Ahoy mateys! To the high seas we go!
We may use fashion to make statements about politics, but politics always affects fashion trade. Export and import tax, tariffs, international relations, each and every aspect of this affects the exchange of textiles ever since the word “textile” was invented. We often use certain products as clearer examples of this, eggs, gasoline, weapons, cellphones, and more, but these major economic situations affect everything in all honesty.
As such for tonight’s feature presentation, we will be discussing how where we buy our clothes is just as important as what clothes we are buying. Now then, grab some concessions and get comfortable, as we go into all the pros and cons of buying fashion made locally against buying clothes from other countries.
The Pros of Buying Overseas
Firstly, we should go into the positive aspects of buying your clothes from overseas. More often than not, this entails simply buying from a big box store because these stores have a wide reach and a high price margin to sell products in said store, ergo large companies overseas can reliably sell their products in places where they are certain it will reach a wide audience. What about all the different countries that could be providing us with products?
Abundance
Due to a number of different factors, factories overseas can produce a lot more clothing a whole lot faster. This is how so many stores can stock up on so many clothes and almost never run out, the shipments they get can be extremely abundant depending on the efficiency of the supplier.
Cheaper Prices
Following the abundance of fashion overseas, you can also expect lower prices. We are all familiar with stores having massive sales events for holiday seasons and coupons you can find in the mailbox. Some stores even have reward programs and apps that more local designers may not have to their advantage.
Fitting In
These large industrial complexes specialize in producing a slew of the same designs over and over. As such, buying overseas can help you with things like uniforms and dress codes, being able to fit into your new workplace/campus/etc.
The Cons of Buying Overseas
Buying your clothes from overseas suppliers through big stores is not all sunshine and rainbows. There are sadly quite a few ways that buying this way can backfire. Something that can not be stressed enough is the matter of staying aware and informed about these matters is necessary when going out and deciding what kinds of places you will go. Here are a few things to keep your eyes out for when buying things from these big stores.
Politics
Everyone’s favorite topic when it comes to buying fashion! Everyone just loves it when world leaders have disputes that result in extremely high taxes and tariffs on imports and exports. You love it when you have to pay more because of factors outside your control, right? No? Of course not.
Monotony
With factories churning out the same outfits, you may find yourself surrounded by all the same clothes. Sure it helps you fit in better, but the use of large industrial machines that simply churn out the same sets of pants over and over with the only difference being colors or a single zipper, you can be hit with some aggressive burnout rather quickly.
Controversy
This is an issue that mostly applies to very specific suppliers. Different countries have different standards in regards to labors and practices. While some companies do their best to follow more moral practices, some companies may take more seedy approaches to production.
The Pros of Buying Locally
If going corporate is not in your style, you can also buy clothes made locally. That means we are looking at those clothes with that big beautiful Made In (Insert where you are from here) tag. You can go out and find these artisans somewhere in your community, typically driven not by profit but passion. As you can likely expect, we’ll get into a nice list of pros by the Unique Group that we can take a nice look at.
Pride
What the heck does it mean to have pride when you buy clothes? This is heavily dependent on where you buy your actual clothes, but this specifically talks about the pride you will feel in yourself for your helping of those around you. If you buy from someone in your community who makes clothes, whether it be a neighbor, relative, or just a friend, you will feel a sense of pride in helping them out. If you simply buy from a company that makes clothes in your country using materials harvested in your country, your sense of pride will be more of a national one.
Unique Designs
Sometimes when selling overseas, companies will try and sell what they think you want based on trends. On one hand this can lead to some nice consistent designs, but on the other hand you can get bored of the same old designs over and over. As such, you might find the more unique outfits that can make the people who wear them stand out in a crowd. Standing out can be really beneficial as it can boost your chances of finding a significant other, be more unique among a pool of job applicants, and so much more.
Quality
“Quality over quantity.” These words have rang true about all sorts of different matters, so is it really that shocking for it to also be true for shopping locally for fashion? These local vendors may not sell clothes as frequently as the local store, but they tend to make up for this in sustainable fashion that is of the best quality they can find.
The Cons of Buying Locally
Sadly, buying your shirts and socks in your local area made by folks in your area with materials harvested nearby is not all the sunshine and rainbows you may think it is. As we have discussed earlier, supporting local artisans certainly has a lot of justification towards it, but even the smaller scale vendors can have a couple of drawbacks.
Obscurity
It may be harder to find local fashion in your area. The bigger a company is, the more locations they will have. As such, the inverse is also true. Your dream store may never be found simply because it is a small location next to a mechanic’s shop on the corner of a street you only pass when going downtown for a family outing. They will not be able to promote themselves if they do not have the extra money to buy anything as simple as posters to hang around the neighborhood.
For the purposes of this discussion, obscurity can also relate to the obscurity of the clothes itself. Remember, these clothes are being made by artists with each garment sold tending to have its own different designs or alterations. Yes, it means you stand out in the crowd, but it also means that if you want to give two people the same gift, then you are basically stuck.
Higher Costs
In contrast to buying clothes from overseas suppliers, you might find yourself staring down the high price tag of a wool sweater. These artisans often take pride in their work and as such will charge a pretty penny for you to buy it. If not out of pride, these artisans may be outright required to mark up these prices in order to afford the materials used and in some cases pay for their housing and food.
Risky Investment
The smaller scale of these vendors can add an aspect of risk in buying from them. Independent designers do not have the same strict “quality control” as these large overseas facilities. Some artists may be more focused on form over functionality, resulting in something that looks nice but starts breaking down after a few outings. There can also be cases where the opposite is true where the material could survive the cruellest of washing machine settings, but is not exactly the most interesting article of your wardrobe.
Then again, you might also argue that the precarious position of these vendors can act as further incentive to help them by purchasing their wares. It could also act as an incentive for said artisans to further perfect their crafts, to have a clearer balance between intricate designs and functional forms.
The Store Is Now Open
With a nice list of pros and cons for both buying local and overseas, you now have a guidepoint to go out and look for some new shirts and shoes. There are so many different options for both local and overseas shopping, especially in the modern world with how efficient the internet is. Hopefully you now have more shopping wisdom to go ahead and get the clothes that best suit you. Thank you for reading, and happy shopping!
