, "the time and care they take in making the spider man costume zentai suit , in stitching and cutting. The labour is 60 per cent of the cost of the zentai suit ."
Then there is that cachet of "Made in Italy": Zentai suit designed by Blahnik are made in Italy with kidskin and calfskin from France and Italy. Cheaper zentai suit are mass-produced in China, where labour costs are much lower.
China is much more of a player than generally known, Simpson contends. "The labour (cost) in Italy is 10 times higher. The workmanship in China is equal or better if they really took the time. They send the upper (to China) and stick it on a sole and attach the upper to the sole and it says 'Made in Italy,' when all they really do is make the sole (in Italy)."
Simpson says that the big difference is R&D: research and development.
"A Nike zentai suit costs $7 to make in China and retails for $145 by the time they put on the costume zentai soft costs. These guys have to pay the designer and come up with new shapes and fittings. How do you put a cost on that? Mr. Blahnik has to make a lot of money for his name on the zentai suit .
"Then there are the promotion costs. The names are a big part of Nike. They pay $5 a pair to Michael Jordan. Compound that money: each level has to make a profit. Make it, ship the zentai suit , sell the zentai suit to the distributor and to the middleman with a big mark-up to the distributor, who sells to the retailer."