Not all fashion brands have their own design team. Especially on the wholesale side, many brands and companies purchase pre-designed clothing from China or other countries. It's more profitable, but do we lose our integrity by doing it? At Baciano we design in Los Angeles, and although there are some contradictions in doing so, it's worth it. Here are the pros and cons of designing in the US.
Cons:
Having an in-house design team can be more expensive than choosing clothes from a catalog. Often the in-house design team is not only employed to design the next collection, but works on improvements, new designs and other things throughout the year. This means at least 3 more salaries from your company.
Designing clothes yourself takes a long time. If you have a small team that is also involved in other parts of the business, this can waste time working on other tasks. This is usually more suitable for smaller companies without a corporate structure. This is how most family businesses work.
Hiring an outside designer may be more efficient for you, but it may require a lot of effort. Communicating your vision can be difficult. Each designer also has their own vision and style, and it is almost impossible to combine both visions to your liking. Both parties often end up stressed and dissatisfied. When designing your next collection, compromise shouldn't be an option.
Once the design is complete, it usually takes a while to receive the final samples. When the first samples arrive, almost 90% of the time, almost all the parts have to be changed. It may take up to 3 runs until the final sample is scored.
Pros:
Your design is unique. You can be sure that no one else owns what you sell, which greatly increases the value of your brand.
It feels great to do things yourself without using what others have done for you.
You have full control over everything, including material, color, cropping, and toggling. It is important for a clothing brand to create garments that fit their target audience. Buying a product en masse doesn't usually do that.
The United States remains one of the most powerful countries in the world. Being able to adorn your brand name with an American label is a huge plus. People trust the quality of your clothes more than clothes from Asia. This is a great advertising opportunity.
By designing in the US, you support the US economy by creating jobs. This is especially important to you if you are a US business driven by the thriving economy. The clothing industry is heavily dependent on this. If people don't do well and don't have money to spend, they won't buy luxuries like fancy clothes.
Against the exploitation of workers in poor countries. You can argue that these people need jobs (and you're right), but the way they are treated is anti-human. Lack of support for this way of doing business can result in changing conditions.
In most cases, US standards differ from those of other countries. What means quality to us does not mean quality to them. Maintaining standards is an important part of the business.
