Made in China

[Icanttakethisanymore]

I was looking at a Reiss coat in the sale today. It's from their Atelier collection, 90% wool, 10% cashmere, it was lovely. It was £695 full price with almost 50% off... I was tempted. Then I looked at the label again and it's made in China.

It's this one - https://www.reiss.com/style/su338658/e11074 (sold out online but they had some in the store I was in today)

Would this bother you? My DP is big on where things are made and massively objects to paying a lot of money for something which hasn't been made in a jurisdiction with decent workers rights etc. he thinks it's greedy.

Ah, thanks, I didn’t realise Nokia’s were made the EU.

Thank you!

Many clothing labels take the trouble to find manufacturing partners in China and India who understand ethical production, workers' welfare and even community support. They pay them well to uphold standards; not all retailers and/or middlemen push for tight margins and reducing costs.

I do my best to check before buying new clothes. Any company that's bothered will have something on their website about it (something more than an empty statement about sustainability) and there are some industry-monitoring services to check with as well.

Links for you, OP:

https://directory.goodonyou.eco/brand/reiss

https://xcdn.next.co.uk/pdfs/reiss/code_of_conduct_statement.pdf

https://www.reiss.com/sustainability/social

To be fair I’m currently wearing a jumper he bought which shrunk in the wash (although he did wash it at 40 when the label said 30). It’s just a cotton sweatshirt so he didn’t think to check. Fits me a treat now.

Thank you - this is useful. I’m conscious that manufacturing in China and lower cost counties doesn't need to be unethical. It’s obviously possible to treat staff well, uphold good environmental practices etc but I guess my assumption is that they are not doing those things. Obviously I could be wrong - thanks for the links.

oh dear, looks like REISS really isn’t a good option. Damn it, I love their stuff for work.

If it helps, the Good On You report was made in September 2023. Last year, Reiss signed up to a third party supply-chain monitoring system that is getting lots of positive coverage, although I don't know how much of that is just PR or how good it is (Compare Ethics doesn't publish results to consumers).

There are other directories worth consulting, but I'm afraid I've lost my bookmarks! Other MNers must have them and will perhaps reply here.

OP, if it's of any comfort double face, unlined wool coats and jackets are a pain to wear. They're fine if what you are wearing under them has bare arms / short sleeves, or if it's long sleeves in silk or polyester or viscose. If you're wearing long cotton or wool sleeves they stick on the unlined wool.

If you really want an all natural fabric, ethical coat then have a look at Lora Gene. A lot of their clothes are only made to order so no over-production and waste. There is a lot of info on the website about where the clothes are made and who makes them.

And oddly it costs £3-400 for an all alpaca coat there, which makes you wonder quite why Reiss felt the need to charge double that.

https://www.loragene.com/shop/jackets-coats

"Manufactured in Europe" using Rare Earth Elements and other metals mined in China.

There is no doubt that boycotting Chinese products is complicated and difficult to do in practical terms.
Made in China = Don't buy
Made elsewhere but with some components produced in China = Buy?
If the item is pre-used, does this make it morally acceptable eg like celebs buying carbon credits against their private flights?

These awkward questions interest me.