Unpopular opinions
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Degrees Rafa, stands to reason that a guy with three pairs of boots will put far more wear on them than a guy with 10 pairs
Like I said from the beginning this is just my opinion, the only reason that I'm still debating it is that validations of finance and apathy are something else I find frustrating (unpopular opinion number 2).
And again, I'm not making this a need vs want debate, I'm just simply stating that I don't get the seen my culture of the guys with 36 flannel shirts, 40 pairs of jeans, 29 pairs of boots, 135 tee shirts, 7 leather jackets and a partridge in a frikkin pair tree
Exaggeration I know, but really the line has to be drawn somewhere….it's looking more than a little gauche, like Liberace but in denim and leather.
A great point was made by a campaign I supported earlier this year, as did many other people in this industry, about buying cheap clothing is socioeconomically irresponsible, and leads to tragedy like the factory collapse in Bangladesh. Then surely by the same token by stock piling things (anything) you are once again pushing the envelope of irresponsibility as everything you buy has a supply chain from raw material, and carbon footprint. Now, unless you are intimately aware of the provenance of every bass part of everything you buy then you are adding to the problem.
I just believe in responsible consumerism at all levels, if you cannot realistically give function to the thing you buy then it is a pure luxury, nothing wrong with that but when most purchases which you make are pure luxury then you are exasperating a problem which effects everyone.
Nice to get debate going btw
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Having said all that I must add the caveat that in our niche market of high end clothing it is easier to define provenance and supply chain because we can trust guys like Haraki and Giles that they source bass components themselves and do so of quality and expensively made goods. This makes me feel better and can be said of just about any of of the brands we purchase.
My main point for this particular scene is that (in my opinion) if you don't explore the potential of your clothing by wearing it then you can look like you don't really get it.
Look at Harakis own 634's, they are beautiful because of the time and wear he has put into them, I am constantly amazed by the jeans I see in the HWDC. These things make me happy, seeing a dude with 45 pairs of almost pristine jeans makes me a little sad.
End of unpopular opinion.
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Great last post, Gav.
I go through periods where I'm so frustrated with the masses of stuff that I've collected that I just give as much as I can away. Somehow, even though I set rules for myself, e.g., only clothes that are made in first world countries, buy the best example of something I want that I can afford, I still end up with way more than I need.
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We all do man, I have done it too many times and not just with clothing. I will actually close with something that just popped into my head, words from a man much wiser than I who faces this dilemma personally far more often than almost any of us have done.
The following is an excerpt from an interview which Haraki-San did with Keat Chan on Hall Of Fade.
_**SK: Thank you for this enlightening conversation, any last words for your fans around the world?
HK: I wish people would wear Iron Heart for a long time. My concept is long lasting and good quality. So I would like for people to enjoy the Iron Heart brand for a long time. Tough, heavy and ready!
SK: If that’s the case then people would buy less since your products last so long!
HK: That’s my dilemma! I guess the brand just needs more new customers!**_
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HK: That’s my dilemma! I guess the brand just needs more new customers!
And that is what I am trying to do. Whether people buy 1 pair or 20 pairs, bothers me not a jot, but more total pairs of legs equals better. It means I can experiment more with fabrics and cuts without risking house and home….
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And that is why I am completely comfortable and more than happy with you guys, because I know that is the level you go to.
When you guys come out with something amazing I physically want people to wear the shit out of it, thats where I get my kicks in this scene.
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I guess then the best move to support such dedication would be to stick to a few items and never create another endangered item again…
I'm a simple man. If carbon footprint governed my purchases, I certainly wouldn't be buying stuff made in Japan, flown across the world to England, and then flown halfway across the world to me. I buy stuff I like that I think is ethically made and I buy it to last. To each his or her own. I have only a couple of more planned IH purchases before the wardrobe enters stasis for hopefully many years.
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http://www.gq.com/news-politics/newsmakers/201304/buzz-bissinger-shopaholic-gucci-addiction
This article was posted several months ago on this forum. It's a really interesting read, if you have the time to check it out.
Mega, I appreciate this discussion. I am definitely guilty of over-indulging, at times. More often than not, it's a matter of not being able to keep the OCD under control.
EDIT: And let me elaborate: I love all the gear that I buy, but I don't NEED all of it.
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The best way to support this is extremely simple, wear what you buy, do it often and enjoy it. Could not be more simple.
When you store it, or roll it out for pics it becomes something else.
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Yeah to me that would just be weird. Stuff I don't wear I sell, trade, or give to goodwill… Hoarding is foreign to me.
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i think i know the person that you are speaking of on sufu. he has a very large collection of nice denim. he also seems to be a d.i.n.k. =double income no kids. my belief is, he is a collector of denim and he has a very nice collection. he also seems to have a somewhat interesting life from what he posts. i would think it is similar to a gun collection, you can't be using them every day all the time, but something to cherish and look at and some times use. i am don't collect any thing really, i buy quality that functions and i use the shit out of it. any how every body has an opinion and every body consumes. FTW
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I'm not speaking about any one particular person to be honest, and to contradict myself some of the guys with the massive denim collections are the ones I have most respect for their knowledge and how they conduct themselves (I'm thinking about a couple of people here).
Simply their way is not my way, and even if it could be (financially) it wouldn't be.
BTW, I don't expect anyone to agree with me, and I was expecting to be told to shut the fuck up by now
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II have only a couple of more planned IH purchases before the wardrobe enters stasis for hopefully many years.
I'll donate $100 to a charity of your choosing if you pull this off.
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Awesome; everything is on RC let's see how I do!
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One more thought. Looking at the combinatorics of the situation, it doesn't take a lot of shirts, pants, jackets, and shoes (and for those of us lucky enough to be able to pull them off, vests and other accessories) to have enough distinct outfits to wear something different every day of your life. Of course the seasons will constrain which items you can wear at any point in the season, but you can have a lot of possibilities without an Imelda Marcos-like collection of shit.
The redundancy in my wardrobe that's been nagging me, since Seul offered up his jacket as an example, is my two IHSH-70s, one red (which I wear today) and one gray, but near-identical color ways. I love them both, got one used, and the other at an accidental discount that I couldn't resist. I will wear them both, but they are somewhat redundant.
Another item that's been nagging me are my Railcar Spikes X-009s, which I haven't worn since mid-July when I picked up a second, LHT pair of 17oz jeans. I really love them but I should probably sell them.
