Journal
28 Feb 2025
WHY THINGS MADE RESPONSIBLY ARE NOT CHEAP
28 Feb 2025
Jolene here. The other day I had an email from a customer saying that they loved what we are doing, but it was too expensive. I'm not sure what they were expecting me to say, but it made me finally get round to listing all the steps that go into bringing something to market in a responsible manner...
When you buy something from us, these are all the costs I can currently think of that the sale of the item is paying for:
1) Organic cotton seeds sewn
2) Crops tended
3) Crop harvested
4) Cotton spun
5) Fabric woven
6) Fabric printed
7) Product hand tailored BY A HUMAN in a facility that is paying the person properly, and all the associated costs with that place of manufacture (lighting, heat, power etc)
8) Finished items hand packed BY HUMANS into boxes
9) Items transported to our studio in Glasgow BY HUMANS
10) Items unpacked onto our shelves BY US
11) The rent of our studio space (which is in an artists block in Glasgow)
12) Associated costs such as computers, computer software, insurance, fixtures + fittings of studio needed to function.
13) Items photographed by a local photographer who is being paid, and models who are paid
14) Items uploaded onto a website that is managed by a freelance website person who is being paid
15) Cost of hosting / running a website + so many other IT costs associated with running a brand
16) One full time employee + one part time employee (Mil + Jolene still not getting paid - Mil has two other jobs)
17) Bookkeepers + accountant costs supporting the running of our business
18) Items then hand packed by us in the studio when orders are made
19) In packaging that costs money
20) And posted to you (free over £100) which costs money
21) Not taking into account the months of product development that goes into each item
OR
22) The actual design process that is done over months with lots of love
STILL think it is expensive?
I fully understand that increasing numbers of people in the global North do not have the luxury of buying from independent / ethical brands. I'm not here to lecture or shame anyone from my own position of privilege BUT I also understand that there are loads of people who could make better buying choices, but thanks to the actions of big corporations with highly unethical production methods, have come to think it is their human right to have cheap goods, and far too many of them, without stopping to reflect that this is only possible through the exploitation of fellow humans, and our planet.
