Iron Heart Products - What do you think we should make?
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A 10-12oz denim for jeans.
In my perfect world it would become a core item available in most of the cuts like the 14oz and 21oz denim fabric. Of course I love the heavier stuff like everyone else and I'm sure some are balking at the idea of an IH jean that light but not many thought IH would do a 14oz several years ago and H knocked it out of the park with both iterations of that fabric. It also appears that the 14oz sells very well but of course @Giles can answer that better than anyone.
A lot of us live in warm/hot/hell-on-Earth climates. Sure you can say the 14oz or even 21oz can be tolerable in the heat but IMO it's not exactly comfortable and a good 10-12oz fabric feels sooooo much better in the heat. I think it would be very interesting to see H's take on a light fabric in that 10-12oz range.
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I'd like short inseam denim shorts, like the 5" inseam Patagonia stand up shorts:
https://www.patagonia.com/product/mens-stand-up-shorts-5-inch/57221.htmlCouldn't you just order jeans and have them chicken-legged? Probably a wider cut?
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Maybe already requested but a souvenir jacket. Been digging on them recently. But maybe doesn't fit the brand.
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Couldn't you just order jeans and have them chicken-legged? Probably a wider cut?
Of course but (1) it's a waste to take a perfectly good pair of jeans and cut off the legs and (2) details (and maybe cut) can be made different from just cut off jeans…
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A lot of us live in warm/hot/hell-on-Earth climates. Sure you can say the 14oz or even 21oz can be tolerable in the heat but IMO it's not exactly comfortable and a good 10-12oz fabric feels sooooo much better in the heat. I think it would be very interesting to see H's take on a light fabric in that 10-12oz range.
I think those of us that live in hell-on-Earth climates need to accept that IH is a cold weather brand. We'll never have much use for the flannels, thermals, jackets, and super heavy denim, but that's just the way it is.
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A lot of us live in warm/hot/hell-on-Earth climates. Sure you can say the 14oz or even 21oz can be tolerable in the heat but IMO it's not exactly comfortable and a good 10-12oz fabric feels sooooo much better in the heat. I think it would be very interesting to see H's take on a light fabric in that 10-12oz range.
I think those of us that live in hell-on-Earth climates need to accept that IH is a cold weather brand. We'll never have much use for the flannels, thermals, jackets, and super heavy denim, but that's just the way it is.
Love means sacrifice. Living in San Diego means I can get away with IH as it doesn't get too hot here or cold. I certainly don't need IH here, but I want IH here. I just think of those Pronto guys in Bangkok, so I don't complain. Haha.
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A lot of us live in warm/hot/hell-on-Earth climates. Sure you can say the 14oz or even 21oz can be tolerable in the heat but IMO it's not exactly comfortable and a good 10-12oz fabric feels sooooo much better in the heat. I think it would be very interesting to see H's take on a light fabric in that 10-12oz range.
I think those of us that live in hell-on-Earth climates need to accept that IH is a cold weather brand. We'll never have much use for the flannels, thermals, jackets, and super heavy denim, but that's just the way it is.
I don't agree that IH is just a cold weather brand considering they sell/have sold T-shirts, lightweight flannels, lightweight chambrays, short sleeve work shirts, lightweight chinos, the current 5.5oz madras shirt, etc..
One's definition of "cold weather" may be different than the next person of course, but point being that IH does make items that I can wear comfortably in the summer.
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I think I saw some shorts in a pic of H's sketchbook of upcoming products he's working on too but I could be mistaken.
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I don't agree that IH is just a cold weather brand considering they sell/have sold T-shirts, lightweight flannels, lightweight chambrays, short sleeve work shirts, lightweight chinos, the current 5.5oz madras shirt, etc..
One's definition of "cold weather" may be different than the next person of course, but point being that IH does make items that I can wear comfortably in the summer.
The volume of cold weather gear IH produces is vastly greater than the volume of summer gear because its target audience needs it and because the Japanese climate supports it. Just look at the size of the average A/W collection compared to the average S/S collection. Using shorts as an example, the forthcoming serge shorts will be the second time IH has produced such a thing as far as I’m aware. Twice in as long as IHUK had existed. Consider the number of ultra heavy flannels released each year compared to the number of 5.5oz shirts. Some years they don’t make short-sleeved gear.
It’s been said many times before. Iron Heart are a Japanese biker brand. They design and make clothes aimed at Japanese bikers. Japan has a relatively temperate climate, with four distinct seasons, including summer. Bike riders need layers, almost all year round. Some people need shorts and lighter shirts (when they aren’t riding) in the summer. But Japan does not have anything like Arizona, Texas, Florida or Alabama.
I think @Heavygenes hits the nail on the head. No one needs IH in San Diego, but he can can choose to rock it there. The majority of IH gear is pointless in Phoenix, Arizona, but you’ll always have the S/S collection and can choose to wear the heavier stuff too. Just not the IHJ-75 [emoji1]
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Plenty of loyal buyers in places like Indonesia that are beyond warm year round, and they often seem to like the heavy stuff. At least as far as jeans go, I don't think people necessarily let fabric weight be governed strictly by climate. There are other factors in play, such as how the fabric feels, how durable a buyer thinks it will be, how it drapes, how novel the fabric weight is, how it ages, etc. The thought of swamp nuts from 25oz jeans in hot and humid climates makes me shudder, but obviously this is not a universal opinion.
As for shorts, I'm all for ending that madness and letting people chicken-leg pants as used to be the norm with cargo and painter pants. I would have been in the market for the serge cargo shorts had they been pants. It gives buyers more options (how long do you prefer your shorts to be, or would you rather have pants?), and to address @JDelage point, the fabric cost isn't too much and the legs need not be discarded, as they can be used for other purposes. But I do think that waste is an important issue and that's a good point.
One common characteristic of a lot of the things IH makes isn't just that they are warm, but that they are adaptable. Zip hoodies and button-down flannels (particularly with snaps), for example, are excellent layering pieces, as they are wind resistant but breathable, and you can adjust how open or closed they are to changes in climate. So, if you live in a place with wide temperature swings, a thermal Henley under a UHF under a hoodie gives you a ton of latitude to adjust to swings of temperature through the day. Or if you ride a bike, and while in motion are chilly, but at rest are a bit warmer, this adaptability is key.
I agree that Iron Heart is more of a Japanese than a cold weather brand, but the main reason I have so many heavy shirts from them is that I lived in Minnesota and wanted to stay warm without wearing heavy coats all the time (and closely following that is Haraki's nigh-impeccable taste). But I think that the heavy weight may have as much to do with the motorcycle piece as it does keeping warm, and perhaps more to do with durability than either. But I'm not in Haraki's head, that's just my take. The brand is whatever it is to whomever is buying it, and there are as many reasons to love the brand as there are buyers.
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Back when I worked a lot of landscaping in the summer months I often worked with guys from in and around theamazon. They had spent most of their lives in stifling climate. . There were a large amount of them who didn’t seem to sweat the way I did. I mean I would be soaked through my jeans, and t-shirt and they werent sweating AT ALL. I wonder if that is the case with some of our Indonesian friends.
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My Dad lives in Thailand with his wife and no matter how hot it is there she never seems to break a sweat. Me and him have it pouring off us and not a bead on her. Same with all the construction workers over there, they constantly covered up from the sun but never look hot.
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I don't disagree with any of the points being made but I do feel that the idea that the Japanese audience is IH's target market possibly carries less weight now considering the trend in the Japanese market going towards street and fast fashion and the effect it's having on Japanese brands like Flat Head and Iron Heart for that matter. I believe Giles has stated that it's the international market that is carrying Iron Heart as the Japanese sales have slowed drastically. I obviously can't speak for H and I never would so for all I know he could still be focusing on the Japanese market as his target audience, but as a loyal customer who loves the brand and only wants to see it succeed I'm just playing devils advocate here and saying maybe "we" (IH) pose the question….is it the right idea or in the best interest of the brands long term success to focus on the Japanese market right now? I'm in no way saying that IH needs to completely change what's it doing or anything....at all...just suggesting the idea that maybe the Japanese audience isn't or shouldn't be the target audience considering the shift in that market.
I was just simply suggesting that personally I would love to see a summerweight 10-12oz jean from them...that's all. It might sell like shit if it happened...who knows...but I don't think it's that crazy of an idea and all of these arguments against it could have easily been arguments against a 14oz jean before that was released but it appears that it's selling fairly well.
Just a selfish suggestion of what I would like to see IH make...that's what this thread is for after all....I want some lightweight IH jeans dammit!
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If you haven't tried the 14oz it's plenty light and breathable imo for any climate.
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If you haven't tried the 14oz it's plenty light and breathable imo for any climate.
I have….love it...both versions 1 and 2. Was wearing them the other day (v.2) when it was in the 90's here and was outside doing some things which was when I was thinking to myself that I should have worn my 10oz RgT's today because the 14oz IH's were getting a bit too warm. Then that's when I thought man...some 10-12oz IH's would be great.
The 14oz is tolerable in the Phx summers but I wouldn't exactly say it's comfortable. My 10oz RgT's are much more comfortable in the 90F and up range IMO.
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I can’t wear anything under 14oz. My experience with lightweight denim is that the fabric wears out faster in the stress points. I’m not saying lightweight IH denim is a bad idea I just know I wouldn’t wear them. Besides, when it’s hotter than sh*t outside I’m wearing shorts damnit [emoji1]
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I wore 21oz in Arizona 110 degree weather. I survived.
We'll see how 25oz fares. So far our high is 99. ???
