The cost of a garment can be an awkward conversation, it's a subject I don't really see much small businesses chat about. It's also the most common reason why people opt to buy from big brands over smaller, more sustainable brands.
I get it, we can't all afford to spend large amounts of money on clothing. What we can do is change our shopping habits by saving up for pieces that we truly love, a quality piece that will last for many years (I could chat about this forever but we won't dive into that today)!
My goal has always been to create a more "affordable" sustainable fashion brand. Recently I have had to increase my prices so I wanted to open up as a brand and show you how I price my garments.
Ollie Dress costing.
$59.40 fabric
$10.00 cut time
$30 sew time
$7.00 trims
$0.94 website costs
$4.80 payment processors
=$112.14 (cost)
+ $16.50 overheads (rent, power, internet)
= $128.64 total.
+ 50% (profit) = $192.96 + 15% = $221.90 total
Round up: Final price: $225.00
Profit $67.42
This is my personal formula, so it's definitely not the way most brands would do it. The "profit" of $67.42 is what I use to invest in new machines, pay for account subscriptions and pay myself for the unexpected amount of admin, as well as cover any additional costs that come with owning a small business, so it really doesn't go that far...
This is me being completely transparent with you.
I hope it gives you a little insight into the NZ made industry and encourages you to think about where you are purchasing from. When shopping from a small business you are not just supporting the owner of the brand but their employees, the fabric suppliers they source from and most importantly the environment. Shopping NZ made really closes the gap between you, the designer and the creator.
Danni Rose xx