Quote Originally Posted by David Thornton
Rocky, she may have lasted longer with you than she would have with me.
I do not take you comments as a rant, rather as a response based on your experience.
All of you touched on one of my basis for the discussion in the first place. Cost of labor. I cannot sew a kilt for what I can buy one for, even if I only pay myself $20 an hour. So, why do so many want to? The perception that a new kilt is too expensive.
Ugly, I beg to differ. The market is growing exponentially. Both on the custom side and on the off shore side, not to mention the emergance of the modern kilt.
I have on my tank today becasue of a dinner engagement tonight. I'm a buyer, so you know I'm not complaining, just wondering. Again, my understanding would indicate that with growing demand, and a fairly high price for a decent kilt, more competition would come in and prices would drop.
David
Hey David... glad that didn't come across as TOO angry!

I have a slightly different view on it from this side of the table. I think Ugly is right... HOPEFULLY, Kilts will take off as an everyday man's garment. However, I'm realistic and don't see that in the IMMEDIATE future. In order for the cost to come down substantially, you'd have to outsource the labor. In order to make a good profit marjin (enough where you can retail a kilt below $50) on outsourced labor, you'd have to make 200 to 300 kilts at a time, in 1 size and the design has to be VERY SIMPLE (skirtlike). Commercial Sewing contractors make money on repitition and making the EXACT same thing several hundred times. In order to be ABLE to order 200 kilts in a 4 or 5 sizes (we're up to 800 to 1000 kilts... and if you want different colors/tartans, forget it), there has to be a DEMAND for them to be bought in the general public. I don't see THAT high of a demand for "skirtlike kilts" in the immediate future.

You have to ask yourself... do you WANT a kilt that was mass produced, with poor quality material, less than stellar labor, that looks like a skirt, whose makers have little to no interest in the tradition and that helps to put smaller companies out of business?

I think that if Kelly and I had 150 orders for Casual kilts each month, we could drop the price. Unfortunately, we don't have QUITE that many orders.. yet. ;)

Another thought that has not been brought up yet... the kiltmakers (not companies that buy kilts, then mark them up and re-sell them, but people who actually MAKE them) on this board are all RETAILERS, not wholesalers. Steve, Jeff, Robert, Matt, Barb, Terry and I all make these OURSELVES and BELIEVE me, we aint rich.

Again... sorry to rant. I hope I'm not coming off as harsh... just expressing a STRONG opinion from a kiltmaker POV. Other kiltmakers may see it different.