Our History

  In the early 1970's, while attending Boston College on an elite running scholarship, Stephen Liquori began making his own silkscreens. Buying shirts in bulk, Steve would hand-print shirts for his track and cross-country teammates, as well as for local track and running clubs (seen here in a homemade shirt for the Greater Boston Track Club). He continued throughout college making and selling shirts for and at BC events, track meets, and in 1974 became the "unofficial official" shirt for the Boston Marathon, before the event was ever licensed for merchandise.  

  In 1976, the day after graduating from Boston College, Stephen opened GladRags, a retail t-shirt shop in Chestnut Hill, MA. Steve and his partner also opened a factory in Allston, MA which became a major screen print supplier to booming athletic shoe and apparel sportswear brands.

  In 1983, Stephen founded Goodwear while continuing to supply major footwear brands with private label apparel programs. At the time, T-shirts were still the extremely lightweight, stretchy, fitted, and almost sheer cotton popular in the 70's. Wanting a heavier, durable shirt with a fitted collar (a style that would come to define the 90's), by 1987 Steve had developed a Made in USA heavy-weight shirt that could hold up to long-term wear and comfort. That iconic style, updated modestly over the years, remains our best seller and signature piece.

  In 1990, the Japanese market took an interest in Goodwear and fell in love with our style and quality. Known the world over for their food, knives, bonsai, tools, cars, and more, Japanese culture champions simple, well-crafted, timeless, and exceptional goods and services. It should be no surprise that now for over 30 years, Goodwear has solidified itself in Japan as one of the top fashion brands in the country, sold in high-end boutiques and used extensively for custom branding and design.

   As Goodwear grew and Stephen honed in on the perfect T-shirt, brand after brand abandoned the American workforce and started moving overseas. The new demand for heavy-weight cotton apparel drove prices up and business out. But Stephen stayed true to his values and factories, never compromising and continuing to always make Goodwear 100% in the USA. The textile industry workforce in the US has declined over 85% in the last 25 years, and we are incredibly proud to have never left and still honor a tradition of textiles in the USA and specifically in the South.

Committed to Quality

We start with only the highest quality raw materials, a veteran team of craftsmen and women, and incredible attention to detail. Always with US cotton and made start to finish stateside.

Made to Last

After all that work and care to produce a Goodwear shirt, we want it to last years to come. With the right fabrics, careful stitching, and artisan dyeing, our shirts are second to none when it comes to durability.

Focused on the Future

Sustainability for the environment, and for ourselves, is at the core of everything we do. By keeping our supply chain domestic, our business tight and independent, and by working in small batches, we've kept a steady pace through all the ups and downs of the past four decades.