That cost...HOW much? By Kristi Soomer | Encircled Blog

That cost...HOW much?

November 14, 2013By Kristi ,Chief Fashionpreneur

That cost....HOW much???

We are a society that lovessss a bargain. Sale sale sale. How low can you go!

Don't get me wrong, I'm there with you. Most people have to work hard to make a dollar, and therefore you want that dollar to go very far.

Being an entrepreneur, and self-funded... I negotiate everything BUT I also realize the benefit of buying quality over quantity. I've skimped on quality before (in clothing, and in business) and it always comes back to bite me somehow.

It's taken me a while to get here fashion-wise. And I definitely still do have the odd fast fashion bender but I try my best to invest in ethically made pieces, local if possible and from sustainable fabrics.

At the same time, I understand no one is perfect. It's difficult (unfortunately) to find ethically made stuff -- even more so Made in Canada clothing is a rapidly disappearing category (just ask my production contractor in Canada). It can be done but it takes effort (research) and money (because ethical production is in most cases significantly more expensive).

I wish sometimes I could retail the Chrysalis Cardi for $75.

But to do so, I'd have either (1) make zero money and go bankrupt in quite a quick timeframe, or (2) I'd have to manufacture overseas, with a non-sustainable fabric and possibly compromise quality and ethics.

Frankly, neither of these things (bankruptcy or bending my ethics) is on my to-do list in this lifetime.

The fact that I haven't gone under in year 1 makes me better than the average fashion line. Phew!

Soooo... I ask you, next time you think, "How much does that cost?" think about what goes into it.

Organic produce is more expensive for a reason and so are free range eggs.

Garments made from sustainable fabrics cost more because the fabric is more expensive. Our modal is about 4-5x more expensive than traditional Cotton-Spandex.

Local production charges a huge premium which designers cannot afford to eat the cost of. For context, the garment wage of a worker in Bangladesh is $0.21/hour versus in the US/Canada, about $12-14/hour.

BUT...

The benefits of buying something and feeling good in your soul about that purchase. It's priceless.

With gratitude,