Rip Curl Manufacture In North Korea!
We know many leading clothing manufactures do this, as the article states. It's very disappointing that Rip Curl is tagged with this. Geez, the days have changed when we used to go down to Torquay in winter and help sow wetsuits and surf the local breaks.
This is a world wide problem - the strive to get a lower price in virtually all areas of manufacturing.
tonybarber wrote:We know many leading clothing manufactures do this, as the article states. It's very disappointing that Rip Curl is tagged with this. Geez, the days have changed when we used to go down to Torquay in winter and help sow wetsuits and surf the local breaks.
This is a world wide problem - the strive to get a lower price in virtually all areas of manufacturing.
"We know many leading clothing manufacturers do this", who's we tony? I had no idea rip curl were manufacturing in north Korea. Who are the many other leading clothing manufacturers doing this?
I think most brands would be trying to avoid this but as Tony pointed out, it's all about the price. The brand puts pressure on the supply chain to minimise the price and someone down the line does the wrong thing. That said Rip Curl need to tell us a bit more than they did via the article and open up their entire supply chain to scrutiny. As consumers we are also complicit. By seeking the best price and comparison shopping we help create the price pressure that results in these breaches. We should be prepared to pay more for items guaranteed to be produced in safe factories that pay living wages.......but, being realistic, it is probably not the best marketing strategy.
Yep BB agree, we are complicit. We know about what Nike did in Indo and the sad Bangaldesh clothing factories, so yes we are complicit. Closer to home, there is a problem with Asian workers employed by 7 Eleven. Being seriously underpaid. The workers are fearful of loosing their jobs and many are breaching their visas. I am confident it is not a coincidence that most garages, convenience stores are managed by Asian workers.
In this Rip Curl will need to change and quickly.
Shop ethical rating of surf/skate brands. Big old F for Rip Curl already in place before this event.
http://guide.ethical.org.au/guide/browse/guide/?cat=700&subcat=704&type=717
You can see why KS left QS and sided with Kering.
Well, many many moons ago I did raise this whole topic about surf brands manufacturing in Asia and how they could justify large coin for a logo filled cotton T-shirt made in some sweet shop, didn't get one jolly roger reply. While some naive heads out there might think we surfers are all pure when comes to this sort of thing, the truth is we and the industry isn't. For the record I can't remember when I purchased a surf brand item other than my Patagonia boardies which I got on eBay for $5. If you are looking for well made ethically produced items that do the job without the big logos head for bush walking shops when they have their sales.
Floyd, don't think the surf brand issues are news to most swellnutters. I'm sure I've seen multiple threads and topics on it here. This is just interesting as its a clear case and very visible.
As an aside, I don't really care what surfbrands charge as there are other options, that's up to them to set their prices and the individual to decide if it represents a good deal for them. if it seems too much you obviously aren't their target market. Only issue is in wetties and boardies but that's a little different to the t-shirt/surf wear market.
Note that i avoid surf brands like the plague. I really need new boardies but have decided to ignore this problem till my arse is hanging out of my existing ones. Much easier decision.
yeah, $500-$600 wet suits. made in asia, shipped to the UK and then purchased on line and sent here (postage free) for 55-60% of RRP in AU ... why the mark ups here?
as an aside, i've got a iTunes account based in the US .... massive savings are had
I'm lucky that wetties have just happened to "come my way" for a while but I always seem to miss the boardie gravy train. Actually thinking about it, my only issue is that I can't get more free boardies at the moment so am struggling to justify the purchase! Cheap arse. Does any surfer from a surf industry town actually pay for gear? No-one I know.
Good pickup on the UK wetties, will keep in mind.
Maybe they need the mark-ups to cover the "friends of friends" effect in Aus...
mk1 wrote:Maybe they need the mark-ups to cover the "friends of friends" effect in Aus...
.....and the "friends" themselves are pretty expensive. The vast majority of sponsored surfers don't seem to be good value as marketing tools. At the very top no doubt they pay their way but it's hard to see the benefit to the brand even with some of the lower rated CT surfers.
yeah the whole sponsored surfer business model sucks ... but mainly for us punters who are expected to pay full whack to pay for the lifestyle of those spoilt little prima donnas.
retail ....... there is a local surf shop, been there since the beginning, i know the owner really well, nice guy, spent lots there over the years ... boards, wet suits, clothes but not for a decade or more unless i'm super desperate coz i get a whopping 10% discount ..... 10 fucking percent off ..... no-one pays full whack or 10% off ever on retail now ...... my partner works in retail and she gets 50% off all purchases, and when there is a sale and everything is 30% off she gets the reduced price less a further 50% ...
Can anyone else see the irony in the theme of this thread, then people in the comments section discussing how to get even cheaper things? BB is right when he says consumers are complicit.
Perhaps the biggest let down here is that whether you pay, for example, $110 or $7 for a pair of jeans, they fall apart at the same speed.
Meanwhile at the surfstich sale boardies are going quick
mk1 .......my fellow scrooge ...click on boardshorts ....click under $35 and buy buy buy
Thanks Udo - on it!
velocityjohnno wrote:Can anyone else see the irony in the theme of this thread, then people in the comments section discussing how to get even cheaper things? BB is right when he says consumers are complicit.
Perhaps the biggest let down here is that whether you pay, for example, $110 or $7 for a pair of jeans, they fall apart at the same speed.
irony ... true VJ ... but my point, be it poorly expressed perhaps, is that these companies go to the sweet shops to force down operational costs while charging full whack in the 1st world = greed x 2.
if the product does the job its meant to do and good value for money companies can still manufacture in the 1st world and still make a profit .... i routinely buy clothing made by 3 different companies in NZ (here and online) and it competes favourably on price with Asian made but sold in AU and is bullet proof when it comes to fabric used and quality of workmanship.
The only way to stop this irresponsible corporate behaviour is to hit a company where it hurts its profit margin. Boycott businesses which source their products from labour that is exploited and support businesses thats behaviour suits your own ethics.
Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation is something I look for in some products I purchase.
If we send our money to North Korea, the little fat man gets it all. He then builds Nuclear missiles with that money. Rip Curl and others may just get their gear delivered to Australia under an ICBM warhead one day so North Korea can save on freight.
Does Ripcurl pay a good dividend to investors? Looked up and realised they are a private company.
Wonder how much the board of directors and CEO earn?
floyd wrote:yeah, $500-$600 wet suits. made in asia, shipped to the UK and then purchased on line and sent here (postage free) for 55-60% of RRP in AU ... why the mark ups here?
as an aside, i've got a iTunes account based in the US .... massive savings are had
Im after a ripcurl 5/3 for winter, 86 english pounds or about 160 australian sheckles! Cheaper than local factory outlet here!
BobC wrote:If we send our money to North Korea, the little fat man gets it all. He then builds Nuclear missiles with that money. Rip Curl and others may just get their gear delivered to Australia under an ICBM warhead one day so North Korea can save on freight.
Nah nah bob, it's just like indo and Bangladesh in fact it's just like Asian workers getting underpaid in seven eleven in Australia
Yes it's true