Barack Obama’s allegiance to his state of Illinois included homegrown apparel, specifically the Hart Schaffner Marx label. Even the halo effect of his wearing one of the union-made wool and cashmere suits on the night of his presidential acceptance speech couldn’t lift beleaguered parent Hartmarx out of bankruptcy. The 125-year-old suitmaker was sold for $128.4 million in a June auction to a British investment firm Emerisque Brands UK. The sale was good news for the nearly 4,000 workers whose jobs were saved. Wells Fargo, which was owed $114 million, was pressuring Hartmarx to liquidate.

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