R&B and BoO Made in China?

[Joffrey]

I found a MIC knit (100% cashmere): http://www.forwardforward.com/fwd/Di...duct=BAND-MO17

I've double checked the site and their suits and shirts are still Made in 'Murika. It's only the above knit that's on sale that's MIC. Same goes with r&b

Edit- Read the selectism article. Makes some sense they would move some production where they can source certain materials best. Ah well.

 

[MIKE_JE]

Originally Posted by Nosu3

The polos and some knits.

Their polos (BoO) are made in Wakayama, Japan, by A-Girls. It was on the "Hello, My Name Is" sticker on every single polo produced the first season. I own three from the F/W season, which I just checked, all made in Japan as well.

 

[aaaeeeiiiooouuu]

BoO shirts are still made in USA; their polos are made in Japan, and MOST of their knits/outerwear are made in Italy. As far as I know, only some of their pieces are made in China (some knitwear - I think), but the collection as a whole certainly isn't moving in that direction

Same goes for R&B, although more of their line is made in China. I believe many pieces are still made in US/Italy/Peru

Also Korea-made =/= China-made. There is a very high correlation between defects/poor craftmanship and China-made garments when compared to the same garments made in first world regions. Moreover, China-made evokes the notions of mass production and non-exclusivity which might be unsubstantiated but still unappealing nonetheless

 

[Desi]

I take it that jokes are commonly lost on you?

 

[aaaeeeiiiooouuu]

Originally Posted by Desi

I take it that jokes are commonly lost on you?

Are you suggesting I missed something? If so, please lend me your shrewdness, genius

 

[madmadigan]

All the stuff I like from R&B is still made in the U.S.

Like my wool winter jacket from a year ago (best jacket I've ever owned).

Most of the good button downs are made in U.S. at least the chambray utility ones, and I just picked up a super lightweight selvedge cotton button down, but its was $285.00, so not cheap.

 

[Nosu3]

Originally Posted by Jodum5

I found a MIC knit (100% cashmere): http://www.forwardforward.com/fwd/Di...duct=BAND-MO17
wonder which one is correct: https://shopbandofoutsiders.com/#/store/b=10/id=163

Originally Posted by MSSneaker

Their polos (BoO) are made in Wakayama, Japan, by A-Girls. It was on the "Hello, My Name Is" sticker on every single polo produced the first season. I own three from the F/W season, which I just checked, all made in Japan as well.
You're right. I saw MIC when the polos first showed on the online shop, must have been a typo.

 

[alex99]

Originally Posted by Jodum5

I found a MIC knit (100% cashmere): http://www.forwardforward.com/fwd/Di...duct=BAND-MO17

I've double checked the site and their suits and shirts are still Made in 'Murika. It's only the above knit that's on sale that's MIC. Same goes with r&b

Edit- Read the selectism article. Makes some sense they would move some production where they can source certain materials best. Ah well.

That knit you mention says "made in Italy" on the boo site so maybe forwardforward is wrong. Almost all the outerwear I've seen this season says made in Italy as well. Even the hoodies.

 

[NameBack]

I think everything I looked at from R&B when I was at Barney's last week was all made in the USA.

It's definitely not everything.

Though I'm perfectly happy with my MIC Shipley and Gant shirts. I guess it irks me a little bit knowing that their margins are going to be higher, producing in China, but they're charging me the same as a MIUS brand, but on the other hand I'm buying for the design and quality of the piece (first and foremost design), and those are still great.

I think the reason people don't like MIC (and the reason it bothers me, although I admit somewhat irrationally) is because it erases one of the distinguishing lines between Designer Fashunz and mall-brand.

At least, in behavioral economics there's a lot of theory about "anchor points" -- that people get arbitrarily set on certain price points for certain products, and will reject anything too far from what was their first introduction to a product. If you grew up with $0.25 coffee, Starbucks probably seemed like a big shock at first.

According to this theory, the extent to which companies can drive up prices depends on the extent to which they can convince consumers to psychologically accept their product as belonging to a different class of products.

I.e., someone would never pay $185 for a Shipley & Halmos shirt if they view it as fundamentally of the same class of products as a $30 shirt at Gap (or a $10 shirt at Wal Mart). The extent to which people like us buy expensive clothing hinges on our ability to distinguish -- to separate and categorize.

There are many ways in which a designer shirt is different from one at the Gap -- fit, materials, construction, and design (which itself contains many sub-categories). And until recently for many brands, location of production.

Just look at the way places plug "Made In Italy" as a proxy for quality (even when they're selling crap).

People are trying to categorize and differentiate the class of product their potential purchase belongs to. If two products are made in the same place, that erodes one of the distinguishing characteristics, and intuitively people feel like they're more similar, and should cost similar prices.

I reconcile this for myself by pointing out that I pay what I pay for design and quality -- and that I don't really care where something is made so long as it looks good, feels good, and holds up relatively well. I remind myself that my pang of irritation in seeing "Made in China" is really just arbitrary and irrational anchor-point behavior.

 

[dfagdfsh]

VEBLEN GOODS ahhhhhhhh

my beef with R&B is they raise their prices every single season. their outerwear used to be $400, now it's $800, soon it will be $1k. and this is with a DECREASE in quality.

 

[MIKE_JE]

Originally Posted by alex99

That knit you mention says "made in Italy" on the boo site so maybe forwardforward is wrong. Almost all the outerwear I've seen this season says made in Italy as well. Even the hoodies.

I have one cotton/cashmere BoO cardigan that I bought from Gilt Groupe that was MIC.

 

[aaaeeeiiiooouuu]

Originally Posted by NameBack

I think everything I looked at from R&B when I was at Barney's last week was all made in the USA.

It's definitely not everything.

Though I'm perfectly happy with my MIC Shipley and Gant shirts. I guess it irks me a little bit knowing that their margins are going to be higher, producing in China, but they're charging me the same as a MIUS brand, but on the other hand I'm buying for the design and quality of the piece (first and foremost design), and those are still great.

I think the reason people don't like MIC (and the reason it bothers me, although I admit somewhat irrationally) is because it erases one of the distinguishing lines between Designer Fashunz and mall-brand.

At least, in behavioral economics there's a lot of theory about "anchor points" -- that people get arbitrarily set on certain price points for certain products, and will reject anything too far from what was their first introduction to a product. If you grew up with $0.25 coffee, Starbucks probably seemed like a big shock at first.

According to this theory, the extent to which companies can drive up prices depends on the extent to which they can convince consumers to psychologically accept their product as belonging to a different class of products.

I.e., someone would never pay $185 for a Shipley & Halmos shirt if they view it as fundamentally of the same class of products as a $30 shirt at Gap (or a $10 shirt at Wal Mart). The extent to which people like us buy expensive clothing hinges on our ability to distinguish -- to separate and categorize.

There are many ways in which a designer shirt is different from one at the Gap -- fit, materials, construction, and design (which itself contains many sub-categories). And until recently for many brands, location of production.

Just look at the way places plug "Made In Italy" as a proxy for quality (even when they're selling crap).

People are trying to categorize and differentiate the class of product their potential purchase belongs to. If two products are made in the same place, that erodes one of the distinguishing characteristics, and intuitively people feel like they're more similar, and should cost similar prices.

I reconcile this for myself by pointing out that I pay what I pay for design and quality -- and that I don't really care where something is made so long as it looks good, feels good, and holds up relatively well. I remind myself that my pang of irritation in seeing "Made in China" is really just arbitrary and irrational anchor-point behavior.

Except there often is a tangible difference between China-made and non-China-made goods

You have to ask yourself why a company would choose Italy/Hong Kong/US/etc over China. Part of it is brand image, part of it is due to trade deals and production constraints, and part of it is due to the lack of training and expertise of Chinese workers

And no, this isn't anecdotal, many studies by supply chain consultants have found that Chinese factories have poor training, outdated equipment, and less motivated employees when compared to their non-Chinese counterparts

 

[NameBack]

Originally Posted by aaaeeeiiiooouuu

Except there often is a tangible difference between China-made and non-China-made goods

You have to ask yourself why a company would choose Italy/Hong Kong/US/etc over China. Part of it is brand image, part of it is due to trade deals and production constraints, and part of it is due to the lack of training and expertise of Chinese workers

And no, this isn't anecdotal, many studies by supply chain consultants have found that Chinese factories have poor training, outdated equipment, and less motivated employees when compared to their non-Chinese counterparts

Sure, and if you notice a decline in quality, then don't buy it.

If you think that the quality is still up to your standards, or you buy primarily for design anyway -- then why would you care?

 

[aaaeeeiiiooouuu]

Because we don't buy clothes simply on the merit of their designs anyway but also on the strength of the brand imagery

And as I said above, China-made evokes distasteful imagery, unsubstantiated or not

 

[NameBack]

Originally Posted by aaaeeeiiiooouuu

Because we don't buy clothes simply on the merit of their designs anyway but also on the strength of the brand imagery

And as I said above, China-made evokes distasteful imagery, unsubstantiated or not

yes...I was basically elaborating on that concept