Proenza Schouler: 'We Can't Even Afford Our Clothes'

Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of high-end brand Proenza Schouler talked to Grazia about fall trends and Racked has the scoop. Hernandez said, "We work on Broadway near Topshop and are so over seeing all those young girls showing so much skin." Us, too.

Hernandez also talked about money, remarking, "I often wonder, sometimes I think the people who buy our clothes live in a parallel universe. Hell, we can't even afford our clothes." At least they're honest!

Comments

[SPRLA]

03:27 PM on 07/30/2010

We gather that they are probably not the only ones. With collections being copied and translated into mass market as fast as the designer images are posted from runway to the internet the consumer can access real time trend gratification. No need to wait for the original to make it to retail 6 months from now.

[JScott]

08:26 PM on 07/29/2010

Why just them, what about the women/children in 3rd world countries who make them, they probably can't afford em either.

[complice]

10:34 PM on 07/29/2010

Honestly, to be fair, while much of what you say stands true for a lot of bigger companies or mass marketed diffusion lines, I think part of the astronomical mark up--and I'm only saying part, as a huge portion of it is completely ludicrous/unjustifiable--from the fact that these clothes are produced by skilled seamstresses in the United States, who won't work for sla. ve wages.

[truthskr]

02:35 PM on 07/30/2010

Agreed - this level of clothing production is fulfilled almost exclusively by seamstresses, artisans themselves really, in the US or Europe. These clothes are not made in sweatshops, hence the price and why the designers can't afford their own clothing even at wholesale. Sure, there's still plenty of healthy markup, but once you factor in the textile design and production costs, which can be astronomical, and the construction, it's not as much as you'd think, I would imagine. That's why it's considered by many to be art, and is collected and curated as such.

[eshesh]

11:07 PM on 07/30/2010

yes, if a garment is made in the US or europe, it will cost more to make, but that doesn't mean the quality and workmanship is any better. Seamstresses working in high-end factories in the US/Europe often come from the same countries (eg China) where 'cheaper' production takes place. Such skills are in decline in the already-industrialized world, and there are more highly skilled seamstresses in Asia, many of them move to NY or Italy for the better pay. In other words, the companies have not necessarily chosen a higher-caliber of laborer but have made the choice to invest in domestic production for any number of reasons-marketing, control, etc.

I'm not implying anything specifically about P/S, I'm sure they make a wonderful product but just a general point that 'made in US' or 'made in Italy' doesn't mean what it once did, and in fact, may only mean that as little as 5-10% of the product was actually produced there.

[JJovana]

03:45 PM on 07/29/2010

I love the honesty. Proenza Schouler designs are amazing tho. No wonder the price is high. The accessories are to die for.

[ladytray]

03:37 PM on 07/29/2010

Wow, they were definitely honest. Makes me wonder if other designers feel that way!

[garystartswithg]

04:49 PM on 07/29/2010

young ones, yes. i don't think ralph lauren does though.