Just don't understand the high price...

[NorCalPiper]

Just don't understand the high price of the 8 yard kilt these days. I mean hand sewn, yeah, but most all kilts are made on a flat tailor's board with some sort of sewing machine. So, OK-That is part of the price-But the wool material...70-140$ a yard?!?!? Why is that? I just saw a youtube post of one of the weaving houses making material. They were all automated weaving machines with one person looking very bored and monitoring the situation. I refuse to believe that when all is said and done, that the price with mark-up is a fair price per yardage. I think it must be an incredible profit margin for material.

I've recently been trying to get back into my piping sleeves and have found the price jump astronomical from when I left-Which wasn't THAT long ago.....Oh well...I guess I have issues.....Thank GOD for Matt....

[TheKiltedWonder]

I don't know nearly enough about weaving to discuss what causes the high cost of the material. Perhaps I should call it the seemingly high cost, as I personally have nothing to truly compare it to. In any case, the materials seem to be the main factor in cost.

Hand sewn kilts take a lot of time to create but the kilt makers sure aren't getting rich off of their labor charges. Machine-sewn kilts are less expensive, but if they're using the Scottish worsted wool, you're still looking at a fair bit of money regardless of labor costs.

[sirdaniel1975]

There is a far cry between the quality of woven tartan wool and the material you find at your local fabric shop. I know, I'm making a wool kilt now and I've used the polyester blends from the fabric store in the past.

I'm very sorry you don't understand the reasons why wool is the price that it is. It is expensive, and I wish it wasn't quite as expensive as it is.

Please follow the link below:

http://www.scotlandontv.tv/scotland_...&vxBitrate=300

[JRB]

...but most all kilts are made on a flat tailor's board with some sort of sewing machine....

AFAIK kilts that are not hand sewn are significantly less expensive than hand sewn kilts. Besides, I don't agree that "most all kilts" are machine sewn (unless you're talking about the non wool, non tartan kind).

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

The cost starts with that part of the process that can't be automated-- raising sheep. No one has yet to find a better way of "growing" wool than on the back of a sheep. The same with "harvesting that wool-- it's done by hand. So, before it ever sees the dark satanic mills, the wool has gone through a fairly cost intensive organic process. Next time you are in your local Piggly-Wiggly grocery store compare the cost of an organic tomato with a non-organic tomato. That's why an all-wool 8 yard tartan kilt costs what it does.

[TheKiltedWonder]

There is a far cry between the quality of woven tartan wool and the material you find at your local fabric shop.

Very true. That's kinda what I was trying to get at in a round-about way in my first post. The amount may seem high but the British (just trying to include England's MM), worsted wool used in making most hand-sewn kilts is a far cry from cheaper fabrics. More durable, more expensive to produce, etc...

[McFarkus]

Also consider that good tartan wool generally comes from overseas, and the dollar is down significantly against the pound, the euro and other currencies.

[prb]

The same with "harvesting that wool-- it's done by hand. So, before it ever sees the dark satanic mills, the wool has gone through a fairly cost intensive organic process.

Although that's true, I was chatting to a shearer a while ago, and he told me that the price of a raw fleece is insanely cheap. I can't remember the number, but I'm pretty sure it was in the low pennies. Obviously this will be different for things like Merino and Cashmere etc. But essentially, sheep farming is not a way to get rich, and is quite an easy way to lose loads of money. Are there any shepherding folk here who might be able to throw a bit more light on this?

[Phil]

It may have a lot to do with there being few opportunities for economies of scale in that mills will be producing many different tartans requiring different loom set-ups each time. Also the UK is a relatively high wage economy compared to countries such as India and China where many textiles are produced nowadays. The last tartan I bought was something like £40 ($100) a yard retail price but set against that it is a high quality fabric which, once made into a kilt, should last a lifetime and longer (moths permitting).

[O'Neille]

About eight dollars a kilo for the sheepy parts.

http://www.indexmundi.com/commoditie...ty=coarse-wool

sheeps wool 4 kilos = $32
cleaning
carding
spinning into worsted wool thread
dying
weaving
kilt making
straps and buckles
hair canvas
lining
thread
Don't forget to add shipping, environmental fees, taxes, commissions, and bribes.


I think if you fill in the blanks you couldn't possibly get a kilt for less than a couple grand U.S. Of course if the wool were only pennies a kilo then that would make the kilt at least twenty five dollars cheaper.