Why does it cost an arm and a leg

Woman sewing work trousers for women

Because we believe that everyone in the production chain deserves to be paid fairly! The textile industry is very upside down. Across the globe, individuals produce incredible fabrics and craft enchanting creations, yet they receive payment so meager that it fails to even meet their basic food expenses. 

An incredible number of parameters set the price of a garment. Just in the production chain, there are many people that need to get paid. Apart from wages for workers, the price of a garment also needs to cover crops, pesticides, water, rents, weaving machines, spinning oils, chemicals, dye, water proofing agents, sewing machines, press tables, transports, additional rent costs, certifications, salaries and benefits. To name just a few. 

However, the largest cost is usually still the material and the sewing. Moving a company’s production to low wages countries is usually a winning concept for the company and for the consumer, with opportunity to produce and sell crazy quantities. It can be compared to the slave trade, exploiting people who cannot afford to do break free from lousy conditions. We want no part in this concept. We will always do our best to find fair and non-discriminatory ways to produce good workwear. But the cheap labour concept above will allow you to always find similar clothes for cheaper prices!

Did you know that the minimum wage in Bangladesh, for example, only covers 19% of the living wage of the country? Clean Clothes Campaign has conducted surveys comparing minimum wages* with living wages*

Finding a price too good to be true? Well, then you can be fairly sure a whole bunch of people have been exploited on the way.


*Minimum wage =The statutory minimum wage that a company is obliged to pay an employee.
*Living wage = The salary that needs to cover food, rent, school, and health care.