Today’s world scene has drastically changed due to the effects of globalization. Globalization has caused structural changes in industries in such a way they have unified processes and implemented assembly line production universally. The result is a dehumanized output of products. Globalization becomes obvious even in a simple stroll around any city in any given country of the modern world (in the European Union, United States, or in most developed countries in Asia). They all look alike. Affected by this general trend, the fashion industry has suffered a widespread unification in the appearance of products: the same lines, the same designs, the same stores, the same brands over, and over, and over again. We are losing what made each store unique and exclusive.

Not that long ago, I remember how much I hated the school uniform I had to wear everyday for fourteen years, the same one that all my schoolmates wore. And yet, once out of the classroom, I have found myself immerse in a globalized world, with globalized textile industries, that deliver very similar attires, out personalities, like we never outgrew those school uniforms.

This compliance to common patterns has gone so far that the pleasure of travelling and finding unique treasures around the world has pretty much vanished. Nowadays, streets look alike: similar buildings, identical stores with comparable window displays, and people all dressed similarly. Little shops and retailers that offered traditional, handcrafted, personalized, and creative products are closing down.

The future of small businesses is desperate. Small shops have for-rent or for-sales signs up. Proximity trade is agonizing, and with it, the world is losing local products, and the local industries are suffocating. Yet, this situation is not due to an economical recession. In fact, the business volume in the textile industry is on the rise.  The truth is that big companies are picking up the extra work, collecting on customer changes, capable of facing higher rent rates and exploiting the new market trends of on-line trading. The local textile industry is witnessing the downsize effects of globalization while the big companies are profiting from it.

¿What is craft production?

Craft manufacturing, opposed to mass production, refers to a production technique made by hand, free of industrialized or mechanized processes, where the final product is unique. Manual traditional products should persist and be carried on because they convey the way people have expressed their culture and creativity throughout the centuries.

Traditional crafting provides personality, life, and identity to the objects created. It reflects human expression and care in the work produced. This will only survive if we do not allow the big companies to monopolize the market. Both industries must co-exist but in a reasonable and sensible balance to profit from the benefits while avoiding the drawbacks of each one.

Only a handmade piece of clothing can be understood as a piece of art, a piece of human work and expression, a reflection of the designer’s human identity. And only when selecting handcrafted clothes, we can as well identify ourselves with what we wear, making us feel good.

The underwear garments we make at ZD Zero Defects are also handcrafted, from the beginning until the end, from the very first one we ever manufactured to the ones that are yet to come. We believe in proximity trade, in high quality materials, in stringent manual processes, in professional and skilled hands, and in rigorous personal supervision all the steps of the way. Only then, quality and comfort can be guaranteed.

ZD zero Defects employees nurture every piece they produce with love and care. Our garments are not industrialized; they are personalized. Our craft production methods allow us to work with a wide range of sizes for both men and women, even to tailor underwear customized to specific needs.

The human factor involved in our manufacturing process is outstanding. The garments we create seek to guarantee human satisfaction. We, thus, invest a considerable amount and effort in product research and development; we examine and implement new technologies that improve product sustainability, durability, and usage comfort. At the end of the day, we want our customers to feel the underwear as a second skin. And because our pieces are handcrafted, their quality is better and their lifespan in longer that industrialized ones.

ZD Zero Defects handcraft production marks the difference. Industrialized garments de-humanize the product while handcrafted ones obtain human satisfaction. Our customers know and enjoy the difference. Artisanal handicraft products are a pleasure for all five senses, and once customers enjoy the difference, it is difficult to go back to mediocrity.