Isn't £25.72 per shirt is too expensive? you could make it under £10-£15 including all the shipping and import duty from Bangladesh or India.

You may have to just provide the sample design and your label. To my knowledge even most of the high quality textiles are made in China,India,Bangladesh,Vietnam,Indonesia.. etc and they make them damn cheap prices without compromising the quality

The whole idea of this business is to make locally, NOT to ship from some huge factory in Bangladesh.

However, the official Swiss rules for business are: Over price your product, sell a few, sit forlornly in a small shop with no customers, only open for two hours a week, throw out the only customer you do get for not dressing appropriately when they enter, then go bankrupt.

not if you're making only 7 units...

hmmm.... may be not for 7... but I guess for 25 it is possible...

I would be really surprised if you could get your shirts made in Switzerland for 35CHF. Does it take an hour to make a shirt?

Why not get them made in Portugal or Greece? I know it's not "local". But it's a lot closer than India, China, and those countries currently need the work and per hour they are quite reasonably priced.

it could make sense if you're selling swiss-made to the swiss at swiss prices...

or turkey...

And instead of shirts, you should sell cakes.

And instead of selling, you should buy them.

And instead of a business, you should go skiing.

Exactly.

And as my business is my creative hobby the sales aspect takes care of itself with 'the story' and my networking and charity work. It's not 'easy' selling quality but when people find my label and get on with it, they become loyal, repeat customers.

I think you will find that it is easier here to sell pragmatic quality than a lot of places on the planet.

what kind of cakes would you recommend buying? i guess ones which are resistant to crushing when you go skiing?

EDIT: i had good results with himbeer pflunder. it's not really a cake, but they sell it at the coop by the ski-lift.

Yes, of course. I get that but I'm scared to see how much will be quoted per shirt. I was thinking if she could get them made for 75F she could sell them for 150F. That's still only 3hrs work. Does it take 3 hours to make a shirt?

I know it's not the same thing, but custom dress shirts run about CHF300 and semi custom, made in Spain run 150-200F.


It think you mean "Turkey" or is this another version of Adrian's suggestion.

This is a very good point if 'ethical production' is a key to your product (and your customer base...). Many communities in Europe are suffering in this economy; perhaps building a relationship with a small village in, say, Portugal where you would help locals set up a CMT unit, provide a certain amount of work in an area where there otherwise are few opportunities - sort of the 'teach a man to fish' kind of thing. 'Socially conscious' production within the EU, providing work for folks on our doorstep who need it, would be viewed quite favorably here.

Yes, and I believe that is because of their obsessive demand for growth instead of a measured approach to sustainability, efficiency, quality and ethics, things which drove me to come to this country as I believe that they understand.
The economy here is in negative growth at the moment as well but you just don't see the panic here that you see in much of the rest of the world.

It makes sense to me that CMT units should exist in any country and city where a fashion college exists. I'm of the opinion that part of a country's innovation, style and culture with creative stuff should stay 'in country' and be sold 'in country'. Swiss cows make Swiss milk and Swiss cheesemakers make Swiss cheese that the Swiss eat, we eat and the Swiss export. In my mind, if you're a designer isn't it nice to design something and have it made in the city/country you live in and sell it to your city/country first and then beyond? This is what I mean by 'the story'. Might be too utopian for some. But there's a market for it and I think it's interesting.

Ethical clothing production is about fair labour but the school of thought also extends to slowing things down and enjoying the process. Slow Fashion is part of eco/ethical fashion. And blimey...I just missed something right under my nose EcoChic in Geneva.

And so the hunt for Swiss sewing people continues. I've contacted a Geneva fashion college for ideas.

Love the White fishbone t-shirt!
Damn, wish you did women cloths too.