Jun 1, 2010
Why your swimsuit costs 20 times what it is worth
Posted by Ariel Cherie
‘Tis the season fior getting into swimsuit ready shape, but are clothing brands wronfully working out ur wallets when we buy bathing suits?
Simply put, yes. Most swimsuits only cost $5 to make can be sold for $100, according to the New York Times. There have been “advances in swimsuit technology” that result in the $95 markup.
What kind of swimsuit technological advances (it sounds just as silly as it looks)? Good question. No there’s no underwater GPS or anything of the like, but there’s new sciences, if you will, that suck in your tummy and make your suits weatherproof.
Whatever.
What really gets people is the fact thast most women’s sizes don’t match from top to bottom. Meaning, chances of a woman being a size medium on top and a small for the bottom, are pretty much slim. When you mix-and-match, you’re not paying the same price for both pieces. A small is going to be less expensive than a large, so they hit you with the ultimate swindle.
I’m not saying that I never fell for the bathing suit swindle, I have a $98 cutout swimsuit in my closet that I only wore once. Back in ’08. A lot of people will try and justify their purchases. “Well, if I wear it X amount of times, then everytime I wear it, it’s like I only spend $3.50 a wear!” Stop playing yourself. Chances are you’re going to wear it three times max this summer, stuff it in the drawer by Labor Day, and buy more the next year.
I would recommend to purchase bathing suits at H&M, Forever 21 (above pic, $10.80) or Target. They have really cute suits that are for everyone, and for that amount that you might spend on one swimsuit, you can buy 2 or 3 for the same price.
Even if a suit costs $100, not all of that money is going into the designers pocket. Especially if it’s something you buy at the boutique. A boutique will by the suit for about $40 from the designer, and after you subtract sales rep costs you’re left with $25 profit for the designer….but its still not technically profit since there are a million other expenses (patternmaking, grading, cutting, fittings, photoshoots, photographs, website, office supplies, PR, gifting, machinery, leasing space, etc etc). So dont just assume they’re getting rich off of you.
Also, lines do not change their pricing based on size. And it’s very common for a woman to wear different sizes — some women are very slim but busty, some are pear shaped and flat chested. You should really educate yourself a bit more before saying things like this in public!
If the designer made one suit only and received $25 for it, no they’re certainly not getting rich off of one suit. But after the patternmaking and all, they can sell that one suit on a grand scale (different patterns) to umpteen many stores. They’re getting paid.