Honestly, I was behaving myself, sitting on my hands but when I got to the part about the “creative knots” (they’re called “frogs”), no offense but I laughed out loud. Lower cost? For frogs? Where? Who? I’ve been in the business for 27 years and I don’t know of a frog supplier who can supply you for less than a button. And that’s just the cost of the product.

What about the cost of application? Sewing on frogs costs probably four times what it costs for buttons. Then, there’s the set up for them (guides). If they’re not sewn on correctly (often crookedly), you have to unstitch it and do it over. With buttons, an indexer or hand made guide you can make yourself, sets you up for even neat placement.

Another issue is structural integrity. Where ever you place those frogs, you’ll need fusible backing. You also need that for buttons but you’ll either need strategic placement (more guides) or one long piece (more cost).

I’m hoping that anyone following these entries will do a little more homework. There’s a lot more to apparel manufacturing than the obvious. Probably one reason so many people go broke. The answers are rarely found in basic business guides, no matter how well meaning (and these are).