What is it with the popularity of Good Art? Please help me to understand.
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Why is Good Art so seemingly popular and why does it appear to have such a hold on all of the major denim/selvedge retailers online today. Feels like I'm being pulled into nonexistent jewelry hype and constantly being innodated by solicitations to purchase metal wear by only ONE manufacturer. It's like they came out of nowhere and they aren't forced to compete with any other manufacturers in the same way that selvedge denim manufacturers are.
The demand for their products also feels more contrived than organic as though suddenly, one day, it was decided market expensive rings and necklaces to a denim head community which hadn't necessarily asked for it. What am I missing here? And why the special relationship and exclusive market share by Good Art amongst the numerous retailers such as IH, Rivet & Hide, Self Edge, Ironshop Provisions, 3sixteen, and more??
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It's cool
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excellent quality, strong aesthetic, unfussy, bold, original designs, made by skilled people, non-exploitative… all things that corroborate with what we enjoy about selvedge denim and well made clothes.
I can’t think of anything that comes close. That’s not to say that there aren’t similar manufacturers out there, I just don’t know of them. I’ve never been a jewellery guy, but I love me some GoodArt.
And obviously stores are going to promote/market their products that they would like you to buy. It’s not like you have to buy it. If it’s not for you then that’s cool too.
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I’m not a jewelry guy, but the aesthetics and the designs in terms of the mechanical pieces like clasps are pretty cool. I also think there’s a little bit of humor in making absolutely frivolous and hilariously over the top pieces like Bic lighter sleeves.
I understand your position though, there are a lot of jewelers out there and GAH does seem to get an inexplicable level of hype relatively speaking without leaving room for the others. Good for them and their happy customers, but it would be cool to see some variety in the scene too. Maybe producers like Larry Smith aren’t as appealing to folks or don’t have the production scale to keep up?
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Listen to the episode of Iron Cast Podcast with Josh. It'll give you a good background on how it's more than just jewelry, but very intentional pieces that are made for people that love special details and unique items
A lot of the Good Art items aren't for me, but I do have a few small items and can definitely back the work ethic and creative spirit of what he does
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Very well said @chrisjohnnick
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I haven’t gone down this road yet but I can appreciate at least some what they do. I guess there are other people in the same/overlapping spaces but a combination of quality, strong design and good people goes a long way.
Picking up on @mclaincausey’s post, I think there has always been a tendency to make ridiculous stuff out of precious metals. The Bic lighter cover is pretty much today’s version of a Victorian/Edwardian Vesta case!
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Here's what I love about GAH: It's over-engineered, made by people who care, and super high quality. The frivolous nature of some of the GAH line confused me at first, but then I realized that they make some of those needless things because they can, and it's fun. Once I realized the intent behind some of those frivolous items, it made more sense to me.
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I'm particularly drawn to their rosette varieties found all throughout some of their pieces. My wife and I both have GAH for our wedding rings with a variation of the rosette (#25 ring) and we both love them. The prices for most pieces are what draws me away though. I can't afford most of what they sell . If I had lots of spending money, I'd be like @Kasi over here.
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I can’t talk for other stockists.
But, these are some of the criteria we use to determine whether we stock a brand or not (in no particular order):
Do we like the product
Do we think it will sell
Does it compliment what we already offer
Can we actually talk to the brand owner
Do we like the brand owner/s
Will they listen to ideas from us (and vica versa)
Do they share the same ethical/philosophical/business values as us
Would we want to spend social time with them
Would we consider helping them out if they needed financial help
Do we think they would do the same for usIf the answer to all of those is yes, then we’ll do whatever we can to get hold of the product.
Specifically regarding GOOD ART HLYWD, the first time Josh showed me and Alex around the foundry, I said afterwards, “how the fuck does he sell his stuff for so little?”….
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In the end, their popularity stems from the fact that they make a very high quality and innovative product. It wont appeal to everyone, but there are options too… Starlingear, Gaboratory, Bill Wall, King Baby……GAH doesn’t exactly exist in a vacuum.
For me, it was probably 8-10 years ago but Selfedge was one of the first online shops to feature their work. I thought the products were cool but grossly overpriced compared to the King Baby pieces I had been buying. I did look a little deeper and found out Josh owned a ton of cool shit that I love…Iron Heart, Kapital, boots and that appealed to me plus he made stuff I had never seen before. I bought a Bottle bracelet for $600 from Kiya and it was better than any of my other pieces in terms of weight, polish, and feel. My Mom is a jeweler who told me she had never seen a piece like it….essentially the work involved was too much to make money off of it. That got me hooked.
In time, I sold all of my other silver pieces, bought full a box of Josh’s stuff, and have no regrets.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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My love of Good Art stems from every interaction I've had with them (Rachel, Josh, and Adam) has been outstanding. I've sent odd requests to see combinations of chains and pendants, different wallet chains with their wallets, asked (in my mind) crazy off the wall questions, and the responses have always been more than accommodating.
I have phoned and spoke to them on numerous occasions and they always answer the phone or get back to me fairly quickly. Something that is getting harder and harder to do with many companies / businesses.
Then factor in the build quality, heft, and design and they are very hard to beat. The saying you get what you pay for is very true for Good Art, and as Giles stated "“how the fuck does he sell his stuff for so little?” makes a lot of sense when you start buying from them.
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I appreciate everyone's feedback. It sounds too me as though I'd best never come into direct contact with anything from Good Art lest lest my children will wonder, someday, why it was I was never able to afford taking them to Disney land but always managed to look decked out with incredible jewelry. Lol
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That pretty much sums it up. I've heard we don't really need both kidneys, so that's also an option if you still have both.
But in all seriousness, if you want to get your hands on something that's really high quality and fun, there are tons of options if you ever feel like giving it a whirl. -
@jerkules pretty much said everything I'd say in his reply. But I'll double down on the fact that A. nothing else really comes close. Just go to a Self Edge if you ever get a chance and compare GAH to the other jewelry they have. Not to knock the other stuff, but there's just a substantial difference in quality. Also they've been around for quite a while, definitely not out of nowhere (although I do remember having sort of the same feeling when I first encountered them). Lastly, I'll echo everybody's statements that they're an absolute pleasure to deal with.
Most of all though, if it comes down to taking your kids to Disneyland vs buying GAH, pay the mouse.
