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dig through their balance sheet, and you can "possibly" back it out for some "average" number.. you can never find that out those exact number for any product regardless where. Even the manufacture themselves would have to dig hard to be able to somehow find exactly what % of overhead and % of per quantity goes to QC alone for example.
Most of the made in china textile are made near the coastal area of China. In that case they're better paid compare to the rest of South East Asia and wages have been going up for a while now. I have no idea about working condition, but most of the well known abuse are coming from tech manufacture (not child labor in that case, just over work labor). The only reason people haven't moved to Vietnam or Cambodia in masses is because China has better infrastructure, and can produce larger quantities faster, and probably "better". I.e. they specialize in that particular production technique and will squeeze every last drop to find rooms to improve, lots of small factories compete against each other.
I don't know what's the child labor situation in China though, textile is probably more susceptible than other kind of manufacture.
In the end of the day the only question I would ask is am I paying the "right" price (in my/your mind) for the quality. To me that question can only be answered by comparing to peers. If a similar product cost more and have no better quality, then I see no issue picking made in China even if that means RL makes a lot more.
they had some jeans. mostly 34 to 38 waist. a few pairs of weathered chinos, no overalls. a few sport jackets, some outerwear, a bunch of henleys, a few womens flannel tops. i picked up a harris tweed coat, navajo sweater, 2 henleys and some jeans. might roll back through there tomorrow on the way to Ohio.
But, I do find it ironic though that a brand, which has its aesthetic roots in western heritage wear, is mass-producing pieces in large east-Asian factories overseas in what may be exploitative conditions. Seems to be the absolute antithesis of what heritage wear is and stands for: a product that is made with collective pride and integrity on both the part of the designers who come up with the pieces and those who produce them. But who knows, maybe the Chinese workers there do feel that sense of pride and are compensated fairly for it?
Great post clee, thanks for the response.
I guess I should have mentioned in my original post that my concerns with the Made in China aspect of things were also safety and environmentally related too. Here's one article I read last year that really opened my eyes to what may be going on in China on a larger scale than from what's just in the article:
http://articles.cnn.com/2010-04-26/...ution_1_denim-pearl-river-factory?_s=PM:WORLD
Again, not looking to judge anyone here personally, I just want to make sure I'm getting a nicely made product that isn't at the expense of anybody else's well-being.
Not claiming to be a know-it-all either, I just want to be better informed.
I'm curious about where you get your information or how you've arrived to your conclusions on the Chinese garment industry. I could be wrong but from reading your posts I get the sense that you're under the belief that "China=shoddily made goods in a sweatshop for rock-bottom prices, so why would RRL support this," right? It's an argument I see often from people who don't know the industry or have read anything about the industry aside from news reports and general opinion from about 15 years ago when the Nike kid sweatshop fiasco exploded. And people seem pretty unshakable about their beliefs on China even though they usually can't quote sources or give specific examples. There is no shortage of books on the subject if you're sincerely interested in dispelling the traditional notions on the garment industry.
But back to RRL, and to segue, you should be GLAD they're making things in China:
-There are many other labels that go to even poorer countries that are hell-bent on competing with China, where conditions are as bad as you can imagine. China has actually been losing business because their outsourced work is being further outsourced.
-The outsourcing of manufacturing in the US over the past 30-40 years makes it hard, if not impossible, for domestic factories to compete with foreign factories not only at price margins but also in skill set, output, etc. The simple fact is that there are a lot less factories and skilled workers in the US today than there were during the hey-day.
-Similarly, RRL is well known for its limited productions. Again, China makes more sense than the US in this respect not only financially but also in terms of technical aspects like lead times.
-RRL is a sort of "big" little brand. If they already had established factories capable of competent work and QA, I wouldn't necessarily understand the headaches and monetary risks involved with creating a factory from the ground up or finding a capable one domestically. It's a lot easier said than done.
-To reinforce the point that others have made, there are many sweatshops in the US. If you want to be a truly educated consumer, you should care about the factory more than geography. If you want to be a truly educated and pro-American consumer, you should care about both.
-The idea that a US worker (who said he's even a legal US citizen?) would by default take more pride, if any, in his job than another worker in another country is laughable. Does the drive thru guy at McDonalds in Miami give more of a **** than his Canadian or South African counterparts because it's an American brand?
It's not just the imagination of people on here the RRL puts out a well-made product that competes with, if not blows away, the collections from brands fabricated in first-world countries.
Great post clee, thanks for the response.
I guess I should have mentioned in my original post that my concerns with the Made in China aspect of things were also safety and environmentally related too. Here's one article I read last year that really opened my eyes to what may be going on in China on a larger scale than from what's just in the article:
http://articles.cnn.com/2010-04-26/...ution_1_denim-pearl-river-factory?_s=PM:WORLD
Again, not looking to judge anyone here personally, I just want to make sure I'm getting a nicely made product that isn't at the expense of anybody else's well-being.
Not claiming to be a know-it-all either, I just want to be better informed.
I'm curious about where you get your information or how you've arrived to your conclusions on the Chinese garment industry. I could be wrong but from reading your posts I get the sense that you're under the belief that "China=shoddily made goods in a sweatshop for rock-bottom prices, so why would RRL support this," right? It's an argument I see often from people who don't know the industry or have read anything about the industry aside from news reports and general opinion from about 15 years ago when the Nike kid sweatshop fiasco exploded. And people seem pretty unshakable about their beliefs on China even though they usually can't quote sources or give specific examples. There is no shortage of books on the subject if you're sincerely interested in dispelling the traditional notions on the garment industry.
But back to RRL, and to segue, you should be GLAD they're making things in China:
-There are many other labels that go to even poorer countries that are hell-bent on competing with China, where conditions are as bad as you can imagine. China has actually been losing business because their outsourced work is being further outsourced.
-The outsourcing of manufacturing in the US over the past 30-40 years makes it hard, if not impossible, for domestic factories to compete with foreign factories not only at price margins but also in skill set, output, etc. The simple fact is that there are a lot less factories and skilled workers in the US today than there were during the hey-day.
-Similarly, RRL is well known for its limited productions. Again, China makes more sense than the US in this respect not only financially but also in terms of technical aspects like lead times.
-RRL is a sort of "big" little brand. If they already had established factories capable of competent work and QA, I wouldn't necessarily understand the headaches and monetary risks involved with creating a factory from the ground up or finding a capable one domestically. It's a lot easier said than done.
-To reinforce the point that others have made, there are many sweatshops in the US. If you want to be a truly educated consumer, you should care about the factory more than geography. If you want to be a truly educated and pro-American consumer, you should care about both.
-The idea that a US worker (who said he's even a legal US citizen?) would by default take more pride, if any, in his job than another worker in another country is laughable. Does the drive thru guy at McDonalds in Miami give more of a **** than his Canadian or South African counterparts because it's an American brand?
It's not just the imagination of people on here the RRL puts out a well-made product that competes with, if not blows away, the collections from brands fabricated in first-world countries.
Sorry, heading out to a movie with the little lady, but I'll respond when I get back before I get lumped into the "US products rock hard core and if you buy from anywhere else you're scum" group. Thanks for your thoughts though; I do agree with a lot of what you're saying and think we're probably on the same wave length when it gets right down to it.
Be back in a few hours.
Ralph Lauren RRL Women's Slim Fit Red Jeans 27 x 34 $69 BIN. Would cop if in my size
Does the Ralph Lauren store in Chicago have any RRL right now? Going to be in CHI tomorrow, thinking of hitting it up.
Ralph Lauren RRL Women's Slim Fit Red Jeans 27 x 34 $69 BIN. Would cop if in my size
For yourself? The low front rise is bad enough, it's the rear you should worry about. Guaranteed plumber status on womens jeans.