How the Fashion Industry Can Benefit from Local Production

Only around three percent of clothing purchased by Americans is produced in the United States. Since the 1960s, the clothing industry has rejected domestic clothing production in place of cheaper materials and labor from Third World countries. This has had a crippling effect on the domestic clothing industry and these same inexpensive items are sold back to residents of Third World countries at triple the price. However, visionaries like Joseph Ribkoff are again focusing on domestic production of clothing which offers the following benefits:

The fashion industry has earned a bad reputation for outsourcing labor to third-world sweatshops, many of which employ children, maintain terrible working conditions, and do not pay living wages. While this situation is improving as there has been more awareness to society, many overseas facilities still operate in this manner. This is morally unacceptable and a point the modern consumer will not accept. When you outsource, you lose control over ethical practices. However, when you manufacture locally, you can ensure local factories are following high working standards. 

Utilizing employees from different countries can result in language barrier issues. This can result in a variety of problems that could impact the quality of the product. However, when you use a local production process, it is easier to appoint a sub-manager who can oversee all operations and relay critical information related to business development, manufacturing, quality, etc. to employees and management.

This means you maintain a high level of control over all aspects of your business. Local production also equates to locally sourced suppliers thus minimizing or eliminating language barriers. When producing locally, your goods will always be manufactured and delivered at a much faster rate than when produced overseas resulting in better speed-to-market and agility.

The most obvious benefit to domestic production is supporting local businesses. When you focus on local production, you boost the local economy which creates new jobs and builds a new market for clients that would not have otherwise existed.

When you focus on efficient small-scale location production, you are giving your consumer transparency. Also, you can better uphold green practices since it is easier to observe the development and production processes of all items. Additionally, you can improve and control the quality levels of your products while reducing overproduction and waste.

When your production warehouse is only a few hour's drive away, you can lower your risk and perform regular safety and health inspections. You will know what measures need to be removed or improved to maintain a safe environment for all employees, which makes them more productive. Upholding these standards is critical to ensure high-quality products are produced.

The bottom line is when more businesses focus on local manufacturing and sourcing resources to create sales, it grows the entire local market while creating many jobs. Although major companies prefer to cut costs through inexpensive materials, products, and labor, when smaller-scale companies focus on local production, this trend can become a sustainable opportunity for more local companies.