Imports and other such nonsense

Last month I was contacted by an overseas manufacturing company wishing to sell me reproduction civil war era clothing. Always looking for a way to expand my little business, I thought very hard about it.

There are a lot of historic clothing companies out there that base their business primarily on imports (with a little hand made American stuff thrown in here and there). Overseas mass produced clothing is unbelievably cheap to buy and therefore not as expensive to resell as American made clothing. And these companies seem to be doing quite well.

And then I stopped for a moment and asked myself a question. Do I really want to import mass produced clothing? Do I really want to sell people mass produced, imported clothing?

I don’t think I can. It goes against everything my little business prides itself on-� quality, custom made, one of a kind garments made by honest, hard working American people.

I know my prices are higher than other companies and I cannot be as competitive as I would like. However, I will continue to keep my business standards high and take my chances.

About Susan

Hi! My name is Susan and I am a historian, seamstress, teacher, mother, and wife. My passion for history has manifested itself in the art of recreating clothing from different periods of time. Growing up in the American South, I am heavily schooled in the art of recreating clothing from the 19th century. After nearly a decade of immersing myself primarily in the Victorian period, I found the need to branch out and explore other periods of time. However, it is my connection with the American South and the clothing of rural America that continues to be the driving force behind my designs. View all posts by Susan