Hello World

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; it’s time to get moving. He goes to E. Los Angeles to scour some fabric. He enters a 4-story warehouse that keeps dead stock fabric from over a hundred years. Hardly anyone 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 basement, he finds some of the fabric he’s looking for. He then goes on to hand make the patterns. That takes one week (and maybe a year off your life to get it right). 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. 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. I could go on and on. What about Rent, Marketing, PR, HR, Accounting, Finance, Customer Service, etc?!

What I’m trying to show is how much credit people and brands need to get for producing such quality lines each and every season. I will mostly focus on men’s brands, since that is my specialty. After working for a start up upscale menswear brand for 3 grueling months this summer (It was just me, the designer, and the President), I have a new appreciation of how much goes into the fashion industry, and how only the brands with a compelling story, unique products, high quality, and a constant demand will survive in this extremely competitive landscape.

I will be commenting on the various brands and designers I find who I think shed some real light on what it means to be unique, innovative, and timeless. I also would like to converse about the manufacturing side, and how many hands it takes to create an actual garment. This blog is an appreciation of the designing and manufacturing of the fashion industry. From the sketchbook, to the craftsman, to the consumer, so much goes into producing a quality piece. This blog will serve as an academic tool to publicize real brands and people who have been doing it right for years.