Why are independent designers’ so expensive?
I’m working on new styles for Ecosalon Shops this Friday and while I was doing so was trying to figure out how much these styles should be selling for. In doing so I realized it would be a good opportunity to write about how young designers figure out the cost of their styles. Everyone is going to have a different formula, so I wouldn’t take this as general fact, this is just how I figured out the cost for a few styles that will be at the sale.
Example 1: Tencel / Recycled PET short
I had this style made at my sample maker in NYC, so costs were a little higher than if I had made them in my studio, however to get the clean finish I wanted, it was necessary to make these at the factory. Below are the totals for 4 pairs made for the sale.
pattern cost: $240 ($60 per short)
grading: $60 ($15 per short)
sample cost: $100
fabric cost: $7/yd ($6.13 per short)
total per short: $181.13 (yikes!)
Obviously this is not a viable or sustainable option as I would have to wholesale this short for about $360 and it would retail for $720! However I developed this short not only for the sale this week but also as a preliminary sample for my Spring 2011 collection (that’s right, you’re getting a sneak peak if you come to the sale!). So eventually my pattern & grading costs will be divided by more than just 4 pcs. For the sake of the sale I’m going to be marking these shorts down to $140, which doesn’t leave me with a profit, and is only slightly above my cost, but does allow me to sell them at the price I feel they warrant. Next example…
Example 2: Vintage lace t-shirt
I made this style in my studio over the weekend to off-set the cost of the short. All it really cost me is time and a little fabric, but I’ll explain why that isn’t profitable either, further below.
pattern cost: $0
grading: $0
sample cost: $0
fabric cost: $13/yd ($9 per tee)
total per t-shirt: $13 + labour costs
So how do I calculate my labour? I could estimate it at $50 which is below average for design work, but much higher than your average factory worker’s wages. It took me two days over the weekend to make the pattern, grade it, cut each size individually to minimize waste, and sew the tees. So ultimately this t-shirt would cost about as much as the shorts if I factored in my own labour costs.
This might not give you a perfectly clear image of the pricing conundrum, but I’ll elaborate more on development and production costs as the Spring 11 collection is underway. Below are some images of the fabric (which I hauled all the way back to NY from a recent trip to Montreal), and fabric wastage from my cutting. Can’t decide yet whether I’m going to make accessories with the waste, or stuff a pillow with it!
I’ve been spending a lot of time at Green Spaces lately. Inhabitat celebrated their 5-yr anniversary there, the ongoing (Re)fashioning Fiber is exhibited there and next week I’ll one of the vendors at Ecosalon Shops!
It should be a great evening, with organic wine, fair-trade chocolate and vodka, lots of great eco designers and shops, and me! Get there early, I have slipped a little surprise into the gift bags, but they only go to the first 50 people. Plus I’ll have great deals on Spring / Summer samples.
Join EcoSalon’s EIC Sara Ost, Fashion Editor Amy DuFault, and a host of other EcoSalon writers when we host our first ever event, EcoSalon Shops! at Green Spaces on June 4, 2010, from 7 p.m.-10 p.m. at their 394 Broadway, New York, NY location.
Timo Rissanen just invited me to an art auction and as I was scrolling through the invite I realized that a friend of mine, the very talented Francesca Tallone, also has a piece in the show. I love when art becomes accessible to all and this sounds like a great opportunity to snag some pieces well under market value. So let the auction begin!
RABBITHOLESTUDIO is pleased to present Silent Noise, a one-night-only silent auction. On June 3 from 6-10 pm, the public will have the chance to bid on work from 22 emerging visual artists. At the end of the night all bidding will cease and winning bids will be announced. Silent Noise is a silent art auction intended to make art accessible to those who produce it. The high price point of art relegates many artists to being strictly producer, as opposed to collector, of art. Rarely does the emerging artist have an opportunity to purchase art for him/herself; a glance at the price tags on artwork hanging in most galleries today reveals that buying art is a luxury reserved for those with high disposable incomes. The show was borne out of frustration with this status quo, as well as a simple desire to bring art directly to our friends, i.e. makers and working toughs.
The exhibition features work by
Daniel Arnold / Chris Barreto / Joe Brittain / Patrick Buckley / Cameron Dailey / Blair Fethers / Harry Gold / Mr. Means / Rachel Meuler / Meaghan Montagano / Lindsay Mound / Kymia Nawabi / Kramer O’Neill / Caroline Pham / Austin Power / Michael Reynolds & Curt Goodwin / Cynthia Rojas / Annie Simeone / Francesca Tallone / Jody Ung / Pete Watts
$50 maximum starting bid on all works. Get fabulous works of art for way below retail prices… What’s a recession if not an opportunity for great deals?
Silent Noise
Curated by Alexandria LaPorte and Chris Barreto
One-Night-Only Silent Auction: Thursday June 3rd, 6-10pm (afterparty to follow, TBA)
Featuring DJs Max Wowch, May Kwok and Billy J
Show Runs thru June 17th
Gallery Hours: Tues – Sat 12-5pm
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RABBITHOLESTUDIO
// 33 WASHINGTON STREET
// BROOKLYN, NY 11201
// TEL 718 852 1500
www.rabbitholestudio.com
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piece by Francesca Tallone
Nuno Felting
I received an email from a recent graduate named Patricia Voto who wanted to educate me about a process called nuno felting, something I’d never heard of, but am very intrigued by. In her words:
Silk & Lye encourages designers to utilize artisan crafts of weaving and felting as a production method. Using the process known as Nuno Felting, fabrics can be “fused” together by using roving wool as a non-needle based stitching. Silks and woolen textiles are easily produced in a smattering of developing countries around the world, but often times the products created by artisans are not desirable due to a lack of market knowledge. Through much experimentation and collaboration with experts in both couture garment making and nuno felting, a method allowing high-end fashion designers to create clothing utilizing this technique begins.
I’m also very interested in collaboration with designers as well. The main goal of this thesis project was to show designers how nuno felting garments together is done then to have to design pieces based on their understanding and have them produced by artisans.
Currently I’m working with an amazing team of women in upstate NY, Anna and Robin of Florafauna Studios. They’ve taught me the entire process and helped me to produce the garments you saw. This summer I’ll continue to learn from them.
If you’re interested in this work, please vote for it on their Nau Collective Grant for Change site.
Fabric sourcing
I love fabric development and sourcing. It’s one of my favourite parts of designing a new collection. Lately I’ve come to appreciate the environmental benefits of using vintage, deadstock or recycled fabrics, and I use these whenever possible providing the fabrics themselves fit the collection and suit the styles I’m designing.
However, there’s something to be said about new fabric development. A satisfaction in know where the yarn comes from, how it was spun and then woven (or knit) and how it was transported to the US. Something to be said for transparency along the supply chain. And it’s really exciting to see what is being done with organic and sustainable fibers these days. Hemp is one of the cleanest fibers available to designers and it has progressed leaps and bounds from the stiff and itchy burlap sack qualities often associated with it. Unfortunately it cannot yet be grown legally in the US (for unfortunately obvious reasons – ie. the government is worried we’ll smoke it instead of weaving it). So for now it has to be imported.
Some of my favourite qualities of hemp blends are from Pickering, a San Francisco based fabric wholesaler. They don’t always have stock, so ordering can be frustrating, but their selection is so vast that I always find something I want to work with. So here I go again. I always start a new collection by choosing fabrics first. And this is my first pick for Spring 2011. And the first in a series of many posts about the development of that collection.
And the cycle starts again!
