When will Kilts sell for the cost of Jeans?

[Nick the DSM]

No.

Jeans are mass produced, not only because everyone(almost) has or wants one, but because they do not need to have a special measurement to fit you. Yes, they have measurement but a handsewn was made for YOU and possibly for your kids or so. Plus I don't think they make jeans like they used to(not that I could possibly even know) but I don't think the quality would be the same. The only one that would have chance to be mass produced, IMO, is the utilikilt as they are sort of the jeans or extreme casual side of the kilt. For example the worker model, perfect for outdoor work and look bad. If the utilkilt could be mass produced then I'm sure the price would lower significantly.

[BruceBC]

But a kilt can last a lifetime - money well spent and a darn fine investment! Let the masses have their made in 12.35 minutes jeans.

[Riverkilt]

Having grown up in cut and sew sweatshops - and worked for them my first five years after kid college - I know exactly what you're describing. Once I left the field I've had occasions to visit other cut and sew plants. The sound triggers many memories. The sound of all the different power machines running with short bursts sounds almost like a firefight in some ways - only with the sound of power machines rather than firearms.

I have marveled at the operators who can sit in one spot day after day and do the same operation over and over and over.

I remember the instructions given to new hires. If you sew your fingers together please don't scream or cry out. Just come to the foreman and we'll get you to the emergency room. Screaming when injured made all the other operators stop their work to see what was happening. That's a huge financial loss in a plant full of hundreds of operators.

It became my job at one point to make the drive to the hospital when such accidents occured. Amazing what an industrial sewing machine can do to fingers.

Ron

[raibeart_dubh]

Steve,

To answer your question, no I don't want a kilt that costs what a pair of jeans cost. Kiltmaking is an artisanal craft and I truly appreciate what you, Barb T, Matt Newsome, ChattanCat, Kathy Lare, Rocky, and countless others do on a daily basis. Keep the craft alive!

[ForresterModern]

I guess you could, in the extreme, liken this to the analogy of a mass produced automobile being compared to a car completely made by hand by a single artisan automaker. In the bad old days a handful of guys did just that, shaped and pieced each body panel with a few select tools and a flat head hammer, then another couple guys machined and milled the engine and parts, wheelwright pieced the spoked wheels, etc...., similar to the small shop kilt manufacturing businesses we all see and hear from and about in this forum. Those cars today are worth sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars, much like a hand sewn kilt will likely rise in value over time if maintained by its owner. That mass produced car loses thousands of dollars in value the minute you drive it off the lot and only if of a special style does it rise in value ever again, less than 1% of cars sold over a twenty year period. The rest get driven to death then junkyarded and parted out before being turned into scrap metal, unless they are turned into scrap metal by their owners in accidents before then.

Artisan produced goods, when maintained, will always have their intrinsic artisan quality and value, and likely rise in value with time. Your mass produced jeans will end up in the rag bag or goodwill pile in under a couple years in most cases.

[rodandy]

The answer to the original question, as the Wizard has so succinctly pointed out is:

The third Thursday of the week after Hell freezes over.

[The Wizard of BC]

The reason for my post was to get you thinking.

Could Kilts be made for about the same cost as a pair of jeans? Well, yes, it could be done.
If someone were willing to spend the money to set up a plant to do so.
You would need the capital to buy large volumes of fabric.
You would need to have special machines designed and made.
You would have to design a Kilt that could be produced en-mass. Break down each part of the process into single steps that could be done quickly by unskilled labor.
Locate the plant near a labor source able to make a decent living on a working wage lower than that in N. America.
Then come up with a marketing plan to move thousands of Kilts per month.
And finally devise an advertising campaign to convince 1 out of every 3 men in the developed world that they just must have a Kilt.

The Utilikilts Co. has come closer to this than anyone else. And wow, what an accomplishment.

The folks in Pakistan are almost there too. Imagine how little the thing actually costs to make if they are able to not only make it, but ship it half way around the world, and get it to a retailer. The retailer then is able to tack on their mark-up, and still sell it at 50 pound Sterling.

You know, if there were a way to make true 16oz Polyester/Rayon blend fabric in over 150 different Tartans it would almost make it worth giving it a try.

Anyone have 20 million dollars just sitting there under their mattress?

[Riverkilt]

Ummm....hello....it's already happened!!...at least in the other direction...denim kilts selling for the price of designer jeans.

I paid $158.00 for my blue denim Utilikilt original on 11/23/04

Here's a pair of men's designer jeans, ON SALE, for a mere $167.20

http://www.emoda.com/bydesigner.asp?...%20JEANS&sex=M

And you can pay even more today for men's designer jeans....

Ron

[Larry124]

There is a conflict.

Better craftsmanship and fit equals fewer men in kilts.

Mass market may equal more men in kilts.

Middle? Where is the middle?

[The Wizard of BC]

Ah yes Ron, but your talking retail pricing. As you know the retail price has nothing to do with the cost to make something.

Those designer jeans may sell for that much but I can be pretty sure it costs less than $20.00 per pair to make them.

You also know that the average Mall stores retail mark-up is 300%. And the rule of designer marketing is "All the traffic will bear + 10%".

Even with Steven sub-contracting all the sewing, producing volumes between 1500 and 1900 per month and not having any more than a dozen employees to pay he can't compete with that.