Just a quickie.

I don't really have much time to write now since I must be getting to sleep but I figured a quick post was in order. While in the airport yesterday, waiting for my delayed flight I met a man. (pause for dramatic effect ) This Italian fella is a designer for Kenneth Cole Reaction shoes. We got into talking style and manufacturing and he asked me what my thoughts are on KC. I told him that whilst I like the style I don't think the quality is very good and I feel I'm paying more for the name and design than quality shoes. He actually agreed with me that the quality has actually gone down but pointed out that he's in China for the same reason I am. Manufacturing elsewhere is just too expensive. He said that I could also make a better product if I manufactured speakers in America but I don't 'cuz I have to earn a living. He said that for Reaction currently about 90% of the shoes are from China and for KCNY about 50%. The manufacturer is Taiwanese (like the factory I'm at) so they can make a better shoe than the Chinese can.
I really would have liked to continue the conversation but the plane had finally arrived (1 hr. late). I'm just posting this cuz I think it's pretty cool that instead of bitching to my friends about crappy expensive shoes I actually got to bitch to the source. It was cool to see, however, that the company actually cares enough to keep Italian designers on hand and even send them out to China to ensure that they make the best $2.00 shoe they possibly can.

Tootles.