Reddit - Ask me Anything (AMA)
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Wow, that's gotta make folks buying from Japan sting all the more (sorry knowing as I do now I would have dug deeper, promise you'll get the balance in the long run). Do you know with all of that where you end up per pair? Sorry I can be off, profit margins and debt footprints interest me.
We work on the basis that we do not need to make the same margin off everything we sell. Margins on silver, leather and the 25oz are awful. If that was all we sold, we'd go bust. But we strive for an average margin that is acceptable, so yes, we make more on some items (the IH-634S being a prime example - we make so many of them our costs are reasonably low)…...
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I am glad there is some room for you after the trials of production. I understand no two things in any business carry the same margins, I have also been in the position where trouble jobs make your end barely worth the effort. The determination to get through the issues, even with a smaller margin, and then continue to expand the offerings in the difficult area is what impresses me. You have to bust your ass to make that work, tons of respect for it.
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Coasters!
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Paraffin something would be great
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Well put Sean. I was trying to think of a good way to sum up my reaction after reading the AMA but you captured my thoughts perfectly. Congrats G and IH on the great exposure.
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Very cool read… .
I always assumed IH used Supima for the US long staple cotton in the jeans. But then I read this: “OK I heard from Haraki. Fairly adamant reply:
"We don't use PIMA in our denim and I won't use it."”I have this burning question about the cotton now. I should start by saying that I’m somewhat obsessed with cotton and am really impressed with the cotton used in my IH jeans and sweatshirt and my cotton obsessions are urging me to find out what variety of cotton IH uses. However, there are a few points about IH cotton that make it wonderfully unique and hard to identify:
- It’s not the GE (BT toxin producing or herbicide tolerant) variety…
(which rules out about 90%+ of US cotton…) - It’s not US Pima AKA Supima (which rules out about 3%)
So that leaves about 6-7% which it could be, but it’s long staple cotton (which is rare outside of Supima cotton in the US and rules out all Upland cotton and most of the other 6-7% left over) so it must be some super rare cotton variety that’s not even on the radar of commercial cotton growers…
Which all leads to the question: What kind is it? Is it a secret? Is it some rare heirloom or breed of cotton that other companies don’t find cost effective, but IH uses for its extreme durability/softness? A US Zimbabwean cotton equivalent that’s better than Supima?
Vary fascinated to hear… certainly no rush though. - It’s not the GE (BT toxin producing or herbicide tolerant) variety…
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Haraki & and Ono-san sit down and work out what Haraki needs out of the finished fabric. There are certain things Haraki just does care about (though Pima is obviously something he is not keen on). Does X do the job? Yes. Good.
I can also tell when he feels a question is unnecessary and he is irritated. This is one of them.
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so G$, who ghost wrote those responses on the AMA? you came off to me very knowledgable, funny, passionate & straight forward . . . . so I know Winchy or Paula had to be taking care of it while you were fishing or getting a pedicure
great job & way to be proactive in reaching a wider audience through the world wide webs
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Kudos Giles. I really enjoyed reading the AMA thread. Learned lots of interesting stuff and you came across really well. Down to earth, honest and more than anything passionate. You are where you are because you and the team made it happen. Imagine if Haraki san had not replied to that email! Then again there's a divinity that shapes our ends as The Bard himself would put it.
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Haraki & and Ono-san sit down and work out what Haraki needs out of the finished fabric. There are certain things Haraki just does care about (though Pima is obviously something he is not keen on). Does X do the job? Yes. Good.
I can also tell when he feels a question is unnecessary and he is irritated. This is one of them.
Maybe it’s for the best than… There is something about this mystery that is best enjoyed mysterious. What I have learned though is that IH long staple cotton is approximately equivalent to Zimbabwean (another super rare variety virtually unknown to commercial cotton growers), but is US grown and is not US Pima. If I were to hear the name of the cotton chances are it would be incoherent anyway. It’s just cool to know that the cotton is super quality US cotton, but not Supima (better than Supima I assume). This would lead me to believe that the cotton is super rare, superior even to superior Pima (AKA Supima), and virtually iron heart exclusive. This fact is most interesting and makes me even more fascinated and excited about iron heart clothing.
Edit: Comparison between Levis cotton and Iron Heart cotton. Hint: Iron Heart cotton is longer, fluffier, and generally looks more appealing.
