WHY CHINA?
Our products are designed in Los Angeles and manufactured in China.
When I started Krakatoa, I searched all over the world for a manufacturer. I had an idea, a presentation in powerpoint and the drive, but little money. I was freshly unemployed and done with my former career, after 25 years.
I sent hundreds of emails.
I contacted factories all over the world including Turkey, Egypt, Colombia, USA, Brazil, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh.
Most of them didn't even give me the time of day.
Several looked down on me, because I was just a 50-something year old dude with an idea on a mission to create the best underwear for men, without experience and not knowing even how to begin. And not much money to spend.
I will never forget the look I got from the rep from a factory in Egypt at a trade show, when I mentioned I wanted to discuss manufacturing there, and what I wanted -and what I had -and he just looked me up and down, from my shoes to my head, twice, with a stupid grin on his face, and just walked out.
Or the guys in Colombia that really wanted to work with Krakatoa, but didn't have the materials or craftsmanship, it was all rough stitching, harsh cotton and pinchy waistbands.
I am a perfectionist and I had a different vision for what was possible. I had bad underwear already. I had some good underwear too, but I wanted to make something great.
I didn't want to make a white-label product with my name on it. It wasn't about me or my name on the waistband.
In fact, it's why we removed the name Krakatoa from the waistbands entirely after our first production run.
You are not a billboard for the brand.
The waistband is supposed to frame you, make you look good, and not advertise Krakatoa.
We get asked a lot about why we don't manufacture domestically.
I tried manufacturing here in the good old USA, but besides not having the materials and craftsmanship needed, it was absolutely cost-prohibitive, as we don't have the fabrics and waistbands (would have to be imported), and no access to the advanced stitching machines and waistband technology needed to make Krakatoa.
We don't have the manufacturing or the supply chain to build something of this quality in the United States, unfortunately. It's not possible. And it would cost you around $80-$100 per pair if made here, with a worse outcome.
It's heartbreaking, but it's our reality.
I tried Brazil, my home country, but it was impossible to deal with their import/export governmental bureaucracy and corruption.
I tried Portugal, but after spending a couple days working side-by-side with some reps from a factory there at a trade show, I made sure I was going to contact them to try to manufacture in Europe, but they never replied to any of my several messages.
Or the guys from Bangladesh that really wanted to make Krakatoa, and I had to literally create them a PayPal account, so I could pay for them to make me samples (a lot of cash), and they pretty much sent me two different garments out of spec, copied my waistband designs haphazardly, and I'm not sure if they are not counterfeiting Krakatoa in Bangladesh right now.
But through all these and several other factories, ONE factory had the craftsmanship, the incredible materials (our exquisite fabric is only produced in high-tech facilities of less than 10 factories around the planet), the unflippable printed waistband - and best yet: they had the respect and decency to take time to help this old guy, that left his career behind and is betting his retirement money on creating the best underwear in the world for us.
This factory in China walked me through every step, never complained, never looked down on me. They are incredibly humble, they perform incredible work, they make Krakatoa a reality.
They have all their ISO certifications, have impeccable record with their employees, is privately owned, and capitalists to the core. I know the owner. I visited the factory. It's impressive what they can do there.
So while I can absolutely share the concerns about the government of any country, I don't necessarily share the opinion that the people of that country, and their work, should be made responsible for what their government does.
As I get very defensive when people associate American citizens with some our own government's questionable acts, from any administration, I rather be positive that we have more in common than we have differences, and work towards making us all better, together.
Until I can find a factory that is not only about costs (Krakatoa is not cheap to make, at all), but how it treats its workers, the quality of the product it makes, and the way they treat their clients, I will keep supporting the ones that supported me.
I view myself as a global citizen, on a mission to improve lives everywhere, with the help of people from around the world. And Krakatoa is the result of thousands of hands, making sure you have the best products you ever put in contact with your skin.
And I think you will love the way they make you feel.
- Alex Bortoluzzi
CEO and Founder of Krakatoa