Radical Survival

With the local garment industry slowly being crippled by the influx of cheap clothing from India and China, one local company is taking the scissors into its own hands. Gary and Dianne Hunt, founders of Radical Designs line of clothing is looking to tap into new regional and overseas markets to stay in the black. Once a powerhouse of the economy, the garment industry is being hit on several fronts and is now down for the count. “Some manufacturers are even being forced to reduce their work force because of the decline in sales,” said Dianne. Radical Designs has been in the garment manufacturing business for 14 years. The company says it is not ready to be run over by imported clothes.

What started as an outlet at a home garage, Radical has risen  to become a model for fashion business in the Caribbean. Slick and chic, they have become renowned for their classic, stylish, Gap-like clothing that attract both the young and old. Their creative use of cotton and linens, and their white, beige, khaki, string and sky blue coloured shirts, skirts and dresses have also put them in the local and international spotlight. The company now has two franchise holders, six stores in Trinidad, one in Tobago, one in Antigua, Barbados, St Maarten,  and one soon to be opened in Tortola. The company recently put up eye-catching billboards at South Quay and the Churchill Roosevelt Highway that showed off  their latest styles.

“It is a constant struggle to keep the business running,” said Dianne Hunt. “It is not an easy job at all especially with the situation with the garment industry now, you won’t imagine.” Hunt feels that, from a manufacturing point of view, the garment industry today is in big trouble and unless the Government can assist, there will be no future for it. “We are in trouble, because of the global situation of mass production in China we have to compete with prices that are ridiculously low,” Hunte said. She believes that, being a developing country, TT Government should give the industry some assistance by either subsidising local manufacturers in order for them to keep the employment rate at a high level, or by putting higher taxes on imported clothes.

She said that the influx of cheap clothing has made it increasingly difficult for her company to compete. She explained that the company used to buy fabric locally, but realised that the only way to cut back on the cost of manufacturing was to import it. Now, they are importing raw material from China and Europe. Unlike other manufacturing companies, though, all of Radical Designs’ clothes are made locally. This, Hunt explains, has provided employment in the sector. She says since the minimum wage has been increased, the company has been feeling the pinch.  In addition, Radical, she says, not only has  to deal with the increased cost of manufacturing but fighting business people who import garments. She took the view  that most of these importers do not meet the required compulsory labelling standards. She pointed out that as manufacturers, they try to do everything right to keep their business running.

She said even though Radical was operating within the standards, others were getting away with importing cheap, improperly labelled products. Stores nationwide are selling these imported clothes at unbelievably low prices. It is surprising to note that one can now get a top at five dollars and a pair of jeans for $50 or less. The Bureau of Standards compulsory labelling standards declare that all garments must have labels which  include the country of origin, composition of fabric, size, country in which the garment was made and washing instructions, whether written or in symbols. Labelling costs are very high,  Hunt explained. “We don’t just put on any old label on the garments, we use different colours of embroidered labels for different colours of clothing.”

She recalls that in 2000, she designed and manufactured three styles of a linen skirt  but, soon after, noticed that the same skirts were selling in stores throughout the country. She said that she investigated and found that the imitations were improperly labelled but, strangely enough, were “selling like mad.” “These people are really heartless, they took my skirt, copied the three styles and were selling it cheaper nationwide, and every time I see it I get sick to my stomach,” Hunt said. “They do not seem to care that what they are doing is directly affecting designers and the garment industry on a whole. It is like intellectual rape.”

Hunt believes that the local garment industry will be wiped out if Government does not intervene. She said that she has known of numerous factories that have already closed up shop and that there are very few local manufacturers left. Despite the trials that Radical Designs has been faced with and though it has gone through a devastating struggle, she says that the company is still strong. “We have been able to rise above all the flaws in the industry and in the face of adversity, we have achieved much,” she said. Asked about future plans for the company, Hunt said that Radical hoped to penetrate wider regional and international markets.