What does it take to achieve a reasonable price?

In a word: Resources.

Designers like Value… So, when a new designer arrives at our door with their plan for a new collection we often hear the desire to create a unique and interesting product “at a reasonable price”.

Reasonably priced organic Cotton Cardigan: $89.00 Bloomfield Clothing

But what does that mean? By what standard do we gauge “reasonable price” ? It is a good question to consider as it opens the dialogue to Quality, Access to Market Share, Positioning, Distribution and Volume of Scale. These and other factors are going to determine the price charged. And these considerations are far away from the singular component of Manufacturing.

Mercedes Benz has a reasonable price for the quality they provide? Goods Made in Canada are typically thought to be of reasonable quality but does that translate into a reasonable price?

This is where we put the question back to the designer to solve their own business question.

What does it take to achieve a reasonable price?

For an Apparel design line you would have to have all aspects of your Source Supply, Manufacturing and Distribution confirmed in advance from the fabric raw material to a final, well branded customer fulfillment venue or retail outlet? Add to that your Administrative Structure and even financial situation and other strengths would also come into play.

It is a very involved undertaking to reach this type of end to end standard of readiness to produce a line focused on price.

Our facility does offer some of the components required to Design, Develop, and Make a dynamic product offering and depending on the other facets required to mass produce, market, and deliver a worldwide quality standard worthy the price charged.

For:  A) Design and Pattern Development

Leading to:  B) Prototype Development.

The Manufacturing, if in Canada, would require you investing in several seasons of commitment to secure your production.

At this stage our office would require a base retainer, with payment up front, to enter any sort of meeting discussion. This retainer is for the time and attention our office will have to pay towards focusing on your ambition.

If you would like to solicit us for support with your business development plan we would need to confirm the significant details of your “roll out” strategy and the associated costs required to reach your goal would be revealed.

Based on what most designers come forward with when establishing a Domestic Garment Manufacturing program there is a substantial capital requirement. In most cases we do not see our team becoming involved for less than $5,000 – $25,000 in preliminary-production services, as we have to direct significant amount of our resources to the task of converting illustrations to pattern and in that process, determine the garment construction questions involved in the task of developing a prototype and companion finished showroom sample.

And as mentioned, the effort to realize a “reasonably priced line” suggests some significant logistical challenges that are simply not attainable without major effort being applied.

the Brand has to be prepared to build some opening inventory and most likely will purchase in advance materials keystone to the product development plan and “reasonable price” objective.

Resources: Facility and Equipment, Time and Talent.