As the market share of European clothing imports from developing countries declines, more overseas brands are focusing on “near shoring” their clothing production, which is the process of bringing production closer to the consumer. As the fast fashion fatigue among consumers escalates, a chasm has opened between the conscious consumer’s desire for higher quality, ethically made clothing and the availability of brands in this category. Part of the demand for higher quality has lead to an explosion of second-hand clothing markets, both online and in-person. While the second-hand clothing market fills a niche, the shopping experience is inconsistent at best, frustrating at worst. I speak as an avid second-hand clothing shopper. When I scroll back through my many, many Poshmark purchases over the past six years, I have about a 50% dud-to-diva rate, meaning half of my purchases have been as good or better than I expected and half of them were absolute dogs I wish I hadn’t spent money on.
However, as hot as the second-hand market has become, with companies like Poshmark boasting 80 million users and 200 million listings, it has a very real limitation: there is only so much second-hand clothing existing today. This restricts consumption in two ways: 1) there is a limit on how much high-quality, vintage fashion is available for purchase, and 2) the quality of clothing has gone down precipitously since the mid-2010s. Over time, there will be less and less second-hand clothing available which is worth purchasing. I do not want to buy the lemon-yellow silk bridesmaids dress that’s been sitting in your closet for the past 15 years, no matter how “vintage J. Crew” it looks.
Naturally, this limitation within the second-hand market leaves consumers with a shopping void, and it seems as if they are looking to fill this void with high-quality items made closer to home.
While the UK has seen a significant jump in British made interest over the past few years, the desire to buy goods made locally was already a growing trend brewing on the continent. A great example is the French handbag brand, Polene, www.polene-paris.com, who have near-shored their production in the small Spanish town of Ubrique on the southern coast of Spain. In many ways, this was a wise trade decision. Not only is Ubrique just a short plane ride or longer train ride away, it is a town boasting luxury leather goods as central to their economy. With their design house relatively close by in Paris, the company can confidently partner with their neighbors down south to create beautiful, high-quality leather goods in a country with relatively strong worker’s protection rights, all while reducing their carbon footprint. As a happy Polene customer, I can speak to the quality and beauty of the product, and it warms my cockles to know how thoughtfully Polene has set up their production chain to ensure their company values are maintained. Founded in 2016, Polene is a young company in the scheme of things, and how they framed their supply chain speaks to the shifting sands of manufacturing at the international level as well as the local level.
Across La Manche in the UK, the preference for British made goods jumped 21% year-over-year, with consumers citing a desire to support local craftspeople and jobs as well as environmental concerns from importing international goods. This increased preference for locally made items comes with a heightened willingness to buy, even if the goods come at a higher price. Demand for British made clothing has increased as well, with the Made in Britain movement website citing 49% of British consumers preferring British-made clothing. Sounds like we’ll be seeing a lot of pasty people wearing even more plaid and tartan. Buckle up.
Brands like Burberry, which does not make all of its clothing in Britain, has been emphasizing the items which are still made in Britain on their website as “heritage”. The pace and scale of re-shoring for other British brands is slow and somewhat piecemeal, but the action of bringing all or some of their supply chain back into the UK is viewed as a favorable step towards increased speed, sustainability, and quality control. The main driver of this ameliorated patriotism is a desire to support the local economy, which has been a consistent sentiment across consumers according to the Made in Britain annual survey.
For the American shopper, the challenge has always been bridging the gap between a high desire to purchase American made goods but a low willingness to pay more for those goods. However, as clothing quality continues a downward tailspin, there seems to be an audible frustration with the currently available options amongst those of us who love to shop.
My tried-and-true go-to brand for decades was Banana Republic. The extended inseams they had available online made this tall girl’s heart and legs very happy. As my desire for more transparency in production grew, I moved away from BR in 2018/2019, and only came back every now and then if I couldn’t fill a need in my work wardrobe after searching high and low for a more ethically made solution. After ordering a few pairs of their wool trousers last year, I received a thrown-together box of crumpled, unlined pants, which retailed for $200 each. They weren’t what I would consider a cheap price point. What I received in return for my money was a questionable fit, scratchy wool, made even more uncomfortable due to the lack of lining, and stretched out fabric in the knee area after a few wears. After a dry clean, they never looked like the tailored classic they were supposed to be. It was a frustrating waste of time and money.
So while I would prefer to spend $200 and get a high quality pair of pants, instead I am forced into the $600-700 range to find a lined, tailored, well-fitting pair of trousers which are also ethically made. Yes, I have to save up for them, and yes, I only buy one pair (maybe) per year and only if necessary. In the end, they are worth the trouble and save me a lot of heartache when I have to clear out three cheaply made pairs I can no longer wear.
The quality downturn is forcing more buyers into a price stratosphere they wouldn’t have considered a few years ago. This in turn opens the door for American made brands who sit in the higher price tier and who have been pounding their “American Made Quality” drums for years, sometimes decades. The near-shoring wave hitting western Europe and the UK still seems to be a ways off in the distance for American consumers. It could be my endless optimism for my own Manhattan made clothing brand, but when I squint at the horizon, I believe I can see the wave slowly making its way towards us. I just hope I can remain in business long enough to ride it.
- Elise
