AI6YR BenHmm, softshell fabric not cheap... about $28.00 per yard. (if I were theoretically going to sew myself a new softshell jacket). #sewing
DavidM_yegYikes… an indicator of how little of the cost of a new ready-made jacket goes to the people who actually sew them
MCDuncanLabWe were watching a Canadian show from the early 2000's called how it's made, and making a pair of jeans only takes 12 minutes of total time.
@MCDuncanLab @DavidM_yeg I suspect a skilled worker could make one of these jackets in no time, versus the days it will take me... lol.
It was pretty amazing how the jeans were made. A lot of it was semi-automated, like sewing the pockets.
Also check out how they turn the jeans right side out after sewing.
https://www.sciencechannel.com/video/how-its-made-science/paper-jeans-and-computers
Yes, that’s 12 minutes of active time for the cloth, but doesn’t tell us how many person-hours it takes, as there are multiple people at work from receiving to sewing to management to machine maintenance to cleaning staff, never mind the equipment and space to house it.
To be simplistic though: here in Edmonton, to pay one person a living wage for just those 12 minutes would cost something like $5.75 just for the labour.
EllenIn Edmonton
Sara@DavidM_yeg @ai6yr @MCDuncanLab sometimes people look at my handiwork and tell me I could sell it
while that's true, and complimentary, even at half my current consulting rate I'd be invoicing people about $50 for a belt
even simple clothing would run quickly into the hundreds of dollars
@sarae @DavidM_yeg @MCDuncanLab Yeah, the cost of someone sewing something here in the US at our cost of wages would be quite significantly more than what people are used to paying for clothing, indeed.
Ike Seblon@DavidM_yeg @ai6yr wholesale bolt prices on fabric are substantially lower, same for zippers etc. This jacket would likely be $7-10 material at scale. You're absolutely right about the labor.