For us, it’s been a seven-year process. And there’s still work to do. Luxury is one of those targets that’s worthy because of how hard it is to attain. Fabrics, from the inner canvas linings we never see to the wools in the suit collection, are from Italy’s Biella region. Germany still has the edge in cottons, and so we get German cotton. Sewing technology, threads and fasteners are all Japanese (including buttons from carved apricot nut. We decided it’s time to phase out animal horn. It doesn’t fit Moniker’s ethics.)
And final assembly, like Prada, takes place in an upscale Chinese production house. Ours is in Qingdao, City of Sails and host of the 2008 Olympic sailing events. Fewer than five facilities in China can plausibly claim to match its quality standard. The French have the best technology for computer-aided design and manufacture in custom apparel. And so our pattern-making, customization and cutting systems are all French. Swedish firms have the edge in workflow systems for manual labour. So the shop floor is entirely of Swede design. Italians have the deepest expertise in apparel manufacture, and so the installation is overseen by a pair of Italian production experts. Only one apparel house was licensed to supply China’s 2004 and 2008 Olympic teams with ceremony wear. It was ours.
This is globality. It’s complex. It’s hard. It takes time, and more than that it takes a certain commitment to quality. Will you know the difference between an inner canvas from Italy and one woven in Shanghai? There is a difference, in softness and durability, and so we select the better option. Yes, it adds costs. But what we’re building is only meaningful if we make these choices this way.
This is the difference between simply importing from offshore and open-source luxury.
One is simply cheaper.
The other is clothing without compromise.
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