Annaliesa Coupe
Item: Halter Top
Garage halter top: $34.95 (below)
1/2 yard seer sucker fabric – per yard: $9.99
29cm elastic used – 3.4m elastic package cost: $2.00
5 hours worked until project completion – minimum wage: $17.85
Constant: Sewing machine (second hand) – $70
Excluded: cost of scissors, pins, cutting board, clips, iron, ironing board
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Finished result:
(My top)
@margaretstudios on Instagram
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1/2(9.99) =$5.00 – cost of fabric
29cm($2/340cm) = 17ยข
$5.00 + $0.17 = $5.17
$5.17 is the cost per shirt, excluding cost of labour.
Formula:
x = number of shirts made (in this case, 1)
Does the DIY ever become cheaper? When?
Yes, when excluding the cost of labour, the DIY version of this top is about $30 cheaper. Fabric is inexpensive, as is the elastic, so the expenses for this project are very minimal. Also, I drafted my own pattern for this top, so I didn’t have to buy one, either. However, when including the cost of labour, it is unethical to make it myself and much cheaper to buy the top from the store.
Pros/Cons of DIY
There are many pros and cons when crafting your own product. It’s more special to have something you made yourself, and if you use it as a gift, that makes it more personal. Also, it can help you develop a new skill (sewing, scrapbooking, painting, etc) and give you a hobby to do in your free time. For many people, including myself, it is a good stress-reliever. The cons, however, are the price. Materials, notions and time are huge factors of DIY that often defeat the purpose of ‘doing it at home’ to make something ‘cheaper.’ Also, if something goes wrong, that’s on you to fix. If get something store-bought, you already know what you’re getting and for less time and frustration. (This could be seen as a drawback, though, because when you make something yourself, your creative liberty allows you to create exactly what you want.)
Deciding Factors
When I buy something, like clothing, I like to know that it is not coming from a cheap, fast-fashion brand (e.g. Shein). I prefer to thrift clothing or make it myself, because that is a more unique way to build my style. If I see something when thrifting that is from a big company, like Zara or Ardene, I’m less likely to buy it because I know that the quality is not as good.
How frequently do you consider the monetary value of your time?
I do not often think about my time being money. I spend it as I want to. Only when you’re making something to sell do I think you need to factor in your time, because then you are working for your money. If it’s a gift, or something for yourself, that is more of a hobby or something to do rather than an expense of time.
What happens to your “diy” price if you include your cost of labour?
Time it took to make top: 5 hours
Minimum wage in BC: $17.85
5(17.85)= 89.25
$89.25 + $5.17 = $94.42
The cost of my handmade halter top would skyrocket if I factored in the time I spent on it. Approximately 5 hours of work went into making it, and if you multiply that just by minimum wage, it is almost immoral to DIY it when I could simply buy it. However, I prefer to make it myself, because as I said above, since it’s for myself I do not consider the monetary value of my time. Therefore, it is a cheaper alternative.
Is there a point where we should prioritize worker conditions over convenience and low prices?
Yes: working conditions are very important. Buying something from an unethical source is not a good feeling because you know you are contributing to the revenue of that company. However, it is not that simple. Many things we buy from big companies use unethical labour sources, and sometimes it is unavoidable. As we progress in the future, I think we should make more of an effort to shift away from big companies and focus more on what is better for people (who work there) and our planet. For example, instead of buying from Amazon, make your purchase in-store. Instead of buying from Zara or Shein, go thrifting or buy vintage.