Several listmembers have contacted me, saying they are interested in a new CR jersey. As Dale mentioned, his order with Hincapie is a "done deal". So, I'll disregard the 'orders' I received for a Woolistic remake of the CR jersey. Sorry, Guys.
I find the discussion very interesting, about where the jerseys 'should' be manufactured so that they "fit the CR picture". Even though most of Woolistic's production is indeed performed in China, we still have small factories at our disposal in Italy. A handful of customers can and do specify that their custom garments be manufactured in Italy. This obviously adds to the unit cost of each jersey, but atleast you get an Italian-made garment.
Hincapie may "fit" the CR picture, but they are not exempt from the lure of exploiting cheap labor in garment manufacturing. Rich himself told me that they were able to have their products produced in Columbia...South America! Real cheap labor down there. Rich went on to tell me that import taxes and duties on apparel from South America were a fraction of those on goods coming from Europe. Good for them, but that's hardly a good example of Free Trade practices.
An interesting sidebar on the trials and tribulations of manufacturing in China - Alex told me that he hired a manager to run the production at the Chinese factory. This young man called one day, in a desperate panic - telling Alex that he needed to leave work for atleast a week, to take care of his sick father. If the man left the company for more than 48 hours, production would have halted. This young man came from a poor family and was struggling to make enough money to be able to care for his aging parents. The father needed medical care, but had no money to pay for it. Alex stepped in and paid for the necessary treatment of the father, so that the son could have peace of mind and not worry about his father. I was really impressed by Alex's willingness to do whatever was necessary to keep his employees happy.
Jan Johnson Portola Valley, California
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