I don’t think this statement is usually something that is said or heard when clothing is purchased. However, with the changing times and new demands for all things sustainable, social justice for workers, domestic production and on-demand production for smaller orders, the cost to produce a garment will increase.
All of these demands will and must be recognized by the manufacturer, the retailer and the end consumer. With time, the consequences of the price increase will be recognized by the end consumer who, hopefully, will begin to appreciate the reason for these new demands and happily pay a realistic price for all of the work that goes into the production of each article of clothing.
Interestingly, all of these demands and changes were already in the works but have now been accelerated due to the pandemic. I feel optimistic that millennial and Gen-Z consumers who seem, for the most part, to be more environmentally concerned will understand these price increases.
Why are these demands affecting the price tag?
Meeting Sustainable Demands
Recycled fabrics and clothing can be repurposed or resold as used clothing. Of course, this takes more time — either the clothing and fabric scraps are shredded and re- spun and woven into new fabrics, or clothing is redesigned into new clothes for resale. This means that the used or unsold clothing would be individually restyled, which is comparable to couture clothing.
Fabric scraps, which are normally discarded into landfills, are now being repurposed for other products such as rugs or small soft toys.
Organic cotton and other organic fibers, as well as biodegradable dyes, are being used for fibers, fabrics, garments and printing.
The demand to use less water for denim production is now incorporating lasers and oxidization to give the denim the washed look. This saves valuable water and stops the pollution of rivers and other waterways.
Plastic use is being eliminated for wrapping and tags. The oceans are over-full of plastics that kill fish and other sea life.
Social Justice for Workers
The implementation of measures to improve workers’ rights — awful working conditions with no breaks, low wages and long days six days a week to name a few — is necessary for factories to get the certifications they need in order to sell into the U.S. and other Western countries. Human rights changes must be implemented, which of course costs owners money. The consequences of these much- needed changes have and should increase the production costs of apparel. California and, to some degree, New York implemented these changes in the early 1990s. Manufacturers and contractors must take a test and pay an annual fee to be certified to produce apparel. This has made it difficult for domestic manufacturers to compete with the cheap labor offshore. But, hopefully, “the times they are a-changing!”
Domestic or Near Shore Production
Supporting domestic manufacturing minimizes the pollution created with container shipments of goods. Plus, this is a good branding strategy.
California was, at one time, a vibrant apparel manufacturing center. Unfortunately, due to the lack of investment in our domestic infrastructure and the demand for cheap clothing, most clothing production went offshore. This is tragic, and I truly hope it can be turned around before it is too late. But this means a big investment in planning and restructuring the infrastructure. For example, buildings with out-of-date elevators or alleys behind the factories for loading and unloading that are too narrow for today’s trucks, and so these entryways must be updated.
One good example of what can be achieved domestically is the implementation of modular, or team, manufacturing, wherein teams of four to six workers work together to sew garments. Rather than sewing just one part of a garment all day, teams work together and can be paid and rewarded based on the efficiency of the full garments that they turn out.
On Demand for Smaller Orders or Even Individual Orders
On demand is a very exciting development for sustainability. Garments can be made specifically for each customer’s body type based on their own measurements. The body is scanned, and the patterns adjusted to fit to the customer’s body type.
Tech companies such as Tukatech and Gerber have amazing technologies to make necessary changes to the pattern to fit each customer’s individual size, or even make styling changes. These new developments for on demand really save on sampling and over-production that typically would end up in a landfill.
If implemented, all of the above points can really help with all aspects of producing sustainable clothing. However, in order for a company to implement all or some of these changes, it will take good planning and a budget. It will also require larger companies to adjust their minimum orders lower, as buyers are far more cautious and buying smaller quantities more often. For the smaller companies that tend to be nimbler, these changes could be implemented more easily. But the result for these needed changes will be that the cost of clothing will undoubtedly need to increase. The end consumer will need to understand these changes and respect the amount of work that goes into producing fabrics and creating garments.
Frances Harder
Fashion for Profit Consulting
frances@fashionforprofit.com
