It's a fair question: why does a simple linen shirt cost more than a shirt at a big-box retailer? Here's where the money actually goes.
Quality flax fiber costs more than short, inconsistent fiber or synthetic blends, often significantly more. Small mills charge more per yard than mass-production facilities running continuous volume. Careful construction (French seams, reinforced stress points) takes more sewing time than a straight overlocked seam. And small-batch runs don't benefit from the per-unit cost drops that come with massive orders.
None of that is a markup story, it's a materials-and-labor story. A $38 shirt generally means someone in the chain got paid too little, or the fiber was cut with cheaper material, or both. We'd rather charge what the piece actually costs to make well and be upfront about it than hide a race to the bottom behind a lower price tag.
We know that's a real cost difference for a household budget, which is exactly why we frame this as buying fewer things, not cheaper things.
