Clothier goes domestic.

• Position: Triangle - Interview

Rachel Weeks, 27, did something radical last year. The CEO of Durham-based School House Inc., which makes high-end college apparel, moved manufacturing from Sri Lanka to North Carolina--swimming against the current of companies moving production offshore. It seems to be paying off. Her company, which sells mostly to college bookstores, anticipates having its first profitable year in 2012.

How did you get started?

When I was at Duke University, I got $20,000 from a car accident. I moved to Sri Lanka after graduation and decided it was now or never. I hired a designer that I found online and contracted with a factory there.

Why bring manufacturing here?

The three visits a year I was making to Sri Lanka at $5,000 apiece, employing a quality-control team, shipping costs--when you added those things up, the difference between there and here was negligible. It's also dependent on having a higher-end product.

Why?

It's very hard to be cost competitive without a larger profit margin. We're able to absorb some of those added costs.

Does manufacturing domestically help sales?

I'm not asking people to buy this product because it's made in America--sport apparel needed more fashion-driven merchandise. I did think this market would be responsive to socially responsible branding.

What do you mean by "socially responsible"?

What I've become passionate about is valuing the...