Monday, January 11, 2010

The Price Factor



A constant complaint about men's kilts is their price. Some men feel that it is ridiculous to pay for a genuine man's garment when women's skirts are so much cheaper. Although kilts and real MUGs tend to be expensive, we should not assume that those who make and sell them are being "greedy." Persons who are really greedy wouldn't commit themselves to such a risky venture as making MUG's to begin with.

It is an inescapable fact that, absent an independent source of income, people have got to make a reasonable profit in their business if they are going to survive. The same applies to making and selling MUG's. We have already seen a number of MUG ventures bite the dust.

Traditional Scottish kilt making will probably survive, regardless of high prices, thanks to continued interest in Scottish heritage, bag piping, Scottish dancing, etc. But this will continue to be a very narrow specialty market, limited to a relatively few kilt enthusiasts who are willing to pay the price. Sarongs are sufficiently masculine and reasonable in price, but they are probably too informal and lightweight for most purposes in Western society.

MUG's will not become mainstream until good-looking, comfortable, practical, and reasonably priced MUG's are readily available, so that enough men are willing to set aside their fears and try them out. Most men will not have the courage to do this until there is a sufficient number of other men already wearing MUG's. So there by one or the other must give in first.

And here is where the price factor presents a dilemma. The cost of making quality MUG's is going to be high, because MUG's are a specialty item with a very limited market. The high price will deter many men from experimenting with such a garment, because they aren't sure about wearing one to begin with.

We know how the big clothing merchandisers are able to stay profitable while keeping prices competitive - they mass-produce tens of thousands of the same item in sweatshops in third-world countries. It will be a long time - if ever - before we see MUG's being produced on the same scale.

Therefore, the prices of quality MUG's will not substantially come down until MUG's are mass-produced and competitively mass-marketed like trousers, women's skirts, and other popular items of clothing. This will not happen until there is a mass market for MUGs. And there will be no mass market for MUGs as long as price remains an obstacle, together with men's fear of wearing alternatives to trousers.

Even though men could buy women's skirts for much less, very few men are willing to wear women's clothing. In fact, this is exactly why most men are still reluctant to wear kilts - they are afraid it would look too much like cross-dressing. Therefore, MUG's must be clearly understood to be male clothing if they are to become mainstream.

If we are serious about overcoming Trouser Tyranny, I think we should reconcile ourselves to the following:
Public acceptance and popularity of MUGs will never occur unless there continue to be people who make and sell unbifurcated garments specifically designed and intended for men. If the only source of unbifurcated garments is the women's department, then unbifurcated garments will continue to be regarded as exclusively female, men who wear them will continue to be viewed as "cross-dressers," and other men will continue to cling to their trousers.
The MUG's have got to be well-designed and of high quality. They must be comfortable, practical, handsome, and something that an ordinary man would enjoy wearing. Flimsy, shoddily made, impractical, and odd-looking creations are bound to fail, even if sold at low prices.
We should give our encouragement and support to those pioneers who are helping to expand the variety and availability of good quality MUGs. Products that come to mind are recent kilt variations like the Practikilkt, Mountain Hardwear Hiking Kilt, 21st Century Kilts, Stillwater Kilts and Utilikilts.

Yes, I know that we chafe at the high prices. But I remember a time, about 30 years ago, when hand-held electronic calculators that did multiplication and division originally came on the market. They cost more than $100 at Radio Shack. But I seriously wanted one, and I paid the money for it. Now we can buy calculators that do much more than that for less than $5 and are often given for free as an adverting gift.

The same will be true for MUGs, when and if they ever become popular. But in the meantime, we are the ones who must shoulder the responsibility of keeping the concept alive until it builds up greater momentum, and until MUG-wearing men reach the critical mass necessary to bring the prices down. In the meantime, we've got to give all the encouragement we can to the pioneers who take the risk of marketing MUG's, even if they cost a lot more than a pair of trousers or a woman's skirt at the Gap.

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