Does "Made in Italy" matter anymore? - Page 3

I bought a similar RLPL sweater and find myself wondering if the RL folks specified the yarn ... or if the factory (in China) had more to do with that ... or if the factory substituted something other than what was specified.

As of this point, a Goodwill has my RLPL sweater with lots of pilling.

__

As for 'Made in Italy' ... according to Dana Thomas, the author of Delux, all that is required for a piece to be 'Made in Italy' is that one facet of construction must be accomplished in Italy. In some instances, this one 'facet' was nothing more than attaching the 'Made in Italy' label itself.

My guess is that if the price was really $995, someone at their design team said "We need to make a cashmere sweater that comes in at just under $1K. Source what you need to do to get us there."

did you at least read the serious part of my post. once in a while i am a tad serious. its rare but it does happen here and there.

true Stitch, so true

I don't really recall the price on my sweater ... but that's neither here nor there ... as you could say the same thing about $1500. In any event, if you are correct I blame Ralph ... not Mr. Lifshitz personally mind you ... but the business.

But damn that sweater -- in dark olive green -- looked wonderful off the shelf. That look certainly didn't last long.
Edited by RSS - 8/22/11 at 9:18pm

Naw what the heck - I can tell you are a good guy . I was generalizing in my imagination the concept of being detracted about the made in Switzerland - I already assumed with you it was no big deal. But to some it is a big deal. Peace out

Do Italians even work in Italian factories? I thought it was all immigrant labor anyways.

Also, manufacturing clothes is a skill that is transferable not genetic. You can teach a Chinese laborer how to sew to a certain standard just as well as an Italian. Didn't anyone see Gomorra?

+1 Said with gusto. Nice Klobber.

I thought the anti 'made in China, etc' sentiments were as much about standing against the out-sourcing to third world sweatshops as it was to potentially comprimised quality, no?
Damn....I just checked the label on my Zegna shorts...Made in Hong Kong....what the hell?

to the both of ya

BMW and Mercedes make cars in the US. Does that mean a Ford Edsel is a good car?

Doesn't matter if it was the factory or RL. The name on the front is RL. The people with the rep on the line is RL. The people who need to make sure the QC is up to standard is RL.

It's no different then those toys a few years back. The large toy company tried blaming the factory. The factory may have been crap but they were picked by the toy company. The product was sold by the toy company. The buyer only saw the toy company's name .


Or imagine going to dinner and getting sick. Do you blame the cook? Or do you blame the owner that hired the cook?

Just ask your girl friend/wife/SO if they want a handbag from Italy or China or Turkey.

For many years Moleskine journals were made in China but they were shipped to Italy to be shrink wrapped so that they could have the "made in Italy" label. The word got out and eventually they said, " made in China" but also said Designed in Italy

For many years Moleskine journals were made in China but they were shipped to Italy to be shrink wrapped so that they could have the "made in Italy". The word got out and eventually they said, " made in China" but also said Designed in Italy

Spoo has me confused with Labelking. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Anyways, the quoted comment was part of a post about a report published in 1916 by the U.S. Department of Commerce which might surprise a few people but put some long-term perspective on things. The modern method of manufacturing clothing, i.e., by splitting the process into minute operations and by doing time studies and mechanization originated in the United States and later spread to the rest of the world.

Read this and think for a bit,

"The imports of clothing into the United States are almost negligible and are generally English overcoats, novelty garments like the Balmacaan, and golfing and motoring clothes. No sack suits are imported.
...

English ready-made clothing is not comparable with the American. The English hand tailoring is poor, except in the finest custom work. Very conservative styles of men's clothing are worn in England; the models do not change from one season to another as they do in this country. High-salaried designers [ahem] are employed by the larger clothing factories in the United States, who are constantly introducing attractive styles.
...

American people believe not only that the styles of clothing for men that are originated in the United States are superior to those that come from other countries, but also that the workmanship of the domestic product is superior to the workmanship on ready-made clothing produced in foreign countries. This belief accounts, in a measure, for the tremendous increase in the production of factory-made clothing in the United States during the last 20 years.

While the manufacture of ready-made clothing is one of the large industries in the United States, this industry is of comparatively small importance in other countries. The completeness of the factory equipment, the thoroughness of the factory organization, and the efficiency of the working force, which are noticeable in many establishments for making men's clothing in this country, are not even approached in other countries. Nearly all the ready-made clothing manufactured in Europe is of low-grade, cheap varieties, and is almost invariably manufactured in small factories, in shops, or in the homes of the workers."