What Has Iron Heart International Ever Done for You....
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It just drives me crazy when people try to distill everything down to what the parts and pieces cost and then decide from there what they think a “reasonable” margin should be. Denim, boots, homebuilding, whatever. That’s just not how businesses work.
There’s something for everybody at every price point. I don’t wander onto the Rolls-Royce forum, assuming there actually is a Rolls-Royce forum, which would probably be entertaining as hell, and tell everyone they’re idiots for buying a Cullinan because my Yukon has four wheels, leather seats, gets me where I’m going, and therefore the Rolls is wildly overpriced.
Spending your free time hanging around enthusiast forums for expensive stuff just to repeatedly tell everyone they’re paying too much is a particularly strange hobby.
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Exactly. If a company is genuinely making something worthwhile and doing right by the people involved, I want them to be profitable. That’s what allows them to keep making it.
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Years ago, @Alex deleted my Reddit account. He did that because he knew that my ability not to react to completely stupid comments there, tended to zero. It was probably a good move, and for the goodness of my health a great decision.
I studied The Economics of Business and Trade at the London School of Economics, I was far from a perfect student, but I did learn a little about how shit works. I then spent the best part of 25 years running businesses internationally, I learned a little about how business works/does not work. I also learned a lot about how people from different backgrounds view the world and view business and relationships. I have always believed that this background gave me a skill set that was useful for setting up and running Iron Heart International. I once said to a friend who I respect a lot "I wish that I had set up IHUK years ago", his response was "the reason that you are successful is that you didn't, everything you learned doing other stuff prepared you to do what you are doing now".
So, what has Iron Heart International ever done for you?
Haraki knows the Japanese market, when I met him, he had no idea how to run a business outside of Japan. Despite the fact that I had never been involved in the clothing business, I convinced him that I could help him. And, I think empirically I have.
We set up a worldwide retailer network and gave physical access to Iron Heart in The West. Haraki would not have done that, he may have found someone else who could, but I got in there first.
People moan and bitch about us, and our role, and they love to circumvent out International channels to buy directly from Japan. But the irony is that much of what they love, much of what they want to buy, would not exist if it was not for IHUK.
UHFs
18oz denim
19oz lefty
UHR (was originally a mistake, and was just going to be one run, we pushed for it to become a constant)
Indigo/black denim
Indigo/indigo denim
14oz denim
Denim CPO's
Slubby denim (H made that for us, because he knew I wanted it, but never had the balls to ask him)
Duck type III's and vests
Whipcord pants
SneakersI could go on and on, but the fact is that a lot of the stuff that we all love, would not exist if it was not for us.
Haraki once asked me to form a global partnership and run the whole gamut together. I shied away from doing that, and if I regret not doing it now, it is because at least I could have shown the bird to the uninformed critics who say, but all IHUK does is buy shit from Japan and sell it at a premium.
When Haraki felt the need to move on and concentrate on just making stuff, who does he nominate to run the Japanese retail business, not someone from Japan, but Alex, who runs the International business? He did that because we have done and still do run a very successful business that most of the Japanese Amekaji brands are extremely jealous of.
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Oh yeah, they were top of my list when I decided to write what I did, then completely forgot about then...
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@Giles
and not to forget you created this place !
A place I would call home in terms of my internet activities . A place to share not only the passion for the brand , but share a lot of things from my everyday life like family and many other things. -
To answer the question in the title of the thread:
They sold me high quality clothing I enjoy wearing because they fit me so well. And they delivered outstanding customer service.
That, plainly put, is just about it. Seems to be something that is not to be expected from every company, but I'll put my money where I get what I want.
The price tag? I can afford it, and consider myself lucky to be in that position. I have utmost respect for the person buying less, because they have to save money big time to make that purchase, but still choose to do so despite having other and probably cheaper options.I feel myself drawn to the brand and this forum here, because it has created something in addition to just the purchase, which is mainly because IH International deliberately chose to get customers involved. This is something which I did not expect, but what was very familiar concept from topics I consider a hobby. I always find it fascinating how IH has crossed that line from simply consuming a product to actually engage with others, making it worthwhile to stay on here. It probably addresses a basic human need for community. Still does not explain why I try to hunt down rare IH pieces all over the world, though.
The 'bitching' part seems to mainly come from people I have no interest in listening to. People who define themselves by what they wear and what appearance they create.
That is just vanity combined with a certain hollowness. I tend to stay away from those people, although I see that IH still must deal with them as customers.Judging from afar, those bitching around most loudly are probably the people who have no expertise in running a business.
Or their business model is being an influencer who need to bitch around to gain attraction and that paycheck from youtube.
But on youtube, I never go for the videos with the reviews of boots, I'll go straight to the cobbler who made a video of fixing them.
If you bitch around topics where no one has asked for your opinion, and that is all you do, you probably should reconsider your life choices.
I'm sure there a numerous points to criticize even with IH, but there's enough space on here to address that with all due respect. Simply bitching around on the internet will get you nowhere. -
@Daniel-San I guess this brings us back to the oft-repeated line about the forum: I came for the clothes …
Every part of me (except perhaps my liver) is thankful for the forum, but it wouldn’t be what it is if it wasn’t underpinned by solid products and the way IH have chosen to do business.
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@northsouthdenimguy said in What Has Iron Heart International Ever Done for You....:
spending time on his boat or whatever you want to call it.(ship, motor yacht, i’m not sure what the English call it
Nor me
, It's a floaty thing that I unpark, drive from A to B and then park. I think sometimes I remember to call the kitchen a galley, but it's really just a kitchen.....Paula bumped into Sir Robin Knox-Johnston recently, and she told him that we now had a boat, but she apologised because it was a not a sailing boat. He berated her in in typical forthright style. "Paula, do not a apologise, I hate it when people get snobby and elitist about boats. What is important is that it gets you out on the water, and that is all that matters"
"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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Well, I curbed my tire trying to avoid somebody this morning, so now I’m sitting here waiting on a tow truck to take it to the dealership down the road for a new tire. These 22-inch low-profile tires look great, but man, I’ve done this more times than I’d like to admit.
This is probably gonna cost me a CPO’s worth of repair dollars.
On the bright side, I have plenty of time to read all the posts in this thread…
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I was on a mission—a search to find exceptionally well-made clothing that I could actually feel connected to. Then I found my first Ultra Heavy Flannel from Iron Shop Provisions. Naturally, I had a ton of questions for Josh about fit and sizing, and to my surprise, he was unequivocally accommodating. That level of service and personal touch sent me diving into the farthest reaches of the world in search of more.
Somewhere along that journey, I stumbled across the Iron Heart Forum. I was immediately taken aback by the transparency of the ownership and staff, but even more so by the support the community gives—and continues to give—one another. There is something genuinely special about the culture that has been created within this community. Ultimately, that culture has been the hook that has kept me on this proverbial clothing journey.
Not many businesses create that kind of alignment with their consumer base. And, of course, that level of connection is bound to create some disgruntlement among people who view every interaction in life as a transaction.
To be honest, to hell with that mindset.
I work for a business that averages between $1 and $1.5 billion in annual revenue, with roughly 400 salaried team members and anywhere from 200 to 600 craft professionals. The way we have built unity and alignment within that organization is through a very similar approach: truth, trust, transparency, and an unwavering dedication to our core values.
That is why I recognize what IHUK has built.
Kudos to all of you at IHUK—and, of course, to Hiraki—for creating a sense of fulfillment that I never imagined I could find through something as simple as procuring clothing.
But that's the thing: it's never really been about the clothing.
It's the journey that's the hook.
And thank you all for being willing to be open, transparent, and engaged in the conversations along the way. That, more than anything, is what makes this community special.
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@tody I laugh regarding your comment about influencers…there have been a few who have reached out to IHUK over the years looking for freebies to promote the brand…
I also appreciate your thoughts on the vanity of it all and completely agree. It’s what turns me off to some brands as they became a status symbol for people trying to fit in/look important.
I don’t care what people wear, but more about who they are.
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I like this thread.
You've all pretty much nailed it. IH rules because they're amazing about getting you the best THING that you can buy. The unique quality products, the service....and without some trendy fashion image that screams "look at me, I'm expensive". IH built a community around lasting quality products they stand by and give full support to their customers. Most popular brands are just disposable status. IMO you all have the best customer relations of any company out there. Also pretty cool that I found the brand via motorcycling. -
Certainly you say “head” and not bathroom
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I started getting into IH because I’d dug deep into Japanese selvedge brands, and of course at some point everybody knows you end up here. A lot stay, a lot don’t — all I know is I got hooked.
I was getting past my trendier years when I was really paying attention to stuff everybody was wearing and seeing how I’d adapt. After a while of course I reached the point of no fucks and started dressing the way I wanted to for the rest of my life, which was essentially American classics like jeans, flannels, motorcycle boots, leather jackets — the evergreens.
IH scratched that itch in so many ways. The fit, the material, the quality that addressed that aforementioned “for the rest of my life” bit; it was all there. Plus I soon got to know the customer service, which is so off the charts that I’m positively ruined with respect to everywhere else. Sometimes I’ll message a company asking if they can measure a specific pair for me or some request of the sort, and they’ll at best act like I’m being unreasonable (masked in babying scripted language, of course), but more likely just not respond at all or refer me to a bot.
And lastly, the forum, which is where I not only got to meet so many fantastic buds and total characters, but also I came to really understand what IH international was, and what it did. I’ve long loved Japanese brands, but they were often very limited in terms of what interactions you could have with them, and what you could see behind the curtain. Being in the forum gave me so much insight into the Haraki side of things, it even more so into how Giles, Alex, and everyone acted both as a bridge from IHJ to the rest of the world, but also as partners who add huge amounts of development into new products and help IHJ be in touch with what said rest of world wants.
As a guitar player, I’d compare IH to a “boutique” company that’s been very successful and has gotten to a decent size, but still managed to keep the quality going, offer top class support, and take good care of its employees. Look at a guitar, amp, or pedal business that has done all of these things, and you will find products that are expensive, because they have to be. To any twat who looks at a boutique, considered guitar pedal and says “oh that’s just a handful of resistors that I could buy for $5” I say: go buy those parts. Learn to build the thing. You’ll struggle, and you’ll realize yours doesn’t sound as good. So you’ll maybe put more and more hours in, and maybe you’ll start to realize that all this time and effort you’re spending has value. This time is taken from your life — so what is your time worth?
I’m getting off on a wee tirade here, but I’ll just say that when it comes to IH International, I appreciate what y’all do, so very much. And as for Iron Heart as a whole, some people get it, and some don’t. And that’s ok. I’m just glad I’m one who does.
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I enjoy the quality and the sizing. For many items Iron Heart is my only option. Type 3's and shirts from IH usually work for my long arms and torso without sizing up and putting the chest and waist into the sloppy section. The "motorcycle" ethos it seems to accomplish this. For me just walking around. Maybe a motorcycle some day. Don't tell my wife.
Also I love the shops. I talk to Josh at ISP weekly it seems and not always about clothes. I know names of guys at Franklin and Poe(their delivery/packaging is next level). Anyhow, cheers and best of luck moving forward.I left out that IH and quality gear in general can give even a big dork like me the confidence to post pictures on the interwebs
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@NickD yeah that’s actually related to something I wanted to tag onto my post.
To people who want cheap stuff, I ask — what is that getting you? The first, most obvious thing will be that the product quality will suffer. Maybe it’ll crap out in a year or so and you’ll have to buy another one (and that’s what they want).
Secondly, what does it look like for the people at the top of that company? And how about the people further down? The cheaper a product gets, the bigger disparity you’ll see here.
I think when it comes to these factors with respect to cheap shit, the question should always be “is it worth it?”
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Iron Heart sits at the top of the heritage space, and being at the top of anything attracts haters and critics. Yet anyone who looks closely at what Iron Heart does knows they take good care of their customers, their employees, and business partners. I find Iron Heart to be an incredibly accessible, ethical, and caring business that makes top tier clothing.
It costs nothing to be happy for others success.
