It's something that I had never really considered before. Sure, I had heard of the Netflix documentary, The True Cost, and had followed along with the push towards American made, but I never really understood the phrase "Slow Fashion". I even remember once telling a colleague that I could only really afford clothing that was made overseas.
Over the course of the past five years, I have found that my spending and shopping habits have shifted dramatically. I went from ordering a plethora of cheap clothes, to once in a while, special occasion shopping. I transitioned from shopping at commercial brands to falling in love with small quaint brands. After ordering from these brands, I began to notice something unique in their messaging. Wording such as “Slow Fashion” and “Ethically Made” started to appear on handwritten notes tucked in my orders and written via personal emails. My mindset began to shift from supporting large public companies predominantly owned by white middle-aged males, to smaller female owned brands. I promise this is a topic for another day, and I literally cannot wait until I am brave enough to hash out my feelings towards this!
When I wanted to start my clothing line, I was considering a lot of different avenues, whether that be manufacturing in Vietnam or India to somewhere in Europe. I compared prices and considered factories that were “fair trade,” but in the end, I kept being drawn to the allure of manufacturing here, in America. Every con I came across seemed so humanely justifiable. The downsides to manufacturing in the US: higher price points and slower turnaround. The reason behind those cons? Fair (not perfect) wages, normal working hours vs round the clock labor, and US standards of manufacturing and warehouse conditions.
By no means do I want this journal entry to come across as price entitled, but more so, I just want to explain to my audience what they get when they shop at Studio Sentti. At the end of the day, being able to afford products made in America is a true privlege. Producing in America was an emotionally led decision, and I cannot wait to keep making more conscious decisions as a brand and consumer.
Other countries in the ranks for best manufacturing environments: The United Kingdom, Switzerland, Japan, and Canada.