When will Kilts sell for the cost of Jeans?

[The Wizard of BC]

About 15 years ago a group I was in was discussing the difference between Manufacturing and Marketing. In specific we were comparing Cottage type industry with mass production type industry.
We were able to visit the "Lee" blue jeans factory in El Paso,TX.
Each morning hundreds of workers crossed the border from Juarez, Mexico to work in the US on non-resident work visas.
They live in Juarez because the cost of living for a family of four is only about $600.00 a month.

I was looking through YouTube this morning and came across this video of a jeans plant.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DzEp...eature=related

There are some things I want you to notice----

The fabric is bought in bolts weighing 3000 lbs each, 50 entire shipping containers at a time from Tawain.

Then notice that each step of the manufacturing uses a single specially designed machine. There are 156 individual steps and each pair of jeans uses 80 or 90 specially made machines. Some of these machine can cost upwards of $150,000.00 each.

Then notice the speed of the machines. The video is not speeded up. Sewing at between 2500 and 6000 stitches a min. you have to see this speed to fully understand it.
A waistband of a pair of jeans is folded pressed and stitched in one operation that takes 2.5 seconds. That's 4,320 feet an hour.

One worker sits or stands at a single machine doing the same step over and over. To serge and sew the outside seam of a single pair is done in 4.25 seconds. Each worker is simply an extension of the machine.
Notice that they call the workers "operators".

Then notice when they say the pocket sewing operation is repeated 75 times every hour. Less than 1 min. per Pocket.
A beltloop is sewn in a single operation lasting 3.5 seconds.

Then notice near the end. They produce 1500 pairs each and every day.
With each pair taking at total time of 12 minutes, 15 seconds.
For 4 hours each day they make jeans of all the same model and all the same size. Then after lunch the move to the next size.

After visiting the plant I went down to the local Mall and priced the same type of jeans I had just watched being made.
Each pair of jeans was made for a total cost per pair of $12.38. And sold for between $46.00 and $68.00 depending on the store.

If you compare this type of manufacturing with Kiltmaking I think you can understand the difference.
I've watched Barb T. sew. She is amazing. She sews at a speed of 30 to 40 stitches a min. It's blazing fast.

My sewing machines sew at about 1500 stitches a min. But very seldom do we sew more than 100 stitches at a time before we move on to the next step.

Each Kiltmaker in my shop has their own station. They contain a 3'X5' layout table with an Olfa grid pad on the top, a 3'X5' Ironing table with an industrial Iron that creates the steam in a separate boiler, and a sewing machine and its table. The only other "machine" is a pair of scissors.
There are a lot of formica jigs, rulers, marking tools and pins.
Each Kiltmaker makes an entire Kilt from start to finish. It takes between 2 1/2 to 3 1/2, 8 hour days to make one Kilt.

As long as I'm not answering emails, the phone, talking to customers, working on special projects, or cruising X Marks we average 4-5 Kilts a week. That makes me the weak link in the operation because I only average 3-4 hours of actual sewing a day.

Now do you want a Kilt that costs what a pair of jeans does?
Are you willing to accept what that Kilt would look like and fit like?
Are you willing to support that type of operation?
Now granted, mass production is incredibly efficient. It can be more "Green" than my sort of operation. It employs far many more people.
And it is the only way to produce products at a low per piece price.
But......




:ootd:

[Jordan]

this thread started off so well, I was sure it was an offer a Fredom Kilt for the price of a pair of jeans...

I did acctualy start typing with something to say but I've forgoten justnow so I'll get back to you n that but I think I was agreeing

Jordan

[Rex_Tremende]

Now do you want a Kilt that costs what a pair of jeans does?
Are you willing to accept what that Kilt would look like and fit like?
Are you willing to support that type of operation?
Now granted, mass production is incredibly efficient. It can be more "Green" than my sort of operation. It employs far many more people.
And it is the only way to produce products at a low per piece price.
But......

As I look around my house, I see many things that are mass produced by low-paid operators utilizing expensive, custom equipment. It appears that I already support that type of operation.

An advantage to mass production is that it enables a lot of sizes and styles to be readily available. Now, I don't own many jeans, but when I buy a pair (it's been a LONG time), they have to fit just so, and that means trying on a lot of them. Were kilts mass produced, I suppose I could easily bop down to the Kilt Shack and scratch whatever itch was in my wallet that day.

That being said, I have come to appreciate the bespoke kilts of master craftspeople. I get a unique piece made especially for me, and there's nothing like that experience. And until the unlikely advent of some sort of economy of scale for these things, I will be happy to continue commissioning one-of-a-kind kilts for as much as the budget and my interest allow.

Regards,
Rex.

[Canuck]

snip
That makes me the weak link in the operation
snip
But......
:ootd:

You know I always thought you were a weak link

[kilty]

Steve,

Thanks for posting this most interesting information.

Although I love my jeans, I wouldn't want my kilt mass produced. Jeans are (to me) functional apparel.

My one kilt is... special.

[GDub]

The "appropriate" question should be: When will a hand stitched kilt sell for the price of a machine stitched kilt? I mean, c'mon kiltmakers, get those Kung Fu fighter fingers in gear!

[dfmacliam]

A conversation I had recently with my mother was about how it was not that long ago, you visited a tailor for a suit, it was made to your fit, not a generic fit. Modern industry has taken that away from us and made us wear the mass produced clothing that times last less then a year..
to be honest I would rather pay a bit more and get a custom fit kilt that will last a long time.

[JolyStNicholas]

Thanks for the offer of the "Mass Production" Kilts,But NO THANKS! To me Kilts are special and that means "Special Made" Lets keep it that way!

[Dan R Porter]

I just realized I don't own a single pair of jeans. I don't find them comfortable. Though I do own lots of carhart pants, they are not much cheaper than kilts.

[KFCarter]

I think most people treat their jeans, (and other cookie cutter products), as essentially disposable things. Cars, too... just with a longer window of use.

No one would seriously consider passing down a pair of jeans to their grandchildren.

I expect to still have every kilt I commission on the day I die, and my progeny can still use them if they have a mind (except the one I'll be buried in). If my Dutch Bike isn't being ridden by one of my grandkids when they're my age, it won't be because the bike failed them.

I think the artisans who make our kilts earn every penny and at the same time, I think my kilts are a value investment, not just another kind of disposable product to be "rented" for a while then discarded.

I'm just thankful that there are people, like those we meet on these threads, who are committed to the level of artisanship and product integrity represented by these kilts (and hose, and sporrans, and sgian dubh, etc., etc., etc.) so that we can make the choice to buy well, buy once and use forever.

Keep up the great work.