AT WHAT COST?
Transparency has always been a goal for me, but the process of breaking down all my expenses was a huge feat—dividing wholesale costs, digging up old receipts, scouring through my email history, and adding things back up again for each individual garment. Finally, after hours of pouring over each garment I’ve made, I have what I believe is the closest I will get to knowing the true cost of slow fashion, and I want to share it with you! Here is what I learnt:
The larger the garment, the more money I make. Just because a garment is large, does not mean that it is more work to create. Being that I focus a lot of my energy on the creation of small garments, this in and of itself makes my business model more challenging. Consumers are not willing to pay as much for a long sleeve top as they are for a thong, myself included. We have been conditioned to believe that underwear is worth less than a jacket, a dress, or a pair of pants. But through my experience, it is actually the smaller, more intricate garments that are the most challenging to create. This has shown me that, in terms of profitability, it will always be important for me to step outside the typical realm of creating underwear and bras, to see a net gain in earnings.
A hangtag can cost up to five times the cost of the fabric that makes up your garment. How shocking is that?
Slow fashion is truly a labour of love. It has never made more sense to me how hard it is to survive through handmade garments; I admit that I am too afraid to see how much I would have to be selling/day to actually make a living wage off of what I do. There are a lot of shortcuts I could take, a lot of price margins I could raise, but I won’t, and for this reason alone I will probably continue to work two jobs for a very very long time. It makes more sense than ever how a lot of Made-In-Canada clothing companies are closing their doors. I hope this breakdown was able to shed some light on garment construction for you as well!
| INDEX | SUPPLIES | COST |
|---|---|---|
| A. | Hang tags | $1.73/tag |
| B. | String and saftey pins (for hang tags) | $0.10/tag |
| C. | Ink and paper | $0.52/receipt |
| D. | Mailers, tissue paper, and stickers | $2.35/order |
| E. | Embroidered tags (in-seam tags) and size tags | $0.47/garment |
| F. | Bralette straps | $0.73/meter |
| G. | Rings and sliders | $0.24/garment |
| H. | Fold-over elastic | $1.30/meter |
| I. | Fabric Dye | $0.20/dye batch |
| J. | Thread | $0.10/meter |
| K. | Website fee | 3.5%/order | L. | Mesh | $5.5/meter |
| M. | Shaper mesh | $9.5/meter |
| N. | Ribbed and bamboo material | $9.75/meter | O. | Secondhand materials (APPROXIMATE) | $3/meter | P. | Picot elastic | $0.75/meter | Q. | LABOUR (for employee) | Cost varies per garment | R. | RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (garment creation, pattern drafting, photographer, model, studio rental, camera equipment, etc.) | cost varies per garment | S. | Lace | $9/meter |
| Garment | Cost Breakdown | You pay | I get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bralette no. 4 | A - G+H(.4)+J(.3)+K(3.22)+L(.5)+M(.75)+P+Q(28)+R(5)=45.06 | 92 | 46.94 |
| Patchy Bralette | A - G+H(2)+I+J(x3)+K(3.01)+L(.5)+Q(24)+R(5)=41.15 | 86 | 44.85 |
| Scunchy Bralette | A - E+G+(Jx5)+K(2.94)+O(2)+P(1)+Q(47)+R(5)=63.82 | 84 | 20.18 |
| Bow Bralette | A - E+(G/2)+H(2.6)+(Jx3)+K(2.73)+L(.75)+Q(20)+R(20)=51.64 | 78 | 26.36 |
| Thong no. 2 | A - E+H+(Jx3)+K(1.82)+L(.5)+M(.25)+P+Q(23)+R(5)=36.76 | 52 | 15.24 | Thong no. 3 | A - E+H(2)+(Jx3)+K(1.19)+L(.5)+Q(19)+R(5)=33.13 | 34 | 0.87 | Thong no. 4 | A - E+H(1.87)+(Jx2)+K(1.19)+L(.2)+Q(19)+R(5)=32.60 | 34 | 1.4 |
| Patchy Undies | A - E+H(2)+I(0.2)+(Jx3)+k(1.82)+L(.7)+Q(22)+R(5)=37.16 | 52 | 14.84 |
| Scrunchy Undies | A - E+(Jx5)+K(1.61)+O(1.5)+P(2.13)+Q(25)+R(5)=40.88 | 46 | 5.12 | Onesie no. 1 | A - G+H(2.06)+(Jx10)+K(5.53)+L(1)+M(1.4)+N(.2)+Q(65)+R(5)=87.43 | 158 | 70.57 | Onesie no. 3 | A - E+(Jx7)+K(4.41)+L94)+N(7.5)+Q(39)+R(5)=65.78 | 128 | 62.22 | Combo Tank no. 1 & 2 | A - E+(Jx3)+K(2.67)+L(.83)+N(4.88)+Q(23)+R(5)=42.05 | 82 | 39.95 | Mesh Top no. 3 | A - E+(Jx9)+K(3.22)+L(1.3)+Q(38)+R(15)=63.59 | 92 | 28.41 | 50/50 Lace Top | A - E+(Jx9)+K(3.22)+L(.6)+Q(38)+R(15)+S(4.5)=67.39 | 92 | 24.61 | Patchy Top no. 2 | A - E+I+(Jx5)+K(3.22)+L(1.3)+Q(21.5)+R(2)=33.89 | 92 | 58.11 | Patchy Dress | A - E+I+(Jx10)+K(8.05)+L(5.5)+Q(60)+R(10)=89.72 | 230 | 140.28 | Dress no. 2 | A - E+(Jx7)+K(7.91)+L(2.75)+N(9.75)+Q(59)+R(7)=92.28 | 226 | 133.72 | T-shirt dress | A - E+(Jx10)+K(7.91)+L(11)+Q(59)+R(7)=91.08 | 226 | 134.92 | Scunch Top & Scrunch Top Mini | A - E+(Jx4)+H(1.73)+K(4.4)+O(3)+Q(47)+R(20)=82.7 | 126 | 43.3 | Frisky Noodle Top | A - E+(I/2)+(Jx12)+K(4.34)+L(1.3)+Q(88)+R(5)=105.11 | 127 | 21.89 | Frisky Noodle Undies | A - E(5.17)+H(2)+(Jx10)+K(2.35)+L(.5)+Q(38)+R(5)=54.02 | 68 | 13.98 | Frisky Noodle Bralette | A - G(6.14)+H(2)+(JX10)+K(3.15)+L(.3)+Q(44)+R(5)=61.59 | 90 | 28.41 |