Everyone knows that China is known for its manual labor. I mean, you really can't blame those huge designer clothing companies for choosing China as a place to produce their clothing. Its SO MUCH cheaper! When I was working for Marks and Spencer, I once saw this amazing clothing factory that was nearly 100% automated (not in China). It was very impressive as clothes were hung and are carried from one station to another. The problem with these clothing factories is that the initial investment is quite massive.

China, on the other hand, just has hundreds of people. Its looks like the shopping malls during holiday season and all you need to buy is hundreds of sewing machines! Most people working in factories are young females (no children..at least that is what they say). The major setback or disadvantage in using manual labor is that quality is very unstable. I'm sure you've been to a department store and tried to purchase a pair of stylist, fashionable jeans with holes and fades correct? Do you ever wonder why they are never the same? Next time you are at the mall, look at the holes and the parts where there is substantial wear. If your jeans are from China, it was done manually. I've seen jeans factories where they actually use sand paper and pomus rock to create this effect. It's actually quite funny seeing hundreds of people with a piece of sand paper messing up a pair of perfectly fine jeans. I've even seen factories use belt sanders (some circular sanders) to destroy jeans! Bleaching is done manually as well. How you ask? easy, a room filled with people with brushes and a tub of beach next to them. All men may be created equal but jeans are definitely all different.

This is why the next time you purchase a pair of Calvin Klein jeans, ask for several jeans to see which you like most. Trust me, they are all different (some what). For bad factories, you'll even notice that there is slight size variations. Do you really think these manufacturers or CK will 100% check all the sizes. NO WAY! They just check some here and there and do what they call random inspection. Plus, size specs are allowed variations so even though your jeans say size 2, not all size 2 jeans are the same. Anyway, I will write more on this topic next time!

Learn more about: apparel manufacturing

About the author:

Steven www.sweatshopped.com

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