ABSTRACT
Weaving cotton into fabric is the strongest value-adding link in the production chain and the most expensive component of garment production (Birnbaum, 2008). When speaking of “value” in this context, it is understood that it is value derived from the direct, as they are known, inputs in the manufacturing process. As already discussed in previous chapters, one can argue that when it comes to clothes, the strongest value in terms of final price of a garment is added through the complex advertising processes of branding, marketing, and promotion. However, the markups, that is, the increases in the price of the item that can be derived from advertising, all depend on the direct costs of production. Therefore, the fabric costs define the final garment value, because fabric offers the features of finery, quality, and originality that allow upmarketing of particular garment features.
