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Why do they cheap out on the buttons?

skeen

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My garments aren't top of the range, but they're mid-ranged, and unfortunately would have most people gasp hearing their cost. I have a nice suit from Roderick Charles from Jermyn St., and a great overcoat from Racing Green.

The issue I take is, they have crappy plastic cheap buttons on them. Why? I mean, if they could afford to blend cashmere into my coat, why not some nicer buttons? Likewise with the suit jacket. It's a £500 suit, and £300 coat - why would they cheap out on the buttons like that?
 

bigbris1

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It affords you the opportunity to replace the buttons with ones of your liking. I have replaced the buttons on most of my suits. The odd jackets are usually spot-on.
 

a tailor

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you would gasp also, if you heard the cost of fine horn buttons.
 

erdavis

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Originally Posted by a tailor
you would gasp also, if you heard the cost of fine horn buttons.

Ok, I am ready. What do fine horn buttons cost?
 

Despos

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I just paid $90.00, wholesale price, for enough buttons for 3 jackets.
 

bigbris1

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^^This is true, my horn button sets cost around $30 each. I have found corozo buttons to do nicely in the brown shades.
 

skeen

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Cheers for the feedback. What kind/colour buttons should be present on a charcoal suit jacket and coat?
 

jefferyd

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Originally Posted by Despos
I just paid $90.00, wholesale price, for enough buttons for 3 jackets.

To put that into retail terms, figure in 40% manufacturing and 60% retail gross margins and the retail ticket is $125 just for the buttons on one RTW jacket. That's why we cheap out.
 

skeen

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Originally Posted by jefferyd
To put that into retail terms, figure in 40% manufacturing and 60% retail gross margins and the retail ticket is $125 just for the buttons on one RTW jacket. That's why we cheap out.
Clearly the solution there is for suit makers to form some kind of an alliance, and open a unified button factory. Then all they'll be paying is manufacturing.
 

jefferyd

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What I meant was that on the $30 wholesale cost, the manufacturer will add a 40% margin when he sells to the retailer, who then takes a 60% margin on top of that so it ends up costing you $125, which is pretty frightening. Fortunately manufacturers usually buy in such large quantities that they are cheaper than $30 a set but they are expensive nonetheless.
 

adambparker

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Originally Posted by jefferyd
What I meant was that on the $30 wholesale cost, the manufacturer will add a 40% margin when he sells to the retailer, who then takes a 60% margin on top of that so it ends up costing you $125, which is pretty frightening. Fortunately manufacturers usually buy in such large quantities that they are cheaper than $30 a set but they are expensive nonetheless.

That is, the suit manufacturer, not the button manufacturer.
 

jefferyd

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Originally Posted by adambparker
That is, the suit manufacturer, not the button manufacturer.

Yes. Sorry.
 

bigbris1

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Originally Posted by skeen
Cheers for the feedback. What kind/colour buttons should be present on a charcoal suit jacket and coat?

I'll post pics of my charcoal suit in a bit.

Originally Posted by jefferyd
To put that into retail terms, figure in 40% manufacturing and 60% retail gross margins and the retail ticket is $125 just for the buttons on one RTW jacket. That's why we cheap out.

Jeff, your thread over on the other forum re the inner workings of suits & their construction (fused/canvassed) was stellar, thank you.
 

bigbris1

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Charcoal heather suit with buttons changed, gray buttons that came with the suit vs corozo buttons I changed (since i wear brown/chestnut shoes). The suit is wool/cashmere, thus the sheen:
Buttons032.jpg
Buttons019.jpg
I wish my camera could pick up what the eye can since these pics do the buttons no justice. I sewed the buttons on to kiss whereas they weren't previously. For some reason the horn buttons I put on my navy suit won't photograph well so no pics of those, but I bought them at M&J on Avenue of the Americas in NYC.
 

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