Sandhya Garg — Behind the Seams
How Much It Actually Costs to Make Your Clothes:
A Designer's Honest Breakdown
By Sandhya Garg · Project Runway Designer · XS–3XL Collections · Updated October 2026
From the Project Runway workroom to my own studio: every garment is a long list of decisions — and costs.
Quick Answer
The cost of making a garment depends on how many are made, where and by whom, the fabric (usually the biggest single cost), any embroidery or handwork, sewing complexity, trims, labels and packaging, shipping and import duties, and marketing. Mass-produced clothes are cheap because everything is bought and sewn in huge volumes; small-batch designer pieces cost several times more per piece to make — but are built to be worn for years, which often makes them cheaper per wear.
People often ask me what it really costs to make the clothes hanging in their wardrobe. It's a fair question — and the answer explains almost everything about why one dress costs $25 and another costs $250.
First, some context. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Expenditure Survey, the average American household spent about $2,001 on apparel and services in 2024 (BLS, via FRED). How much of that money buys clothes you'll love for years — and how much buys clothes you'll throw away after a season — depends on what goes into making them.
As a Project Runway designer who makes limited-edition clothing in small batches, in sizes XS through 3XL, I deal with every one of these costs personally. Here's the honest breakdown — plus how to judge whether a price is worth it.
Why should you care, if the price suits your pocket? Because every garment has a cost, and when clothes are very cheap, someone else — the maker, or the planet — is often paying the difference. And because personal style rarely comes from the same clothes everyone else is wearing.
In This Guide
- The 9 factors that decide what a garment costs
- Mass production vs small batch
- The true cost: fashion and the planet
- Why handwork and embroidery cost more
- Cost per wear: the maths that changes everything
- How to tell if a garment is worth its price
- Shop: 12 pieces made the slow way
- FAQ: the cost of making clothes
The 9 Factors That Decide What a Garment Costs
01
Quantity made
Making 1,000 of one dress costs far less per piece than making 20. Fabric is bought in bulk, cut in huge stacks and sewn on assembly lines. Small batches lose all those savings.
02
Where & by whom
Country of manufacture sets labour costs, but so does how makers are treated. Fair wages and good working conditions cost more in any country.
03
Fabric
Usually the single largest cost. Natural fibres like silk, linen, wool and quality cotton cost far more than polyester and other petroleum-based fabrics — and feel, wear and age better.
04
Embroidery & handwork
Machine embroidery adds cost; hand embroidery adds much more — sometimes days of skilled work for one garment.
05
Sewing & complexity
Pattern-making, cutting, sewing and finishing. A wrap dress with a balloon sleeve takes far more skill and time than a T-shirt.
06
Trims & accessories
Thread, zips, buttons, elastic, lace, tassels and beads. The more unique and detailed the trims, the higher the cost — in materials and labour.
07
Labels & packaging
Woven labels, swing tags, garment bags and boxes are part of the brand experience — and part of the price.
08
Shipping, customs & duties
Getting garments from workshop to customer means freight, customs and import duties, which have changed several times in recent years.
09
Everything else
Photoshoots, websites, fashion shows, content and advertising. In my case, add original, hand-drawn prints for every design.
Mass Production vs Small Batch
Mass production
Thousands of identical pieces
Bulk fabric, stack-cutting by machine and assembly-line sewing, where one worker sews only left sleeves all day. Cheap per piece — but often in fabrics that only last a few washes, and you'll see your dress on ten other people.
Small batch
Tens of pieces, made with care
Fabric bought in smaller runs, cutting and sewing by skilled makers, often with handwork. It can cost several times more per piece to make — but it's designed to last for years, and few people will own the same thing.
Extended sizing
Why XS–3XL costs more
Properly grading a design across seven sizes means more pattern work and more fabric per piece at the larger end. Doing it right — adjusting print scale and proportions, not just making it bigger — is worth it.
The trade-off
Price vs life span
A cheaper garment that falls apart and gets replaced several times can end up costing more than one that lasts. That's where cost per wear comes in.
The True Cost: Fashion and the Planet
🌍 2–8% of Global Emissions
Reported by the UN Environment Programme
The UN Environment Programme says reported figures put the fashion industry at between 2% and 8% of global carbon emissions, with a recent authoritative report placing it at 4%.
🔎 A Popular Myth, Corrected
Reported by i-D and Good On You
You may have heard fashion is 'the second most polluting industry after oil'. i-D notes that claim has been debunked, and Good On You says there's no scientific evidence for it. (An earlier version of this post repeated it — consider this my correction.)
♻️ Wear It Twice as Long
Reported by UN News
According to UN News, UNEP says simply doubling the time we use each item of clothing could halve the fashion industry's greenhouse gas emissions. Buying less, but better, genuinely matters.
🧵 The Human Cost
Reported by the UN Environment Programme
The same UNEP strategy describes much of the industry as reliant on an underpaid workforce facing unsafe working conditions. Very cheap clothes often carry that hidden cost.
Every print starts as a drawing; many pieces are made with artisans in India. See how we hand-make the prints.
Why Handwork and Embroidery Cost More
Embroidery can be done by machine, by hand, or both, and hand embroidery is in a different league of time and skill. India is one of the world's great centres of hand embroidery — luxury houses have long relied on Indian ateliers for their most intricate work, and Dior even staged a landmark show at Mumbai's Gateway of India in 2023 celebrating that craft. Many of my own pieces are made with artisans in India.
But even in India, heritage hand skills are under pressure, and every embroidered piece carries hours — sometimes days — of a specialist's time. Trade costs matter too: US tariffs on Indian textiles and apparel climbed as high as 50% in 2025 (Al Jazeera) and have changed several times since. Those duties are part of the price of anything imported. Read more about where my prints come from in My Desi Heritage.
Cost Per Wear: The Maths That Changes Everything
Cost per wear is simply the price divided by the number of times you wear something. Here's an illustrative example:
Example A
$40 dress, worn 3 times
Falls apart or goes out of style after a season.
$13.33 per wear
Example B
$258 dress, worn 30 times
Worn to weddings, dinners and holidays for years.
$8.60 per wear
Example C
$258 dress, worn 60 times
Re-styled with jackets and boots across seasons.
$4.30 per wear
The more versatile and well made a piece is, the lower its cost per wear. That's why I design for re-styling — see 10 ways to style one shirt dress.
How to Tell If a Garment Is Worth Its Price
🧶 Check the Fabric Label
Natural fibres and quality blends cost more for a reason. Feel the weight and drape; thin, plasticky fabric rarely lasts.
🪡 Look at the Seams
Seams should be straight, secure and finished on the inside. Pull gently — there should be no gaping or loose threads.
🎨 Check the Print
On quality pieces, prints are placed thoughtfully and line up at seams. Badly matched prints suggest rushed cutting.
✨ Turn Embroidery Over
The back of good embroidery is neat and secure. Loose loops or glued sections are a sign of shortcuts.
Read Next
New Collection · Small Batches · XS to 3XL
Made the Slow Way. Shop the Collection.
Twelve pieces from our newest collection, grouped by where the cost — and the value — goes: handwork, original prints, and craft details.
Where the Cost Goes: Embroidery & Handwork
Where the Cost Goes: Original Prints & Pattern-Cutting
Where the Cost Goes: Fabric, Trims & Small Runs
Shop the Let Them Eat Cake Collection
Hand-drawn prints · Small batches · Once they're gone, they're gone
SHOP THE COLLECTION →Dresses in XS · S · M · L · XL · XXL · XXXL · Jackets in limited sizes · Size chart
Where the money goes, up close: an original print and embroidery detail.
Make It Last
Shop Collections
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to make a dress?
It varies enormously. A mass-produced dress made in thousands may cost only a few dollars to make, while a small-batch designer dress with quality fabric, original prints and handwork can cost several times more per piece. Fabric, labour, embroidery, trims, duties and quantity all change the cost.
Why are designer clothes so expensive?
Designer clothes are usually made in small quantities from better fabrics, often with handwork, complex pattern-cutting and quality finishing. Small runs lose the savings of mass production, and costs like original prints, fair wages, duties and photography are spread over fewer pieces.
Why is fast fashion so cheap?
Fast fashion is made in huge volumes from cheap, often synthetic fabrics on assembly lines, which lowers the cost per piece. The low price can hide other costs, such as low wages, short garment life and environmental impact.
Is fashion the second most polluting industry?
No. That claim has been widely debunked. The UN Environment Programme says reported figures put fashion at between 2% and 8% of global carbon emissions, with a recent authoritative estimate of 4% — still significant.
What is cost per wear?
Cost per wear is a garment's price divided by the number of times you wear it. A $258 dress worn 30 times costs $8.60 per wear, while a $40 dress worn 3 times costs $13.33 per wear.
Why does hand embroidery cost more?
Hand embroidery can take hours or days of a skilled artisan's time for a single garment, compared with minutes for machine embroidery. It requires specialist skills that are increasingly rare.
You Get What You Pay For
I say it on a positive note: when you understand what goes into a garment, you can choose fewer, better pieces — and love them longer.
Sources & Further Reading
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics via FRED: Apparel and services expenditures, all consumer units
- UN Environment Programme: Sustainable Fashion Communication Strategy
- UN News: UN launches drive to highlight environmental cost of staying fashionable
- i-D: Is fashion really the world's second worst polluter?
- Good On You: Fashion industry myths explained
- Al Jazeera: How US tariffs are unraveling India's textile industry
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