When it comes to the fashion industry, there are a lot of camps you can stake your flag in, fast fashion, eco-friendly, ethical, luxury and that's not even counting all the sub commodities and niche areas. We are not here to say anyone is better than the other because every brand does what works best for them and their vision. We are here, to tell you our thought process and why we are camp ethical, made in Canada, quality + online only.
Many brands in this industry mark-up their products 4X - 10X of the actual cost, it's no secret it's just how it has always been done. We do things a little differently to make shopping for quality, ethically made basics that are designed and produced in Canada, accessible to you. Our clothes are crafted with the same quality and care as most big retailers, but we work with a factory that allows us to keep production ethical and local, which will enable us to sell directly to you - leaving out traditional retail markups.
HOW WE STACK UP IN TERMS OF PRICING OUR BASICS
Our goal is to provide the best quality, ethically made basics to you at a price that is as affordable as possible - which for Franc meant we had to forgo selling in other stores. Quality materials, ethical production and made locally in Canada are three huge things that can kill a brands profit margin, our direct to customer model was the only way to make these dream basics of ours happen.
HOW WE COMPARE TO OTHER BASICS "CAMPS"
Our costs aren't the cheapest, but you can imagine what they could have been if we went the traditional route (look at that loooooong stretched out t-shirt). On the other hand (the faaaar left one) the next time you are shopping, think about how cheap that fast fashion t-shirt probably was to produce - I mean if you can buy it for that low-LOW price tag!
THE TRUE COST BREAKDOWN TO MAKE AN ETHICAL TEE
*The above is an average cost to make a new style (this does not take into account the profit margin needed to run, grow and sustain a business and pay ”office” employees/freelancers/consultants), some tees might be a bit less some might be a bit more.
At least 7 great reasons why we can never compete with fast-fashion prices. Making items both locally and ethically is more expensive, it also means a lower margin than the classic fashion sales model but the value we (which includes every worker at every touchpoint) and you receive is exponentially worth it.
3 comments
Hi Jezlynn,
Thanks so much for your comment! Our factory is our partner, we don’t employ any of the workers directly. We pay based on a contract basis and that is then trickled down within the factory organization. This is part of the cost of goods not part of the margin or markup.
I also have no office staff at this time as Franc is too small for this. Also the same goes for an executive team. I am the owner/founder only paid employee and all other jobs, but work with many talented freelancers, partners and consultants to keep FRANC running so smoothly.
This is a great start, and I love that the company is creating some pricing transparency; but I do think sharing how the revenue (from markup) is distributed is integral to true pricing transparency. For example, I noticed on one of your pages that you have a small factory team, and they have flexible hours and may choose their method of remuneration (wage, commission, etc); however, going further to allow customers to see gaps between remuneration for executive/office staff and front-line workers can create more accountability on your brand to decrease these gaps in order to offer those who are actually creating your product a more liveable wage.
Love this! This should definitely be under your “about us” section (or at least more details) as I believe it would be more accessible to visitors to your site and made me love FRANC even more! :)
Leave a comment