation only happens somewhere else, especially if your entire sourcing strategy lives inside a search bar. Overseas markets are massive, and the path of least resistance will always look attractive. For us, it comes down to principles. We believe in choosing the hard right over the easy wrong. American textiles are filled with innovation built from real collaboration with mills, laminators, and manufacturers who understand the end user and the environments the gear is meant to survive, and it’s our responsibility as a company in this space to embed ourselves within this community and deliver the best product possible for our customers, who depend on that level of performance every day.

I was incredibly encouraged recently to see the formation of the Congressional Berry Amendment Caucus. This bipartisan group, led by North Carolina co-chairs Rep. Pat Harrigan and Rep. Don Davis, is focused on strengthening domestic defense manufacturing, supporting American jobs, and ensuring U.S. warfighters are equipped with the highest-quality American-made equipment. It signals that leaders are paying attention to the role domestic manufacturing still plays in national capability. With Spiritus Systems based in North Carolina, I’m especially proud to see our state represented so strongly. North Carolina has long been a cornerstone of American textiles, and it’s good to see that legacy recognized and supported.

For us, this conversation lives beyond policy debates or marketing language. It’s about real, meaningful work, and the impact it has on the industry, our customers, and our country. The strongest products come from companies willing to invest time into development, work alongside their suppliers, and build solutions our customers will trust their lives to. We’re proud of the role Spiritus plays in that process. Not just as a company that supports Berry requirements, but as a manufacturer that lives them every day and eagerly contributes to an industry that continues to develop and deliver the best fibers, fabrics, and finishes in the world.