Buying a Knockoff of My Own Dress: An Educated Roast [video]

Ok, we've switched to that from https://invidio.us/watch?v=J80J4oaGVnY. Thanks!

Technically you could make this fully machine assembled, but then capital costs of starting and setting up the production line (which has been done) would necessitate at least hundreds of thousands of pieces and more expensive than cheap fast and simple bad sewing jobs in third world countries. (Like for socks.)

While SewBot for example is not advanced enough, a real production line can be made. The trick is catching and pulling the fabrics so they're rigid as well as good alignment. It's hard to ensure for even advanced process engineer, much less for this process to be fast.

This would probably return if costs of labor for setting would increase dramatically.

Nobody would sell enough of these with the proper fabrics, and even with the cheap blend it would create lots of waste to cut the many pieces for sewing.

At the same time, you could mostly knit whole clothing instead if you go fully automated.

I'm curious about the DARPA work you mention. Do you have any references?

And yes: Ms. Banner's explanation of the costs of production -- in materials, governed by the layers and needs of the garment -- and in labour, was highly illuminating. It's instructive both in how much the underlying production costs of fine clothing are, the markups which still remain in high fashion, and how inexpensive most day-to-day clothing is.