Iron Heart Update - 2026
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I think a lot of people are missing the fact that it's not just supply and demand, the demand is getting too high for all Japanese denim companies... They literally can't keep up with demand, and it's putting pressure on mills which could turn around and stop doing business with them if they're too pushy... I think it's just becoming difficult to supply retail partners, when they're not able to supply themselves with much due to demand.
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@Grim said in Iron Heart Update - 2026:
Would hate for anything to happen to this brand. I really do cherish all my IH because I really can see the hard work and love put into these products. As well as the customer service I constantly see striving to do their best to help me or even my wife. Don’t envy the decisions Alex has to make. Best of luck 🫡.
This
Couldn’t have said it better. Best brand in the business and Gosport customer service is the Gold standard. 
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Found this thread after receiving the email earlier today.
It is quite amazing to see how demand for IH has grown over the years. There are also so many IH products these days, which i suppose might create extra supply chain stress.
Anyway, do what you need to do in order to keep the brand healthy. Cheers all. -
Lots of supportive comments here! None of us want to see anything bad happen to the brand we love so much. We can all agree that IH is special, but this forum is special too, and I'm really glad to see this community rally around @Alex during what must be a really difficult time. Thank you!
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Thanks for sharing this information, it is hard to fully grasp all the things that go on in the back end, we get little glimpses of things when the team mentions expecting some stock of something or fabric being unavailable, but I can only imagine the coordination of resources, materials etc. is quite a hectic job on its own and then throwing in so many retailers across the entire globe of timezones.
As many others have echoed, I buy straight from Gosport as the insane level of service that is received makes every cent spent worth it, the love and pride for the brand that everyone so clearly has over there makes every purchase an easy decision. The level of hospitality from Alex when I was in London, the emails I have received about missing a product release that I had communicated interest in, its what makes Iron Heart so special, something that anyone on the outside will never understand. Add the forum on top of it all and its a really awesome community!
Looking forward to whats in store for 2026 from you guys and beyond!!
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@Go-For-Chill Yeah I'd like to second this as well - Champ, Heath and the entire Guilty Party team run a top-notch operation. I've purchased many IH products I would not have normally purchased directly from IHUK.
I feel quite lucky GP is right down the street from me. Keeping my fingers crossed they stay in yall's good graces. Will always be an IH fan regardless though.. -
Most of our retailers are stand-up people. If we had used that as the criteria, we would not have achieved what we need to.
"OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011
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IH UK is always my first go to, however, Iron Shop Provisions is top notch in all my interactions with them. I think in all things IH UK does well, selecting retailers is another, so they all seem pretty solid.
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I can totally understand your decision @Alex , from your perspective it makes perfect sense and in the long run all of us die hard IH fans will benefit from it.
Tbh I have always thought how it works out having alone 5 or 6 retailers only in Germany. They all do amazing work but since IH is the only japanese denim maker I know of who has a european HQ I see it's important to protect their roots and focus on staying in business
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@Giles “most”
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I’m going to stick my neck out here we zero knowledge on the subject, and assume that the retailers that bust their ass to promote the brand will have the best chance of being kept on. There’s many that simply put the product up on their website and have no promotion online. In fact the retailer closest to me does nothing to promote IH or any of their other brands outside of putting up new arrivals.
I know not every retailer has the ability to make videos showing fit and fabric, but I’m hoping the ones who bust ass and have great customer service don’t get dropped
world tours:
888 Fat guy chocolate WT
Mad Red x2
Wabidashery -
I think there are so many factors that go into decision-making it’s impossible to predict. Geographical distribution, longevity as a vendor, purchase history—all of this is surely more important than marketing, especially when the problem is popularity has spread the supply thin.
I don’t envy @Alex making any of these decisions.
To echo what many have already said, I love this brand and the community around those of us obsessed with it. I hope that the steps that IH takes now will help to ease the pressure so that there will be many more prosperous years to come.
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@jordanscollected As mentioned a few times before, discussions concerning vendors will/may happen in due time. Speculation does nothing but cause rumours that may lead to negative feelings.
Iron Heart re: Alex and IHUK have spent a lot of time in discussion regarding this and I trust their decision for the future of not only IHUK but Iron Heart in general.
