"If you produce, I
don't know, five thousand pairs of jeans, you probably make, like, ten dollars
for every pair of jeans. You're using so much resources, so much gas, to
transport it, to make it, and then so much hassle to sell it. Then it might
not fit well, so it might sit in the warehouse. So all that and I thought, 'Why should I produce waste?' when I could offer the pattern, share
the design with people and they could find a way to make it for themselves in a
way that fits them, the fabric they want to use, and I would still make the
same ten dollars."
Designer Lika Volkova (see video)
Designer Lika Volkova (see video)
Good thought to make money with less transports and less impact on environment isnt the risk that the problem is transferred to the customer that the work they need to put into a finished product when it comes to transport of hardware (perhaps a sewing machine), electric power usage and not to mention the coffe breaks demanding an espresso machine from Kitchen Aid in US, coffe from Italy and cookies from Göteborgs-kex in Sweden? Lots of transports there :-)
ReplyDeleteBut, being serious for a moment, I do like the idea with distributed production. A bit like the IKEA thought :-)
It's an interesting idea, but you're right it might be difficult to apply. One good thing might be that it would bring business into some small towns where people are struggling to find jobs. I think the idea needs to be developed a little more in order to be used in the real world.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to check out what you mentioned about IKEA's production!
Yes, with some refining this idea should work in real world.
ReplyDeleteWhat I meant with IKEA production is that the customers do the finishing of the bought furniture, unpackning and putting all screws and whatever in place at home so the concept of customer finished products are proven. :)
Ah gotcha! Maybe there's a way to apply this in fashion? I remember there used to be this fabric shoes that came in white and then you could pick the color they should be dyed at the store- not exactly the same, but with the right product, it could be an opportunity for a new business model.
ReplyDeleteYes, it should be possible to apply this in fashion since there are some sort of production involved. One challenge is to offer a simple assembly with a great finish in the result, some sort of semi-finished goods. Another challenge is to decide at what level the products should be finished when passing it over to the customer. Two hard but not impossible challenges I would say, but I am the eternal optimist that thinks everything is possible :)
ReplyDeletemaybe there is some sort of e-commerce/IT solution? ;)
ReplyDelete