About That $10 Swimsuit...

A few weeks ago, I was walking by one of the big fast fashion stores and saw a bikini for $10. A few years ago, I wouldn’t have thought twice about that price tag. But this time, I stopped and snapped a photo to remind myself to share why it’s mind-blowing that a bikini now costs less than a sandwich.

Let’s break it down quickly. This company makes money on that $10 suit! Here’s what goes into the making of each swimsuit:  

That means that after adding all of those costs, they still have enough margin for a $10 price tag to make financial sense. I’m not even taking into consideration the cost of developing the garment or any of the overhead involved in running a retail store - only what goes into the swimsuit itself.

Sure, this fast fashion brand’s massive size means that they operate on higher volume and benefit from economies of scale. But if you think about where the majority of their cost advantage is, it’s from labor. There’s a major disconnect if people get up in arms about terrible working conditions and cheap labor, yet want their clothing to be cheap. 

Hopefully this provides some food for thought. This doesn’t mean that I don’t still shop fast fashion brands - I do. But now that I understand all that goes into making garments and the waste that the apparel industry produces, I’m much more conscious of where my clothes come from and try to support more local designers.