Only Hearts
Lingerie and ready-to-wear cut and sewn in New York City since Helena Stuart opened on Columbus Avenue in 1978
⚙️ American Manufacturing
Our assessment
Company details
Where Only Hearts products are made
Sewn in New York City
Only Hearts says its collection is “ethically manufactured in New York City using local, deadstock, organic, recycled, and certified made in green textiles, keeping our footprint gentle and light.” The cutting and sewing happen in the city the label was founded in.
Deadstock and local textiles
The company describes sourcing local and deadstock fabric — using material that already exists rather than commissioning new production. It says the lace is locally sourced, which for a New York lingerie label means the surviving remnant of the American lace trade.
Some yarn is European
Only Hearts states that its jersey is knitted with certified “Made in Green” European yarns. Because part of the material comes from outside the United States, this profile uses American Manufacturing rather than Made in USA.
Only Hearts publishes its founding year, its founder and its manufacturing location on its own site: Helena Stuart founded the label in 1978 on Columbus Avenue in New York City, and the collection is “proudly manufactured in New York City.” The company also states that its jersey is knitted with certified Made in Green European yarns and that other textiles are deadstock, organic or recycled. Because the garments are American-sewn from partly imported materials, we label Only Hearts American Manufacturing rather than Made in USA. The sewing and finishing are genuinely domestic by the company’s own account.
The story
Helena Stuart founded Only Hearts in 1978 on Columbus Avenue in New York City. The shop is still there, at 386 Columbus Avenue, nearly fifty years later — a rare thing in a neighbourhood that has turned over several times since.
The label built its reputation on delicate mesh and lace pieces that crossed the line between lingerie and outerwear, sold at a moment when that distinction was being deliberately rethought.
Only Hearts has stayed with the New York garment trade rather than following the industry offshore. The company describes its production as ethically manufactured in New York City using local, deadstock, organic, recycled and certified Made in Green textiles.
That sourcing approach — deadstock fabric, locally sourced lace, certified yarns — is a working method rather than a marketing line. It constrains what can be made and how much of it, which is part of why the collections stay small.
Why they matter
American apparel manufacturing collapsed almost completely between the 1970s and today. Only Hearts was founded before that collapse and is still cutting and sewing in New York City after it, which makes the label a survivor rather than a revival.
The New York garment district itself is the point. Every brand that keeps production there keeps a set of pattern makers, cutters and sewers employed — skills that disappear permanently once the last customer leaves.
Only Hearts is also honest about materials. Saying plainly that the jersey uses European yarns, rather than folding everything under one flag, is the kind of disclosure that makes the New York sewing claim worth trusting.
Shop Only Hearts products
Browse Only Hearts lingerie and ready-to-wear available now in the Buy American store.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Only Hearts clothing made?
In New York City. The company states that its collection is “ethically manufactured in New York City using local, deadstock, organic, recycled, and certified made in green textiles.”
When was Only Hearts founded?
1978. Only Hearts states on its own site that Helena Stuart founded the label that year on Columbus Avenue in New York City.
Is Only Hearts made in the USA?
The garments are cut and sewn in New York City, but the company says its jersey is knitted with certified Made in Green European yarns. Because part of the material is imported, this profile carries the American Manufacturing label rather than Made in USA.
Can you visit the Only Hearts store?
Yes. The company lists shops at 386 Columbus Avenue and 230 Mott Street in New York, and also lists a Los Angeles location.