When it comes to blue jeans, there is calm after the storm now. All the premium denim brands that sprouted out in last 10 years slashed their prices up to 70% last holiday season. In past 10 years, denim that appeared to be intoxicated denim started a revolution from urban to haute couture denim wear. With Levi’s $20,000 for a painted pair of jeans or Swarovski’s ultimate crystal embedded styles designers did everything they could with this all-natural fabric in blue, and consumers fell for it like a fallen star. This year this journey of exploration and experimentation is slowing down to a halt.
Producing outclass outstanding denim jeans is much more costly today, when sourced from Europe or well known plants around the world. Even for such producers, keeping their factories running today is a big challenge let alone creating or developing a new wash or style for next runway walk. So much so that Wal-Mart is in a fight to reduce the price of their denim lines with their suppliers in Bangladesh. It is like tightening the belt the day you are born and the day you graduate or make your first million.
Textile industry is a low-tech industry and every under developed or developing country relies heavily on this industry for the overall growth of their nation. In today’s world most of this industry is in Asia notably in Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, India etc…one can source from cheap to premium quality clothing articles from all of these countries. The twist is that from now onwards only the fittest producer or manufacturer will survive in the future. There is no more room left for extra costs or overheads while running a mill setup or apparel manufacturing setups.
Technology, innovation, efficiency and the right product at the right time with a suitable price will end up at the retail space. Others will lag behind as we are starting to see major shifts in textile and cloth sourcing points. One will have to gear up with the latest technologies, full automation and workers welfare to develop a non-compromising, efficient team with highest standards.
-Asad Ullah Ahmed
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