Latex Garments - How They're Made
The process of creating molded items reduces the overhead costs of the manufacturer which is typically passed on to the consumer. However, this process reduces the consumer's ability to order custom sizing and typically causes fluctuation in thickness throughout the final product.
There are two styles of molds used to create these items. A flat (2D) mold or a thicker, multidimensional (3D) mold.
2D Molds
A 2D mold is cheaper for the manufacturer as smaller vats of liquid latex can be used while allowing more than one mold to be dipped simultaneously. However, since the item is created from a flat mold, the item will not fit as comfortably as an item made from a 3D mold.
3D Molds
Items created from a 3D mold are more expensive to product, requiring larger vats of liquid latex while only one item can be dipped at a time. Though the process to produce more garments in this fashion can take longer and be more costly to the consumer, wearers of a 3D molded item tend to report more comfort due to the thickness of the mold.
Tailoring anything takes time and skill. Because of this, a tailored garment will cost more on average than a similar mold-style item. Unlike molded versions of latex garments, automation is not readily available for a tailored latex garment due to the complexities of joining - or gluing - its panels. However, the availability of custom sizing and feature options tends to create more desirability.
Time
Tailoring a latex garment takes significantly more time than dipping a mold. A pattern must be made for each section of the garment. The entire pattern can take approximately two to three hours for a standard, preexisting design. Once the panel patterns are complete, they are traced onto, and cut out of, latex sheets. The manual process of cutting out the latex panels also adds complexity to the product, as mistakes will likely require a new sheet of latex. These panels are then glued together by hand to form the final product.
Though software and tools exist to help bypass manually creating a template and cutting the panels of latex for every new order, there are few companies which afford the costs of incorporating these options. More often, manufacturers opt to pay the lower salaries of traditional employees over the equipment costs and salaries of skilled engineers and software-specific professionals.
Skill
The process of creating pattern panels, cutting latex, and joining the pieces is not an easy task. Latex is not like cloth, it can be difficult to create clean cuts in the latex, secure the pieces in position, and create faultless seams. There is a limited demand for latex garments, too. Which means finding skilled labor can be challenging. To find out more about the creation process of a tailored item, check out the Latex Crafting section of this WIKI.