Thanks for the kind words. I work for YMAA Publishing, who manufactures the Silk Apparel.
Actually, this is incorrect:
While I am sure the YMAA apparel is very nice, there is a massive mark-up as soon as these items are billed for western markets. It's not just the YMAA, nearly all western outlets charge outrageous prices knowing that most people will have a fear of ordering overseas.
There is no "mark up", because we make the uniforms ourselves. We don't import anything but the raw silk. The short version of the story is: we buy whatever bolts of raw silk fabric we can find, because it is increasingly rare. This is 100% raw silk, not a modernized polyester weave, which is what you'll find elsewhere. Then, the fabric is sent to CA, washed, cut, and stitched into our uniforms. Then, it is sent to our warehouse in CT.
Despite the fact these are made in the USA, we've kept the price lower than most apparel made from 100% silk, to keep them affordable. They last for a long time, not only as casual wear, but used heavily by martial arts several days per week.
We could cut corners and do it cheaper in China, but the quality of the cut and stitching is poor and inconsistent. Not an option.
We could make it cheaper by using a blend fabric, like 99% of the uniforms available, but polyester interferes with your energetic circulation, and it gets smelly fast when you sweat in it. Not an option.
We could buy and resell (and mark up) modernized silk uniforms like other companies, but our goal has always been to keep the original high standard of raw silk apparel as in the "olden days". We aim to keep making this raw silk available for people to experience, because it feels better than anything else, lasts longer, and works better.
There is not a lot of profit in this apparel to be honest, but it is a labor of love.
(Silk pants have just been restocked. March 2014)
http://ymaa.com/publishing/uniform/silk/pants