An article in BloombergBusinessweek (May 30, 2011 page 18) describes efforts by designers to balance the needs of designers, who want clothes to be appealing, with manufacturers who want to produce them and maintain margins. This tug-of-war has become even mpre intense as consumers shy away from high prices and commodity prices surge.  Dropping coin  pockets to save a nickel, changing buttoms from shell to imitation pearl, dropping watch pockets, eliminating cuffs and pleats, changing pocket materials – all of these choices are now actively investigated to maintain margins.  How should this balance be managed to maintain brand appeal ? Will adjusting global supply chain sourcing enable margins to be maintained albeit with earlier design commitments ? Would a Zara like quick redesign to reflect market demand be even more appealing in such an environment ?