Going with a friend to try on wedding gowns proved to be a great opportunity to learn more about their importation. Most dresses are in limited sizes within a store and cannot merely be purchased on the spot and taken home by the consumer on the same day.
In fact, it is not uncommon to find the dress (“the one,” that is) and then the gown shop sends the order electronically to the manufacturer for it to be made.
Though I found myself at a bridal store recently that does offer styles “off the rack” – which it turns out are often sold to foreigners who then take it back to their home country for proper fitting – the bulk of their dresses likewise needed to be special ordered.
Given the sheer size of many of the dresses with their multiple layers of fabric, I thought that the dresses may have been containerized as hanging garments. Completed dresses are instead however, shipped folded in a plastic bag with a bubble packaged wrapping on its exterior.
In terms of shipping volumes and making the most effective “stuffing” of a container, this actually makes sense when you look at it in terms of freight costs.
After traveling by vessel (or air if it is a "rush job"), they come into distribution centers from the port and are thereafter trucked to their appropriate store destination.
Upon arrival at the store roughly two (2) to three (3) months later, they are then removed from the packaging and hung on a hanger upon arrival to the shop.
Wedding gowns have special labeling requirements under the Federal Trade Commission’s regulations and the Textile Act. Therefore, any gowns sold in the US or imported here must abide by this agency’s apparel rules.
You can learn more about these at the Federal Trade Commission’s website at www.ftc.gov.
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