NEWS FROM OUR PARENT COMPANY: We are excited to announce that CSS Industries, Inc. has just purchased Simplicity Creative Group. The Simplicity family of brands includes wonderful sewing patterns, of course, but also Wrights® trims and sewing notions, as well as terrific crafts brands including Boye®, Perler®, Dimensions® and American Girl Crafts®. These brands—combined with our existing CSS brands, including Offray®, Lion Ribbon™, C.R. Gibson®, La Mode® buttons, McCall’s®, Butterick® and Vogue Patterns®, and our creative and dedicated employees—will continue to bring our consumers an ever increasing variety of products and innovation all within the CSS portfolio of brands.
I'm not sure what this is going to mean for consumers, only time will tell. I'm sitting on the fence right now. Maybe I'm surprised. But there are a lot of speculation and strong opinions as to what this will mean.
There is hope that it will mean Canadian consumers will have access to Simplicity patterns without having to fork over a small fortune in shipping and exchange rates. Or travelling across the border for a pattern run. Fabricland stopped carrying Simplicity and New Look patterns years ago. I'm not so sure if they will reappear since even though Butterick, McCall's and Vogue are offered at Fabricland stores, they do not carry Kwik Sew which is also under the MBV umbrella. Time will tell.
Personally, this news is greeted with the memories of what happened to the NY Collection when McCall's was picked up by CSS Industries. The short lived NY Collection designs changed once they were under the Vogue label and then they disappeared. I remember the sizing changed as it was a time when I was able to get smaller sizes than was available under Vogue. I like the fit of Simplicity patterns, I just hope they don't mess with the fit.
Fear has also been expressed on McCall's Facebook page that this will mean less competition and higher prices. Followed by comments on how expensive not only patterns are but also that the price of notions and fabric have sky-rocketed recently. I have to agree, I've also noticed an insane increase in prices. Certain brands of zippers for example that more than doubled in price. So, I can also appreciate the fear expressed by others.
I guess time will tell what this will mean. Until then I'll be hoping for the best.
Happy Sewing!
So now there is no competition whatsoever between the Big 4? The McCalls people say they have different design groups for their three lines but still...where is the incentive to out produce the other company? I also wonder if this means more business for the McCalls printing plant in Kansas (where I live). They printed everyone, including most indies, except Simplicity. They are wonderful people and have the capacity to take on the extra work. I hope that happens.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I have a lot of questions especially since I remember back-in-the-day before the pattern companies weren't under one umbrella. Things were quite different. Just wondering what changes will be coming. As far as printing, I hope they keep the quality of paper that Simplicity uses, the paper is stronger.
DeleteThat's interesting. I wonder what the 'big 4' think of people paying up to $18 for indie patterns that are basic and safe (and really lets face it - e.g. a peasant blouse - they could buy a big 4 and trace it and who would know), and wait for the sales of $1 patterns (in the US at least.. best we get here is $5 and that's only been a few years). I will watch with interest.
ReplyDeleteYeah, we don't get good deals on patterns here either. In retail, the discount is 40% with a membership at the national chain. The other store in the city offers 20% off Kwik Sew. It's better to wait for an online sale. I do like some indie pattern lines like Oki Style out of Germany and I was really pleased with Tessuti Patterns Eva dress. But your right, it's hard to dish out $18+ for a basic design that looks quite similar to other big 4 designs that you can pick up for much less during an online sale.
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