A K.Slade Update
I founded K.Slade over ten years ago with a sewing machine, an affinity for American-made products and a desire to create simple, quality handbags. And although the brand has evolved greatly over the years, my pursuit of quality has never wavered.
Delivering beautiful products that are made to hold a lifetime requires careful attention to every detail of the process – from conception through production. Each piece always begins as a sketch in our Newburgh, Indiana studio then is skillfully brought to life by expert artisans in our Chicago factory using the finest quality leather and hardware available.
Partnering with a manufacturing facility so close to home is an ultimate privilege for many reasons, but above all has ensured quality is front of mind. The proximity has allowed us to develop close relationships with the factory owners and highly-skilled leather craftsmen who construct each of our bags by hand. We have witnessed the working environment within the facility, are aware of employee compensation, and have seen firsthand their dedication to quality – all which meet the standards we proudly lead with.
All these benefits tremendously outweigh the higher cost of producing goods in America – at least to K.Slade. It's no secret that higher production costs and quality materials yield a more expensive final product. But to ensure we always keep prices fair, we have quietly committed to a number of consumer cost-saving practices over the years: we halted wholesale pricing for outside retailers to keep consumer pricing more accessible; despite rising material and production costs, we have rarely raised our pricing through the history of the brand; and recently we transitioned completely to online-only sales to eliminate the overhead of a storefront.
Our factory isn't unique in having navigated supply chain challenges and rising costs in materials over the past year due to the pandemic. On top of those demands, our artisans are now compensated a higher wage. We see this as a long-time-coming victory, as it's one step closer to well-deserved equitable pay in manufacturing. But with rising overhead costs, our factory has implemented substantial increases in production costs. Despite all measures we've taken to maintain current prices, effective June 3, 2021, we must raise the prices of all our products to meet these increased production prices. While this isn't an increase we ever could have anticipated, we're hopeful it will be the only of its kind for the foreseeable future.
To make purchasing a new K.Slade piece more manageable, we gladly offer Afterpay, a feature available sitewide to break down an order total into interest-free payments across four months. We also recently launched a texting program for sharing exclusive access to new products, sales and promotions. To subscribe, text KSLADEINSIDER to (844)916-1041. Last, we're continuing to explore offering pickup options in the Newburgh/Evansville area to help local customers save on shipping costs.
We are so grateful for your understanding and support. There are so many exciting things on the horizon for K.Slade this year, including limited-edition colors, new textures and brand new products. We can hardly wait to share details.
Stay tuned. Bright things are just ahead!
With gratitude,
Kelsea Slade