What on Earth!!!

My understanding is that Emma Wickstead employs a team of people in her London studio to make the garments she designs, or at least that was the case three years ago. She is providing employment for talented craftsmen and women who are hopefully paid well to rewards their skills.

www.lofficielbaltic.com/en/fashion/the-art-of-dressing-up-emilia-wickstead

Far better than child-labour sweatshops in developing counties turning out cheap mass synthetic fast fashion that soon ends up discarded and dumped on other developing countries as toxic waste.

www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/may/31/stop-dumping-your-cast-offs-on-us-ghanaian-clothes-traders-tell-eu

It’s now more than ten years since the Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh which killed 1,134 people and injured another 2,500, leaving many with life-changing disabilities. Primark and Matalan were just two of the companies responsible for what happened.

Seriously though, that's actually quite reasonable for a mulberry handbag...

FarTooYoungForThis

FarTooYoungForThis

Seriously though, that's actually quite reasonable for a mulberry handbag...

That’s what I posted up thread, practically a bargain.

NotSpaghetti

I'm afraid if money was no object I would be buying £400 jumpers.

www.shetlandknitwear.com/product/fair-isle-jumper-traditional-shetland-black/
shop.purdey.com/products/cashmere-fairisle-falcon-crew-neck-sweater-in-kestral

fairislewithmarie.com/bespoke-knitwear/

www.shetlandknitwear.com/product/fair-isle-jumper-traditional-shetland-black/

I particularly love "all-over" Fairisle.

Clicked on the links and although I quite liked the Fairisle patterned knitwear I wouldn't spend that sort of money if I had it, which I don't! As for the other link I definitely disliked most of the designs - I prefer colourful!

I too drive an old car - 15 years at present but it is not Ulez compliant so when my daughter flies in next month I won't be picking her up from the airport as I used to. She will have to get the train! Apart from this obvious inconvenience it serves me well. Every year I worry it will fail the MOT and not be economical to repair but its predecessor, same make and a similar model, was 18 when it bit the dust so there is hope. Replacing it will pretty much wipe out my savings!

I have no problem with expensive clothes - just amused/ surprised at the algorithms used by the marketing department suggests that I would be likely to buy them.

The fact that some fabrics can cost a great deal has been mentioned, and also how time consuming some of the additional details/trimming etc are, thereby affecting the cost of producing garments. I’ve knitted a number of fair isle cardigans and jumpers for myself. If I was to hand knit these, to sell, the amount of hours it had taken, and the cost of good yarn would make them expensive indeed.

POA.... I've often heard people say that if you have to ask the price, you can't afford it. But. I know that even if I won the lottery and became a multi-millionaire, I would STILL ask the price! Anyone who buys something price unknown is a fool. And a fool and their money are easily parted

The difference 0ddOne is between asking the price to see if you can afford it and asking the price so that you know how much you are paying. Many wealthy people are very careful with their money, they know they can afford something but want to know the price and will then try and negotiate it downwards.

This all abides under the title of Fashion. Fashion, amongst other things is designed to separate the gullible from their hard earned money, and it does this remarkably easily.

Well, this is the view that I have come to realise throughout my lifetime.

No, not really, we all need to buy clothes at some time or another and we then decide what current styles we like and think would suit us.

You could ignore all fashion and walk round pinned up in a blanket or dressed like medieval peasant, but I think that would probably attract more attenton than one might possibly want.

I’d pay more for a lovely leather bag, but not for a jumper which wouldn’t last anywhere as long.
I knit, can do complicated stuff, lace, fairisle, create my own patterns etc, and I’m aware of how much the finished item would cost if I added in an hourly rate.
But unless you hand wash this expensive stuff, spend ages reblocking it , regularly debobble etc…..
I love handbags though! Although my most expensive one was about £100. I have used it regularly for over 5 years so far.

Some interesting thoughts, thank you. It’s all relative of course. I love that fairisle jumper NotSpaghetti, but couldn’t imagine paying that much even if I was loaded, (the £1,700 one) but who knows 🤷🏻‍♀️. I always think there’s a limit on what I’ll pay for anything, but after paying £25 for two glasses of wine recently maybe I’m wrong.

In respect of Caravansera‘s comment above, it resonates with a thread I started recently about investigations into Temu. I’m staggered at the speed it has become popular with millions of people worldwide using it, regardless of how the goods are made, and by whom, many it is said, being enslaved Uighur people. I digress, but I agree with Caravansera‘s comments. Hopefully the world will get the facts once the investigation unfolds.

Emily who??
Yet another 'famous designer' I haven't heard of!
I wonder if all of her ideas are hers alone, or have her minions had ideas that have suddenly become hers?
They are no more special than what other people could design and probably make up themselves, if they have sewing and/or knitting machines, but some celebrity or other saw something of hers they liked, I'm supposing, and suddenly she's a 'designer' for the rich!
Ridiculous prices, like already stated!!