Feeling the Pinch

For quite some time, there has been concern in the bridal industry over how labor disputes in China affect the operations of bridal shops - how soon orders need to be placed, the cost of gowns, and the reliability of given ship dates. These concerns are coming front and center recently as labor issues in China do not seem to be getting much better. The backlash of these issues has finally made its way to companies that bridal shops work with closely all the time.

One major concern for Chinese factories is a shortage of workers. Due to the overall age of the workforce being younger, there are less workers willing to work the long hours for the low wages that their parents and grandparents did in the past. The shortage itself has created the necessity for the current workers to put in longer days and has also increased the amount of money the companies are putting into wages. Also, according to an article from The New York Times called "Chinese Labor, Cheap No More," it is traditionally difficult to get migrant workers to return to the factories after the New Year or Spring Festival events in China, which give workers a 15-day holiday in January. In 2012, it was even more difficult than in years past to coax workers back into their routines. For years, factories have been filled with agricultural workers who left farms to come work in the cities and the supply of those agricultural workers is now significantly depleted - yet another issue.

Even though there are a good number of Chinese workers who would rather work the minimum number of hours required, some workers are actually putting in as many hours as possible so as to make as much money as they can. According to an article from The New York Times entitled "Labor Shortage Complicates Changes in China's Factories," there have been regulations in place which require that workers be paid double for overtime and triple for every hour worked on a holiday; however, regulations put in place which limit the work week to six days and only allow three hours of overtime per day has led to protests from factories and workers alike.

So what does all this mean for the bridal industry? As most gowns are manufactured in China and then shipped to companies and bridal shops in the United States, this is one industry which is highly dependant upon the Chinese labor force working smoothly. The biggest concern for bridal shops and the brides-to-be that they are servicing is in the timing of ordering. In just one week, we have seen a significant shift in shipping dates for a few of our gowns - it is taking a month longer for a gown to come in than it would have a week ago. Some companies are having to temporarily suspend the option for rush orders so as to allow their factories to catch up on an overload of orders. Many factories which manufacture bridal gowns are currently operating at capacity and this could cause some undue stress for brides.

So, what can you do? Plan ahead!! The urge to procrastinate is likely ingrained in many of us, but this is one area in which procrastination will only cause stress! We suggest ordering your bridal gown 8 to 10 months before your wedding. It may seem like it's a little soon, but especially right now, we just want to make sure it's one less thing you have to worry about! Bridesmaids dresses are not taking quite as long as bridal gowns and can usually be ordered as soon as 6 to 8 weeks before the wedding (with a rush, of course) but we recommend getting orders for those dresses in about 5 months before the wedding - again, just to ensure that everything gets to you in enough time for alterations, etc.