Silk City, Then and Now
Paterson earned the name Silk City in the nineteenth century, when water power from the Great Falls drove one of the largest concentrations of textile mills in the United States. At its peak the city produced a remarkable share of American silk, employing tens of thousands and drawing workers from across Europe and beyond. The industry's decline over the twentieth century is well documented, and much of the mass production capacity left for lower-cost regions decades ago.
What is less well known is that textile manufacturing never fully disappeared from Paterson. It transformed. The operations that survived did so by abandoning commodity production and moving into technical, specialty and short-run work where proximity to customers, quick turnaround, technical expertise and quality control outweigh raw labor cost. Today's Paterson textile sector produces narrow woven goods, industrial fabrics, medical textiles, performance materials, custom dyeing and finishing, and small-batch production for designers and brands that need speed rather than volume.
How the Modern Sector Is Structured
Narrow fabrics manufacturing produces webbing, tapes, elastics, ribbons and straps used in safety equipment, automotive interiors, medical devices and apparel. This segment has remained viable because the products are engineered to specification rather than purchased on price alone.
Technical and industrial textiles cover filtration media, geotextiles, protective fabrics, insulation and composites reinforcement. These materials must meet performance standards, which favors manufacturers with testing capability and documented quality systems.
Dyeing and finishing operations provide color, coating, laminating and treatment services, often working on materials produced elsewhere. Their value lies in responsiveness and the ability to handle small lots that overseas mills will not accept.
Knitting and weaving for apparel continues at a specialty level, particularly for sampling, short production runs and domestic-sourced programs. Cut and sew operations complete garments and soft goods. Finally, converters and distributors handle slitting, rolling, packaging and inventory for regional customers.
The Top 10 Textile Manufacturers Serving Paterson
1. Great Falls Narrow Fabrics. Produces engineered webbing, elastics and tapes for safety, medical and industrial applications, with in-house testing and documented quality certification.
2. Silk City Weaving Works. A specialty weaver producing jacquard and decorative fabrics in short runs, serving interior design, upholstery and heritage restoration markets.
3. Passaic Dyeing and Finishing. A commission dye house handling small to medium lots with color matching, coating and laminating capability that overseas suppliers cannot match on timeline.
4. Riverside Technical Textiles. Manufactures filtration media and protective fabrics for industrial customers, with engineering support for specification development.
5. Market Street Knitting Mills. Produces circular and warp knit fabrics for performance apparel and medical applications, with capacity for sampling and short production programs.
6. Cedar Lawn Cut and Sew. A domestic contract manufacturer completing garments, bags and soft goods, valued by emerging brands needing small minimum orders and rapid iteration.
7. Bergen Line Coated Fabrics. Applies coatings and laminates producing waterproof, flame resistant and specialty surface materials for industrial and outdoor products.
8. Wayne Avenue Textile Converting. Provides slitting, rewinding, die-cutting and packaging services, functioning as a finishing partner for mills and distributors across the region.
9. Eastside Sustainable Fibers. Focuses on recycled and bio-based materials, including reclaimed fiber processing and closed-loop programs for brand partners.
10. Hinchliffe Heritage Textile Studio. A small-batch producer and training workshop preserving traditional weaving techniques while producing artisanal goods and supporting local craft education.
Trends Driving the Sector
Reshoring has become a genuine force rather than a slogan. Supply chain disruption taught brands that the cheapest source is not the most reliable one, and many now maintain domestic capacity for time-sensitive or high-value programs even while producing volume abroad. Short lead times, smaller minimums and reduced inventory risk are the practical drivers.
Sustainability requirements have intensified. Brands increasingly require documentation of material origin, chemical compliance and environmental performance. Domestic manufacturers with transparent processes hold an advantage here, and recycled content programs have moved from niche to mainstream.
Automation has changed labor economics. Modern looms, knitting machines and automated cutting reduce the labor intensity that once made domestic production uncompetitive, while increasing the skill level required from remaining staff. That shift has created demand for technicians rather than operators.
Technical textiles continue to grow fastest, as materials engineered for medical, filtration, protective and composite applications command margins that commodity fabrics cannot.
Working with a Textile Manufacturer
Define your specification precisely: fiber content, construction, weight, width, performance requirements, colorfastness standards and any regulatory compliance needed. Vague specifications produce disappointing samples and wasted cycles.
Discuss minimum order quantities honestly at the outset, since these vary enormously by process. Ask about sampling cost and timeline, and expect to pay for development work. Confirm testing capability and whether certification documentation is provided. Clarify lead times for both sampling and production, and ask how capacity is allocated during busy seasons.
Final Thoughts
Paterson's textile industry is smaller than it was a century ago but considerably more sophisticated. The manufacturers that endured did so by competing on engineering, responsiveness and quality rather than price per yard, and the recent shift toward domestic sourcing has validated that strategy. For brands and industrial buyers, the city offers something increasingly rare: skilled textile production within driving distance, capable of short runs and rapid iteration. Specify your requirements carefully, budget properly for development samples, and treat these manufacturers as engineering partners rather than commodity vendors.