Handmade Products and Fashion
The importance of having a developed fashion industry with the most modern technology when it comes to machinery and processes was always a crucial point for fashion. Since the industrial revolution, many people valued machine-made garments more than handmade ones. However, in our modern time, we have taken a different mindset when it comes to this. Nowadays, handmade work is one of the most exclusive and valued markets in the fashion industry and other industries as well.
As the rise of interest in handmade garments became more popular, handmade works also started to become more exclusive and expensive than what they were originally worth.
Though prices can be very expensive for handmade work, it is very reasonable for prices to be high once we learn about the efforts and processes that occurred for a certain garment to be finished. Not only are most handmade garments uniquely produced and not in mass quantities which gives the consumer a better shopping experience because they feel as though they can stand out, but garment construction is certainly not easy at all. The number of hours and labor that it takes for the final product to happen can sometimes seem endless, which is why designers often charge more when it comes to handmade products.
Another reason why handmade products are greatly appreciated by the fashion industry and consumers alike nowadays is that most handmade works are meticulously constructed. Without the help of a machine, the chances of making an unchangeable mistake can be very high, and if a mistake were to happen during the construction process, the quality of the product would drop drastically and this could affect sales. That is why handmade garment designers have to spend more time making sure that the final product will have no defects that would lead to more labor cost, hence why handmade products can be so expensive. Instead of looking at a price, it is important to recognize the amount of careful construction detail that went into the product. Yes, a high price for a handmade garment can perhaps lead consumers to think that handmade work is only exclusive for members of high society, but this is not always the case.
As I have learned based on my country’s history in Latin America, handmade work in the past was often categorized as belonging to the lower class. Why was this the case? Well, in most cases, people from lower classes could not afford to shop for machinery to help them with garment construction, so most people would have to hand-make their own clothing because this was the most convenient and economical option.
In my country of origin, Ecuador, handmade garments were very inexpensive, and I could remember this even from when I was younger. However, once tourists began exploring the wonderful town of Zuleta, a small town found near the Andes mountain in Ecuador, handmade garments, especially handmade embroidery, became quite popular, so much so that a rise in interest in these types of garments and embroidery became a unique and more appreciated way of construction. This was because the designers were more directly involved in making these products by hand rather than relying on a machine.
As the rise of interest in handmade garments became more popular, handmade works also started to become more exclusive and expensive than what they were originally worth. Nowadays, handmade garments and embroidery are deeply appreciated and more valued than they were in the past. This has always caught my attention because sometimes work is valued by how technologically advanced the processes of manufacturing are, but in our modern time, we have started to embrace tradition and value the efforts that it takes to create something by one’s own hands.
Many cultures focus especially on handmade work, and as the years go on, I am happy to say that I do not think that the appreciation of handmade garments and overall works is ever going to disappear. If anything, I believe that more and more people will embrace traditional methods and give them the recognition that is deserved of them.
