Random questions to which you seek an answer
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alot of folks have been hinting at this recently (in some private & public conversations) so I'll just say it & get it out in the open public forum:
"Iron Heart's diversity is both their strength and their weakness, alot of great products, a few not so great products."
any thoughts
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not even talking about any other brand at the moment, but i will say i have had questions about the growth of the brand & the direction they are/aren't going in. do all the new(er) products make sense? i can't really say that they do. one example is those stripped tees. they look good & i might even have one or two in my closet, but you couldn't have told me Iron Heart would be making that sort of product.
i'm pretty sure when IH first started making flannels some of their first followers said wtf, & either grew to love the product or said they aren't looking for that from the brand. i was just curious to see what thoughts, if any folks have.
just conversation is all
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Of course, there are things I just won't buy. But that's just me and my wallet speaking ::). I think Haraki-san realizes that we can't be all things to all people. As long as IH sticks to its ethos, I think we are ok.
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We have to remember that IH is a Japanese company. Haraki dreams up stuff that will appeal primarily to his market. 90% of his customers in Japan are Harley riders, the whole scene is completely different from what most of us are used to.
1) A lot of the stuff that you see only available over here is instigated by me (and you sometimes) where I think we have a gap in te western market.
2) Haraki does listen to what I need and will modify IF he agrees with it
3) In the early days of our relationship he refused to make something that I knew would sell well, but it just did not fit his aesthetic
4) When we get Triple Works off the ground again you will see a more rational approach to how we brand. For instance, the Great White and possibly the Big Blue would have been branded Triple Works…. -
i don't know if they realize that omega.
in fact, i dare say they would make Iron Heart under pants & socks if they could do it better than everyone else. i think Iron Heart currently has a very loyal core following (in a large part because of this forum & the great service rcvd from the IHUK folks) that they really attempt to cater to by making a timeless product that can take a beating. it doesn't matter if it's a coaster, a work apron, or a pair of cords.
"only well made things can endure" is a very broad statement that covers everything.
***this was typed before G put up his post, but you know me
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I think that whether the newer products "make sense" or not is very much a matter of personal taste, but what doesn't, and hasn't changed is the quality, the thought of the design, and the love and attention which goes into Iron Heart garments.
Some of new stuff might be questionable from a biker aesthetic, but could Iron Heart succeed long term if it just stuck to biker inspired clothing? Take a look at (much as I hate to mention them) Supreme, who undoubtedly started as a brand inspired by, and primarily catering for Skaters. If they had stuck with that they wouldn't have been as successful as they are now (stores in Japan and the UK), this has come at a cost of argument from their original customers questioning if the brand has "sold out" from it's skater roots. I think that the answer is not necessarily that they have sold out, more that they have aged with their clientele, and their tastes (or at least the majority). Iron Heart/ Triple Works, and any other clothing manufacturer has to do the same just to maintain their customer base.
Tastes change in the main, some items will always be classic (straight cut jeans, type 3 jackets, western shirts etc…), but you can't maintain your customer base if that is all you manufacture, when your competitors are offering more and different.
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very true seul, i'm happy to be here.
- In the early days of our relationship he refused to make something that I knew would sell well, but it just did not fit his aesthetic
- When we get Triple Works off the ground again you will see a more rational approach to how we brand. For instance, the Great White and possibly the Big Blue would have been branded Triple Works….
would love more info on 3 & i can see your logic with 4. growing pains are a good thing, means
weyou are freckin' growing** i notice i tend to write we when talkin about IH & i have to go back & correct it, but you folks do have that impact (on me at least). we'll see how this thing goes
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mega, glad you are here. you bring a lot to the conversation.
oh & you forgot to mention the IHW-01 the new Iron Heart classic (we'll see how that holds up in 5/10/15 years
i don't think Iron Heart really care about what the competition is doing. of course i really don't know, but from the product they usually put out they are going to their own wacky drum.
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I think you're right Megatron. Look at Viberg. They were making boots for lumberjacks up until 7-8 years ago. A call from Nepenthes and everything changed for them. The japanese market opened up along with a whole host of opportunities. The quality is still there but so is the diversity.
I still think one needs to be careful though not to dilute the image or qualkity. Can't see IH making that mistake as everyone involved seems aware of the pitfalls. I guess this forum has it's part to play in all that too which is what makes IH even more special in my eyes. -
qualkity ? word of the day in a highly philosophical conversation
We can do anything
http://bybeatle.com -
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In a juxtaposed kind of way, I think that IH's success thus far is in no small part down to Haraki and Giles not following "trends". Innovate not imitate as they say, even something like the Deck jacket is a Haraki twist on a classic item (if Samurai had done it, it would have said "Samurai Motor Club" on the back in 18" rhinestone lettering).
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Thanks GK, no idea about any IH products bombing, but I would doubt it.
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That is a good question. Nothing has ever really bombed. Some stuff sells slowly, and sometimes I get bored of having stuff lying around, so I put it on special offer. But in every case when I have done that, a few months later, I could have sold them at full price over and over again.
What appears to happen, is that as we get new customers, they see the quality of the stuff and the go through the back catalogue.
The IHJ-01 being a perfect example…..
Oh, I have just thought. The silver bangles have just not sold........Never mind, Mme B and I have 4 wrists between us.....
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IHSH-10 was the slowest selling shirt per Giles a while back. i thought it was a dope shirt, but it was cut very slim & i couldn't even squeeze into an XL
& you are right GK, numbers don't lie regardless of the direction of Iron Heart.
G responded while i was typing this. of course i won't delete my post. yeah put them all on special
