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LaCrasia Gloves Co-Founders Jay Ruckel and LaCrasia Duchein on manufacturing high-end gloves.
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What do you Miss Piggy Beyonce an Oscar de la -- all where our next guest products these things.
As we continue our series making it in America today.
We're talking to the founders of the -- -- collapsed who've been making high end gloves right here in New York since 1978.
Please welcome -- broccoli and the crazy and did show and welcome to both of you opening thank you so you are.
A couple of -- married and instead of changing exchanging rings I understand you exchange gloves wire gloves why is this your venture your business venture region.
I had a dream about gloves and I got up I remember my mom using gloves to put her stockings on back in the fifties when -- Stockings are very expensive.
And we were doing other accessories and I said -- kitchen gloves.
But we realize there was nobody manufacturing looks anymore in this country except for you know military -- so we went to this man and we -- the business from him.
Your range of products of gloves is so creative it's almost like no pair is exactly like the other.
In terms of creating and designing these -- and for what it's like he's -- did it He gloves that I'm wearing very clever.
Well anyone can draw a picture of a glove right but looking at that I have to solve a hundred.
Unsolvable questions with measurements and techniques and we've made -- -- six fingered people.
And then 4321.
Fingers minute then they lose them in accidents we've made goes for ten month old babies with skin conditions.
So everyone has the unique challenge because you're dealing with the organic leathers.
And you make the clubs here in New York we actually have a factory at 28 street and Broadway and right under the shadow of the Empire State Building -- -- garment district -- isn't even the garment to I know you know so many other -- sad a lot of our suppliers have disappeared fabric suppliers.
Notion supplier is.
It's so why and how tough -- to have you been able to stick it out here in New York City and make a profit.
We -- person via the main thing is to persevere I have this thing that you trust god in heaven I have a darn good lawyer and accountant on earth Ed.
Just tell it all dinner show that to that's a wonderful sentiment but there's got to be a bottom line to continue to do you just have to keep working and we make a lot of mistakes and we just get back up and we keep going luckily we never know with now with the Internet.
We have customers from all over the world that we never met in person.
And thanks -- a wider Australia.
Even how -- you is a celebrity clients the First Lady wearing your -- To be the last Glover is left standing and they -- dust.
And that we don't really meet them we need their assistance and we meet their hand tracing us and we work from there and how much with an average pair of gloves cost.
Basic -- about a 125 dollars.
-- bikini clubs 125 dollars for -- I have to say they're very comfortable forty dollars and forty.
But we also do custom grounds that we -- we can take a tracing of a person's hand and then they can pick can't choose this leather colors that we had.
And we can make the custom pair had your costs -- input -- gone up with this rising commodities and definitely yeah.
Yes cotton prices I know my I had just going to have your margins come in a little bit today.
Cotton has gone up 600%.
And it's -- That affects the textile people so it's almost impossible for us to get pure cotton now -- they trying to make -- to make him keep the price.
-- even a simple thing like thread every time we go to get more thread.
It's a dollar more for the school.
That's amazing and we said how can we keep doing this.
Eight you must have a strong word of mouth clientele -- as well and -- they're looking a little and that's what it takes in fashion right now especially to have staying power since 1970 yet how many people do you have working for you.
-- tactics and that's it in any plan He all day and it's to have sixty set up we've narrowed down and the old days a couple of years ago are in the eighty's in the ninety's how -- -- Lesson last that's the story of the unemployment problem in this country that worker productivity -- players are really able to squeeze a lot more out of workers and unfortunately.
For all of those people millions and millions of people right in this country who don't have jobs that's the talents.
You know the Senate's finally had to go into a niche market and clearly doing special one of a kind pieces or for the designers doing their fashion shows.
Because we cannot compete with imports do you have overseas overseas business as well meant is that interest free -- as it -- -- in fractured now.
Does decider plus -- -- we want to say yeah had a client from -- Japan that was just in this and our factory and she took about.
Sixty -- of -- she's just opening a roll up pop shop and now.
The middle that you can't tell us or walk -- -- here in the United States in New York back to just like popping in and -- some spontaneous shopping.
You can go to our studio twentieth to Broadway yeah I I'll see -- -- rates integrated it pleasure to meet you thank you project and it is great again here and bring all these wonderful gloves really nice to meet both of you think thank you thank -- -- -- like.
