IACMC MILITARIA FORUM

Would you like to react to this message? Create an account in a few clicks or log in to continue.

3 posters

    Making Uniforms from Camo Fabric

    avatar
    LT08


    Location : USA
    Registration date : 2014-03-02
    Number of posts : 6

    Making Uniforms from Camo Fabric Empty Making Uniforms from Camo Fabric

    Post by LT08 Mon May 04, 2020 4:45 am

    I was curious if anyone has had any luck having uniforms made from rolls of camouflage fabric. I have a few rolls of relatively unique camouflage fabrics that I was interested in turning into uniforms. This seems to be prohibitively expensive to do at the local tailor shop. Obviously these will not be true collectors items, but it seems a better use than just having the fabric sit there. Any ideas?
    Bolty717
    Bolty717
    Senior Sergeant
    Senior Sergeant


    Name : Bolty
    Location : New Zealand
    Registration date : 2012-11-22
    Number of posts : 331

    Making Uniforms from Camo Fabric Empty Re: Making Uniforms from Camo Fabric

    Post by Bolty717 Tue May 05, 2020 2:56 am

    I've done it for a combat jacket way back, where I had access to the current DPM ventile materiel that New Zealand was using and wanted to copy a overseas jacket design (I had an example of the jacket) I got a local wedding dress maker to do the sewing as it was a one off and way beyond my skills. Worked well for me as I got what I wanted and was able to use it for work. Cost wise it was expensive and would not have been a profit maker unless I could have reduce the manufacture cost, which would have been unlikely.
    Maybe look at items that have less man hours(bush hats etc) or even just sell the fabric in small lots to guys who have the ability or resources for bespoke projects and happy to pay a premium for the materiel.
    avatar
    Tonkatsudon


    Location : United States
    Registration date : 2019-12-14
    Number of posts : 7

    Making Uniforms from Camo Fabric Empty Re: Making Uniforms from Camo Fabric

    Post by Tonkatsudon Tue May 05, 2020 8:38 pm

    As someone who does sew clothing, I can tell you it would be a very expensive endeavor. Even copying an existing garment takes a lot of manhours, especially uniforms which often have reinforcements and other complex details. Especially when you consider that most tailors or seamstresses are working alone, its going to take a lot of time, which translates to a large cost. I've seen small businesses do production runs of BDU's and such in special camos, but those are generally runs of 1000+ units, where the economy of scale kicks in.

    I wouldn't go into it looking to profit or make uniforms to sell to others. The price it would cost to make them would not be the price people are willing to pay. If you're looking to get items made for yourself, then the only ceiling is how much the items are worth to you.

    Now, this probably isn't what you want to hear, but its worth looking into learning to sew yourself. A decent clothing-grade sewing machine can be had for about $200 or less, and things like boonies, field caps, etc. are nice small projects to get started on. Sewing is a useful skill to have, and thanks to youtube, there's a wealth of information available.

    Sponsored content


    Making Uniforms from Camo Fabric Empty Re: Making Uniforms from Camo Fabric

    Post by Sponsored content


      Current date/time is Mon Nov 25, 2024 5:55 pm