MATTAPOISETT — As mass-produced products and delivery services become more and more common, Mattapoisett based “TownWear” seeks to highlight what makes individual communities special, and giving back to local charities a part of their business model.

Founded in 2006, TownWear manufactures clothing with logos specific to individual towns and cities for select retailers across the country. In order to sell TownWear products, retailers must donate 5% of their sales to a charity of their choice.

Isabelle’s Gift Shop, located in the Ropewalk Shops and Cafe in Mattapoisett sells TownWear gear for the towns of Mattapoisett and Marion. The store donates part of its TownWear income to the Old Rochester Regional High School.

Marion and Mattapoisett-based clothes feature nautical logos like sailboats, lighthouses, and Mattapoisett’s iconic seahorse. Some of TownWear’s gear also features the GPS coordinates of their given retailer.

Also in the Ropewalk, Keepers Kloset is scheduled to open an infant’s line of TownWear gear in the near future. The business has yet to announce a charity, but once they open their new clothing line, they will act as the children and infant’s counterpart to Isabelle’s adult line next door. 

TownWear currently has about 30 active retailers in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, Georgia, Florida, Maine, New Hampshire, and California.

Production Manager Jessica Charron said that the company differs from other manufacturers because “we take pride in our community, and we care about the product like its our own.”

TownWear employs a staff of six people, and contracts artists to design unique logos for each clothing line. All of their products are pigment dyed, and either screen printed or embroidered in New England.

Founding owner Bruce Rocha Sr. said that his company is socially responsible, and tries to “brand the town” as a way of marketing the unique features of any given community in a specialized clothing line that is not “Amazonable.”

Rocha Sr. said that the company started as a celebration of Mattapoisett’s 150th anniversary in 2006. After selling out with no advertisement, the company continued to grow. It now sells T-shirts. sweatshirts , and hats to retailers, as well as regional lines, that highlight points of interest such as Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard. They also offer “elite lines” available to non-retail businesses like Fisher and Rocha, a Mattapoisett based company (also owned by Rocha Sr.) offering general contractor services.

To get an application to become a local retailer for TownWear, go to Mailbox Services, at 82 County Road in Mattapoisett.