
Uniforme designer Alice Wang experienced this firsthand. After majoring in film studies at Yale and moving to New York to work in production (oh, and as an assistant to Madonna), she set out to simplify her life by adopting a style uniform. With a budget of $300, she was on the hunt for the perfect white shirt — and was ultimately disappointed by what she found (or rather, didn't find).
"I am very inspired by traditional menswear because of its emphasis on quality and longevity in a garment. I lurked a bit in menswear forums (Styleforum, Ask Andy About Clothes) where there are discussion threads focusing on specific mills or fabrics, and leading shirtmakers will comment back and weigh in with their two cents. Before I started [my brand], I actually wrote to one of these shirtmakers on the forum — Carl Goldberg at CEGO. I sent him a cold message telling him I was a lurker on Styleforum without any fashion industry background, and I was thinking about launching a line focusing on shirts, and he invited me to his workshop to talk about fabrics.
What's the biggest lesson you've learned along the way?
"The lesson that has most dramatically changed my business, as well as my personal choices, is about the environmental and human cost behind the consumption choices you make for your wardrobe — how harmful the agriculture and manufacturing supply chain behind garment production can be."
"The pieces are cut and sewn in New York City’s Garment District in midtown Manhattan. My first run was produced in low quantity, so my sample maker was able to complete it for me. As I grow, I plan to keep working with them on the production for as long as I can. The shirts are finished with French seams and edge stitching, and the buttons are 4-millimeter-thick Australian mother-of-pearl. I’m attracted to cloth that will improve as it breaks in and ages; the oxford cloth from my first shirt collection is woven by Alumo, a renowned shirting mill in Switzerland. It's made from Giza 45 cotton, the highest quality Egyptian cotton, and the cotton plants that produce it are grown only in a microclimate in a small region east of the Nile River delta. It actually makes up only 0.4% of all of Egyptian cotton production. It’s quite rare, and it must be hand-harvested at the peak of the individual plant’s growth to preserve the quality of the fibers. This is all important because it produces a silky, strong yarn and a resulting cloth that is both fine and durable — it will last many, many wears and continue to evolve over time."

"As I began creating the first Uniforme collection, I thought about my ideal wardrobe. I realized that I regretted most of my mass-produced purchases, and that I longed for minimal, refined pieces with truly high-quality natural fibers and construction.
"Even at a contemporary designer price point, you rarely see garments made from the highest quality fibers. By selling direct, I’m able to avoid the retail markup, and therefore offer finely sourced and sewn pieces at a more modest price. I wanted to create pieces that I myself could afford. It’s certainly not a cheap way to design and manufacture, and so the price point may not be in reach for everyone, but I hope to reach like-minded customers who also believe in the importance of investing in high-quality garments."
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