Case of the Lace

Noticed the onslaught of lace lately?

 

 

 

 

The lace hitting markets right now isn't the lace you find in lingerie or veils or doilies, nor is it the lace your great-great-great-grandmother sashayed in.  Indeed, lace has been given new life, and the lace industry is beyond ecstatic about the boom in business.  French lace, especially, is coming back with a vengeance, after nearly a century of lying dormant.

Why did lace take 100 years to come back in fashion?  There are some economic underpinnings of lace production and function that made it impossible for an earlier resurgence.  For one thing, lace is one of those fabrics that is utterly drenched in femininity.  Given the rapid rise of females in the workforce, lace lost favor for women interested more in climbing the corporate ladder and projecting their equal ability with men.  Yet lace is recently receiving a huge boost in popularity due to its juxtaposition of the traditional and modern, a luxurious item that symbolizes the revival of all that is intricate and traditional.

 

 

Lace is also ridiculously expensive, both in terms of time and cost.  French lace, in particular, is made with a tediously slow machine called Leavers.  Lace is an art form that is incredibly intricate, with designs so complex that it isn't unheard of for workers to take a couple days to produce only one yard.  With designers requesting colored lace, chemists are involved in carefully dying the cloth produced.  The lace production process is such that it often takes months to produce - in fact, high-end lace showing up in runways this year were produced last year and won't be expected in merchandise until next year.

 

 

Being as expensive as it is, one would think that cheaper options in today's global market would be available.  And yes, there are such inexpensive options available - the Chinese service much of fast fashion.  Machine-powered and quick, Chinese lace isn't as artistic but churns out lace at a rate that satisfies the average consumer looking to dip their toes in a trend.  Quality, however, is the differentiating factor - Chinese lace is no competition for couture lace, and while it off reduces costs on high-end clothes by hundred of dollars (French lace can cost over $60 a yard compared to its Chinese counterpart, which can be found for $2 a yard), French lace offers a distinctive quality that is stronger, prettier, and more feasible in a variety of textiles.  Even so, lace production isn't a recession-friendly operation - many lace outfits had to drastically cut staff during the recession, a time when opulence like lace were considered recession unfriendly.

 

 

Who would have thought lace would make a comeback?  Not just for romantics or she-rebels anymore - lace is a fun fashionomic trend.


Happy Friday!

Source:  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704471904576230881696059622.html


*The Fashionomist*