Hallo Skirtrender:
I do not have the ability to put this one into German, so bear with me for a few minutes as I answer in English.
It is with much interest that I have read your post and a few others that you have made regading having things made, for instance in Turkey and India.
In the USA, almost all clothing manufacturers have taken their production off shore to India, Turkey, China, Viet Nam, Tiwan, Usw. Very little and very little raw material (Fabrik) is made in the USA any more, and that is why the US has such a big global trade deficit right now, but that is another topic. These are very hot issues politically, and rightly so.
In our company, we have chosen to stay with products that are made in the US. However, we would spend far less to have our products made in Taiwan or India, and we could pass that difference on to our customers in the form of much lower prices.
We are still too small to be taking our production to other countries. Hell, I'd rather bring it to Germany as opposed to Taiwan, at least we can almost speak the same language
All kidding aside, we would have to be making tens of thousands of these a month to make that work out.
But guess what? There are not tens of thousands of people banging our doors down to buy our kilts yet. Sure we are selling a thousand this month, and 800 that month, but still not the real volumes that would make things work. In fact, we are trying to create our own market in this strange little garment called a Utilikilt. So are Robert and Doreen at Anders-Landinger with their product.
In order for us to be able to make our product, and to pay our employees, and to be here tomorrow or next year, we have to price our product at where it is. Not only that, but due to the way the international trade agreements are all done, if I make it here and sell it to you there, YOU have to pay extra for that, and I think that is BULL S***T!
If, suddenly we woke up one day and hundreds of thousands or millions were demading a man's skirt or a Utilikilt, we would probably not be ready, but I don't think it is going to happen overnight. My fear is that the men in skirts trend will become very popular over a steady, but rather short period of time, say over one year. A company like Levis or GAP could put a great deal of might and muscle behind getting fabric, patterns and off-shore production going in a very, very short period of time, and they already have a very sophisticated distribution system to pump those inexpensive men's skirts or kilts out to the markets. I am sure it works the same way in Germany.
So, as a small company just trying to change the world one kilt at a time, we become trapped between the proverbial rock and a hard place. (Rock as in stone, not skirt).
Now I will get down off my soap box.
Grüß
Bill
