COTTON BASICS has been domestically manufactured in Oakland, California since 1982. We have specialized in small batch production and natural dyeing since our founding days. This allows us to provide our custom designs and exclusive color formulations as well as our legacy designs year-round. We make everything with care and with our end customer in mind. We preshrink & prewash all our custom clothing. We handle 99% of our processes in house, from production, screen printing, garment dyeing, packaging and fulfillment. Because of all this, we can truly say that our process is unique. But our proudest accomplishment is the loyalty of our customers. Our loyal customer base recognizes the knowledge, pride, and commitment of our brand and serves as a constant reminder that we're doing something right and inspires us to keep striving and to keep the legacy alive.
HISTORY
In 1980, a young thriving designer and her sister walked the streets of Fisherman's Wharf selling their San Francisco branded T-shirts, thus embarking on a life-long journey that set her path as a designer for the next 40 years.
Susan Ciochetto established the San Francisco legacy brand "COTTON BASICS" in 1982, shifting the emphasis from producing T-shirts to a cut-and-sew operation. Rapidly the business expanded to offer a wide variety of apparel, with the focus being on manufacturing clothing made with natural fibers.
COTTON BASICS quickly gained popularity among both locals and tourists alike, becoming synonymous with the vibrant and unique spirit of San Francisco. At one point, the business had expanded to up to 8 stores in the Bay Area. Today, after 42 years of successfully operation, COTTON BASICS continues to thrive, now under new ownership. As of November, 2022, Susan passed the business to local designer, entrepreneur and Bay Area native Rebecca Cahua, who is now the new sole owner of Cotton Basics.