Unpopular opinions
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not taking away my respect for their singular vision or the quality of the garments but, i do not understand the love for brands like Kapital, Mister Freedom, and Visvim.
Their collections season after season seem to be almost all statement pieces and if i wore more than one item at a time i would feel like i am in drag / costume
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I too agree that some of the pieces are too costumey (Some are down-right ridiculous), but there are very nice single pieces throughout his clothing line that are absolutely amazing (Denim pea coats, CPOs, and much of the outerwear).
I do think he is starting to lose steam (And I was actually going to say that when I posted the new Sportman season on the MF brand thread, but chose to not sprinkle the negativity there)… His past 3 collections have been VERY uneventful... And he seems to be recycling many ideas/living off of the old glory of a few older designs.
*The "new collection" isn't really one of his new collections, but rather the new season for his Sportsman line (Less costumey "everyday clothing").
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I wouldn't call it "losing steam," I would call it "coming around." For a decade, Christophe rarely ever repeated a product or pattern, and the "sportman" catalog has allowed him to rebuild some old ideas at a new pricepoint in order to appeal to a new client.
I remember when the Topsiders came out, they were the coolest pants I had seen, but at $450 a pop, they were out of my range. The sportsman catalog allowed him to revisit the pattern, make the pants in the USA (for cheaper production costs) and launched the herringbone Topsider chino for $275, a much more feasible price and more in line with competitors.
We also have to remember, Christophe used to release about 12 items a season (around 30 total items a year). 2 pants in 2-3 colors/patterns, 2-3 shirts, and 2-3 outwear pieces. The sportsman range has allowed him to release 50 or so items a year on top of his "made in japan" gear, so it's allowing him to have a decent revenue stream while making improvements on items that few could afford back in 2008-2010.
While I am not a fan of the colors of the new Breezer jacket, that pattern will always be nostalgic for me, and I am glad he is remaking them. I also think the new chambrays look great, and the organic jeans fall in line with his company ethos.
Overall, I think the demographic has simply shifted for who he is appealing to. Early on with the Naval and Speed Safe Clothing lines, it was edgy, rugged, and VERY different from the normal "5-pocket + OCBD + Desert Boot" look that most denim people were rocking at the time. I also think for a while, IH and MFSC had a "similar but different" look that allowed most of us here to mix and match our collections well. I do feel the focus on 50's preppy culture has taken that out of alot of "Our" (read as IHUK forum users), but has also allowed him to pay the bills and keep making the creative pieces he is revered for.
Christophe has always been good to me, even sharing some of my write ups of his gear from my blogs on this website and social media, and I will always respect his vision and the direction he feels is best for his company. While I agree that 90% of his gear in "unwearable" for me, there are always people I see it on (John Brooklyn from IG) that It looks amazing on.
remember, it't not always about what you are wearing, but how you wear it.
Sorry to derail the Unpop, just sharing mine lol
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I said it then, I'll say it again now…
@Chris:With the possible exception of footwear, I can't stand Mr. Freedom. Great materials, great construction quality, unappealing style. I'm not a French factory worker in 1953, why would I want to dress like one?
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The only MF piece I like is the indigo dyed N1 Blouson de Quart. But @ $950 it's way out of my price range.
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Not a Fan of MF and Kapital because their Stuff simply doesnt Fit my Style, Visvim fully floats my boat but the pricing is a bit to hefty for my taste, 230 Euros for a T-Shirt or 700 Euros for a Shirt that isn´t even 1% better made then any other High Quality Japanese Brand is a bit of for me, but of course its Fashion so maybe just don´t get Fashion
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damn it, I renege on my previous un-pop and will replace it with a the following:
beer is overrated with all the damn sniffing and swirling and spitting. drink your damn beer with breakfast like the rest of us and stop telling me about the mouth feel and all that bunk
oh and American forum members should not be allowed to say mate or cheers, the Boston Tea Party happened so you do not have to say that or spell words with extra "u"s
I'm here all month
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I enjoyed "Bright" on Netflix.
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damn it, I renege on my previous un-pop and will replace it with a the following:
beer is overrated with all the damn sniffing and swirling and spitting. drink your damn beer with breakfast like the rest of us and stop telling me about the mouth feel and all that bunk
oh and American forum members should not be allowed to say mate or cheers, the Boston Tea Party happened so you do not have to say that or spell words with extra "u"s
I'm here all month
Ha Ha! Love it. Totally agree on all points.
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Also agree regarding Mr. Freedom. Nothing is appealing to me from MF.
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damn it, I renege on my previous un-pop and will replace it with a the following:
beer is overrated with all the damn sniffing and swirling and spitting. drink your damn beer with breakfast like the rest of us and stop telling me about the mouth feel and all that bunk
oh and American forum members should not be allowed to say mate or cheers, the Boston Tea Party happened so you do not have to say that or spell words with extra "u"s
I'm here all month
Ha Ha! Love it. Totally agree on all points.
Cheers mates!
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As an American, I agree on not using mate. I also happen to be a big fan of Mister Freedom and Iron Heart. They can work together in harmony fairly often. Some of MF's piece do tend to lean towards the costumey side though.
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I drove over 11 hours today by myself and I had a lot of time to think. I have been on just about every continent but Antartica, and Tropical-Asia (I guess now they consider that to be a different continent depending on who you ask). And I have been to all but Maine and New Hampshire in the continental U.S.. I have to travel a lot for work. So, thought even in places where I consider the local food to be completely disgusting and unedible: McDonald's is pretty much the safest place to get something decent to eat.
Now I know that McDonald's does many horrible and cruel things, their foods are fake foods full of GMOs, it takes at least 33 gallons of water to produce one quarter pounder, they destroy rainforests for grazing land and to cut down trees for the paper and palm oil they use, and their foods are so unhealthy they are almost dangerous. … ... ...
But, pretty much no matter where, it all tastes just about the same and tastes reasonably decent.
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Agree, on MF and Kapital. But every once in a while Kapital has a bandana that rules! And they are amazing quality too.
Edit: been blowing my nose in this one all day!
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I have to disagree on Mister Freedom, I think some of the clothing can be a bit much at times but an article here and there really work together with almost anything. If I don't know what to wear for the day I throw an Appaloosa on over a t-shirt and I'm good to go. Same goes for a few other shirts that I own. I think some people only see guys decked head to toe in MF gear and think it looks like too much, and then think that that's the only way to wear it. I think it just depends how you wear the stuff personally. That being said I really like the brand so of course I'm going to defend it.
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If you like something it shouldn't matter what people think. I have seen some MF stuff I thought was awesome aesthetically and I loved it. But a lot of it looks like something Austin Powers would wear. But Austin Powers is way more awesome than I will ever be.
It's stuff like this, I think is cool but could never pull off or want to. A lot of it seems more of an expression of art. I like how understated Iron Heart looks. Like none of it is loud. Probably for half of my life I wore predominantly black. It is a big step for me to have a blue hat or blue jeans.
