When Prada handed partial production of some shoes to a Slovenian factory last year, it dispatched the plant's workers to Tuscany for training. Independent New York fashion house Lafayette 148, which makes knitwear, sent one of the world's top knitwear experts to China two years ago to teach factory workers Italian knitting techniques.
Valentino, a unit of fashion and textile maker Marzotto SpA, rips out the "Made in Egypt" tags in its suits before shipping them to boutiques in Europe, where companies don't have to divulge where they make their products. For the U.S. and Japanese markets, where labeling rules are stricter, Valentino produces suits in Italy, where it also still makes its priciest items.
In the U.S. and Japan, "perceived quality is more important than real quality," says Valentino CEO Michele Norsa.
In 2004, the hourly labor cost of a textile worker in Italy was $18.63 compared with 88 cents in Egypt, according to U.S. management consultant Werner International Inc.
"It makes me sad that they take off the tags," said the factory's 39-year-old product manager, Yaser Husien Nada, when informed of the procedure. "But I am very happy to be making products for Europeans."
and inpiquing consumer interest
the throes
This really sucks.......... i totally understand the manager feeling. They do something with pride and then, they sew that tags on and its been removed!!! Why do they have to sew that tag in the first place when they are going to remove it in the first place. This really is sad.i'm not siding with CHina but unless we have lots of testings done for the foods/color dyes etc from all over the world, then we wont know if they are just as bad (harmful substances etc). China is way too big and there's lots of people, including selfish or naive people that do not sense the seriousness of their "smart" ways of earning quick bucks etc like the milk powder case. Chinese is smart. But too bad, some of them used it on the WRONG way!!!...At the A-Arafa factory, managers hadn't been told that the Made in Egypt" labels are pulled off after the suits are shipped to Italy."It makes me sad that they take off the tags,", said the factory's 39-year-old product manager, Yaser Husien Nada, when informed of the procedure. But I am very happy to be making products for Europeans.....
i think that most of us will prefer made in europe kind of tag than made in CHina. i think thats because there's a lot of bad media reports abt china stuffs. however people failed to realised that china also has a pool of talents. they have great artists, guys who can craft beautiful things from woods, jade etc, produce top notch cashmere (i read that china produced the BEST cashmere in the world)... so u see, if china can do these, what makes us think that they cannot do sewing. they are great at embroidery 'painting' with silk threads etc too.i guess another issue is that, when those companies went to produce bags etc in China, they cut down greatly on their overheads. They do not pass the discount to customers but seem to earn more income from these savings? In a way, customers feel that its not justified
I don't think the image can be changed fast even if media reported good things about china. if a brand was founded in a certain country (france) I'd feel cheated/ripped off if it was made in china. the quality can be as good as the french one, but it's just not the same feeling...