Hello World,
Let me paint you a picture from someone who’s been on the inside of the men’s fashion industry: The designer just got back from Fashion Week in New York. He’s been working on the upcoming Spring 2012 Line for months. The sketches are good and well thought out; it’s time to get moving. He goes to the depths of beautiful East Los Angeles to scour some fabric that will meet the specs of the new line. He enters a 4-story warehouse that keeps dead stock fabric from over a hundred years. Hardly anyone in there speaks English. He is only equipped with his pair of sewing scissors for swatches. After 4 hours of looking (nothing is in any sort of order or organized), including one hour in the dingy basement, he finds some of the fabric he’s looking for. He then goes on to hand make the patterns. That takes about one week (and maybe a year off your life to get it right) if you are lucky. Next, off to the cutting and assembling factory in Compton and Gardena (something you are wearing was probably constructed there). The factory says they are booked (shocker). You offer them more money. They say, "OK." 3 weeks go by and they haven’t touched your order. You need to ship to Nordstrom’s in 3 days! You run down to the factory and scold them. They finish the order the next day. The garments are then washed, treated, embellished, and packaged. You hope Nordstrom only sends back 15% of the order (anything more than %15 hurts the bottom line). I could go on and on! What about Rent, Marketing, PR, HR, Accounting, Finance, Customer Service, etc?!
I have just re-enacted the process I went through this past summer while working for a start up clothing company in Los Angeles. Working in the fashion industry is extremely hectic, but in the best way possible. To me, working in this stressful but exciting environment has been an awesome experience. I would have never guessed how diverse this industry is and how many different types of people are involved in the process. Producing a garment goes through so many stages. From idea on paper to finished product, there is a story that can be told throughout each stage of production.
With this blog, I hope to shed some light on the brands out there that excel in the whole process. From design and manufacturing, to PR and Marketing, I will showcase the brands that have really caught my eye. I will focus on brands with a compelling story and a unique product offering, which are of high quality and demand. Creating a quality product from start to finish is not an easy process. There are a lot of creative minds and skillful hands that go into creating a product that will sell well. Think of me as your backstage pass to showing you the behind the scenes action of some really interesting brands and those who are setting the trends. However, I am not referring brands that you are most familiar with. What would be the point of telling you things you already know? Instead, I think it will be beneficial to both of us if I show you some brands and products that don't get all the attention. That being said, I will be taking the more artistic approach in order to paint pictures of some of the unique processes behind successful brands.
This blog is an appreciation of the existence of clothing companies and all the rigors they face on a regular day basis. From the sketchbook, to the craftsman, to the consumer, so much goes into producing a quality piece. The blog will serve as an conversation and an academic tool to publicize real brands and people who have been doing it right for years. Fashion is not linear. It is moving, dynamic, art, grueling, technical, two-faced. It’s the balance of opposites.
A Continuous Lean is a blog written by Michael Williams. Michael lives in New York City and works on the factory floor at Paul + Williams. He created this blog in 2007 as a discovery agent for those with an appreciation of quality, style and provenance. He focuses on American Made brands that are dedicated to producing quality pieces with a real story. Michael posts very frequently, and is always keeping the blog fresh with new and interesting content. Most recently, he commented on a long time hat maker called
Quaker Marine Supply, which is a longtime nautical hat company which began life along the docks and piers of old Philadelphia in 1949. Instead of just posting a couple of pictures and telling the public where to buy the product, Michael comments on the history of the company and gives you a little bit of color. For example, he states:
“Hat maker Quaker Marine Supply seems to be something destined for “discovery” by your favorite local Americana loving menswear shop. Originally founded on the Philadelphia waterfront, the company has been making classic hats (mostly geared toward the seafaring set) in the U.S. since 1949.
The company changed ownership recently and relocated to Portland, Maine in 2003, though it continues to produce some seriously iconic cover — and for reasonable prices.”
This illustrates how detailed Michael’s posts are. He comments on the history of the company and its current situation, so the reader understands the background and significance of the company. The post also highlights how he supports American manufacturing, and the creation of jobs that it effectively creates.
To further quench his thirst for nostalgia, in another post, Michael comments on how the long time denim maker,
Self Edge, purchased a 30 year old sewing machine to produce their jeans. He writes:
“The denim loving guys at Self Edge sent out an email this morning about their recently acquired almost-new Union Special 43200G chainstich machine. The lore of these Union Specials and their coveted status among denim-nerds is the stuff of legend — which makes the below story even more remarkable.
This is the machine the Japanese first scoured the world for starting in the 1980′s, they wanted them to place in their factories which reproduced vintage styles of American jeans from the 1950′s and before. It was a good twenty years until the rest of the world realized what was happening in Japan, by that time most of the 43200G machines had been bought up by the Japanese factories, brands, and retailers to put in their stores for in-store hemming.”
This is news to me. It is very refreshing to hear about companies using innovative technology to create their collection. There is something to be said about those brands. Creating a product that has so much detail, fine needlework, and a real story is what drives this brand to success. I enjoy how Michael shares with the public the manufacturing side of the fashion industry and the amount of imagination and technique that goes into it. In this post, Michael gives the reader a good perspective and the thought process of a clothing manufacturer.
I also think that the story about this machine provides remarkable insight to the denim industry as a whole. What people don’t realize, like many industries, Apparel is an EXTREMELY competitive industry, and it all starts with the machinery and tools. The Japanese have always been at the forefront of technology, and the 43200G machines have revolutionized many jean companies made constructed their garments. Short stories and behind the scenes information such as this, is what I really admire from this blog, and I hope to implement this perspective in my own posts.
Ever wondered how a cashmere sweater from Italy was made? Interested in viewing how a snap back hat was constructed in downtown LA? Want to know the ideas and process behind an award winning marketing campaign for a leading lifestyle clothing brand? I would like to explore these interests with my blog, and A Continuous Lean has provided me with a good template.
Nick Maggio, writer of the high traffic fashion blog , “A Time to Get,” has a very distinctive voice in his posts. Although brief, Nick comments on many aspects of the fashion industry besides just upcoming lookbooks and fashion updates. For instance, the basis for his blog, or the way he describes it, really conveys his short, simple, and to the point manner. Here he describes his blog as:
A Time…
Not for this. Not for that. For everything in between. For work. For avoiding work. For inspiration. For a resource. For entertainment. For a minute. For an hour. The good, the bad, and yes, even the ugly. In a world that has no time for anything, there is always a time to give, and every now and again... a time to get.
In Nick’s introduction, he uses a very blunt and matter of fact voice in how he presents his blog to the world. His diction is non academic, and colloquial. For example, when he says “Not for this. Not for that,” we get a sense that Nick is just trying to be short, simple, and to the point, as if he is speaking to us directly. His short sentence structure and punctuation further highlight this fact. Moreover, he is almost poetic in conveying his purpose for the blog by starting off the first two sentences with what the blog is Not, and then telling us what the blog is For, in the next 8 sentences. This communicates his main intentions with his blog. He wants it to be something that you can rely on any time or day, no matter the premise. Maybe you are a designer and look to his blog for inspiration, or perhaps a student looking for a resource of information, or even someone at work just trying to kill some time and use it as a form of entertainment. Nick has all bases covered. If anything, his introduction makes me want read on because I like the simplicity. Simple is good.
Another example of how Nick’s voice in prevelant is in a recent post entitled “17, 18...” Here he says,
“For most of us, Day 19 has now become a household name. Despite what Jeremy and Claire think, I have personally been in a meeting where a client has referenced the "Day 19 look." As far as I'm concerned, that means you've made it. Well, we don't need some "suit" mentioning them to know they've made it... we just need to look at their recent work with Converse.
Every now and again I come across a photo campaign that nails it -- tells the story -- and all with the images alone. Day 19's FW '11 Converse campaign puts those to shame. A few of my favorites below, and the rest here. Oh, you wanna know where my camera is right now? Broken. In the street.”
Here, Nick speaks to us like he knows us. Who is Jeremy and Claire? I don't know them, but I think that he is not afraid to share what's on his mind.
In addition, we also come to understand that Nick is interested in companies that have a real story and put a lot of creative effort to sustain their brand equity. Evidence of this is revealed when Nick says, “Every now and again I come across a photo campaign that nails it -- tells the story -- and all with the images alone.” Clearly, Nick is interested in people who take pride in the aesthetic, and those who share a story or look through a different medium.
Lastly, we can see a little bit of humor in this post from the last lines,
“Oh, you wanna know where my camera is right now? Broken. In the street.”
Nick is not afraid to tell it like it is. He is almost sarcastic in how he views what happened to his camera, but it is refreshing, because he is very upfront and conversational. We can see evidence when he uses everyday diction like “wanna” and short sentences like, “Broken. In the Street.” Consequently, the blog is an easy read that is both informative and entertaining.
Altogether, I really enjoy reading Nick’s short and a-matter-of-fact way of giving press to new and interesting ideas created by people in the fashion/apparel industry. I think his no BS outlook and content rich posts will relate to my blog posts in the future.
