Aanii nwiijkiwenyig (Hello my friends)!
This week, I was excited to receive a large order of socks from a new supplier. The big news is not a new style (I had a previous one replicated). No… The news is that these socks were NOT Made in Turtle Island!
For those of you who are familiar with Pre&Peri, you know that I have focused on domestic manufacturing from the start. I decided that keeping production within Turtle Island (aka North America) was the way to go because it supports our local economy, reduces our carbon footprint during production, and ensures that employees at all levels of production are paid a fair wage.
As I continued on in my entrepreneurial journey, I hit many roadblocks and began to understand why so many Canadian brands sell imported goods. The main reason is cost. Consumers are so used to cheap fast fashion options that they expect to be able to walk into a mall or big box store any day of the week and find a $5-20 t-shirt. The only way brands can sell at such prices is by neglecting to pay their labourers a fair wage and by producing huge quantities, too much of which is sent to the landfill or incinerated to make room for the next collection of micro trends.
For those brands and consumers willing to pay a premium for locally-made products, there are limited options in Canada. I am lucky to have found a few apparel manufacturers in the Greater Toronto Area before officially launching my brand, but to find a sock manufacturer? That’s another story. Luckily, after a lot of searching, I found one based in Alberta and worked with them until recently. When they shut down, I was so disappointed and they were not even able to point me in the direction of another Canadian sock manufacturer. My decorator with connections in the industry could not find one. I went to the National Imprint Canada Show thinking it would be a goldmine of Canadian-made goods but I only found one sock supplier and they manufacture in China. My vendor friends did find one based in Toronto, but that company doesn’t make the type of socks I want to sell.
Okay, maybe I shouldn’t be so set on getting socks with the design knit right in? I could do sublimation, but when you stretch sublimated socks, you see a lot of white lines because the print sits on top of the relaxed sock. I don’t like this look, plus sublimation only works on polyester which is no friend to sweaty feet!
The manufacturer my vendor friends found offers custom sock manufacturing, but they don’t make the type of sock I’m looking for. That’s okay; I can compromise—I can design with their limitations in mind! Turns out, their minimum order is 1000 units (!!), and they don’t have the staff to take on a custom order right now anyway. Another dead end.
At this point, I have been in business for over two years. I have return customers and a demand for my comfy socks with an Indigenous flair. I’m out of leads, so it’s time to branch out. I checked some companies that manufacture in the U.S., but each sock costs too much for me to mark up to make a profit (this might sound a bit Scrooge-y but I have to make a profit to continue my business). The next best thing is ethical, overseas manufacturing. Even better? A Canadian company that produces ethically in Italy!
So here we are, a new sock manufacturer! I’m sad to say that they are NOT Made in Turtle Island, but I am still supporting a Canadian company, the socks are made ethically by people who are paid a fair wage, they are made with high-quality, breathable Egyptian combed cotton, and they feature my original Indigenous artwork.
I think this is a compromise I can live with! Check out the new Pre&Peri Athletic Flower Socks and let me know what you think.
Baamaapii (Until next time)!
- Caitlin Wemigwans, Owner/Designer Pre&Peri