he was a big believer in the "Made in the USA" movement long before President Trump started telling the nation to "Buy American and hire American."
In 2012, Paraggio launched a male swimsuit brand called NoNetz. It makes swimsuits that prevent chafing and rashes. Paraggio vowed to make the suits in the U.S. She found a textile factory in Brooklyn, MCM Enterprise, that could do the work.
There was just one problem: The suit cost $23 to make in Brooklyn. Making it in China and shipping it to Paraggio's office cost a mere $10.
Manufacturing in America "makes me look like a bad business person," Paraggio told CNNMoney. She went with the Brooklyn option anyway. Surely, she thought, customers would prefer to see the "Made in the USA" label.
That's not what happened.
"No one cares about Made in the USA," says Paraggio, who recently ordered some suits from China for the first time after Daymond John of Shark Tank gave her frank advice to get real about the bottom line. So she placed the order. And cried.
Trump preaches "Buy American" often. He mentioned it in his Inaugural Address. He brought it up in his first prime-time speech to Congress (watched by over 47 million people). He made it a campaign issue.
But the largest obstacle to Trump's vision may be the American shopper, who is constantly on the lookout for a good deal.
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Americans care most about price
In survey after survey, Americans say they prefer to buy "Made in the USA" products. But when it comes to actually spending, their choices tell a different story.
"Consumers are all for Made in America until they have to pay for it," says Greg Portell, partner at consulting firm A.T. Kearney who specializing in advising retailers.
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People have grown accustomed to cheap prices after years of shopping at discount retailers like Walmart (WMT) and Target (TGT). In general, they only buy American if it doesn't cost much more than the product from China or Germany or Bangladesh.
Paraggio saw this trend first-hand in her business. She gets two frequent comments from customers: They love the product, but why does it cost so much?