Iron Heart Products - What do you think we should make?
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Our stuff is hard to make. For instance, any Tom Dick or Harry can make a pair of lightweight jeans, but as you move up the weight scale the sewing (well even the saving) gets exponentially more difficult. The same applies to any type of garment really. So the number of workshops that can actually make our stuff to the quality we demand is really limited. We therefore can't make what we want in the volumes we would like, so we have hard decisions to make all the time. Nothing in this world is black and white but at the margin, these are the 2 extremes. Let's make sure we have a good supply of continuous production products continually, then we have no space for seasonal products or let's have shit loads of seasonal products, then we have no space to make continuous products.
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@long_john86 All of the above.
People on the floor operating and maintaining the machinery, to the cutters and sewing crews putting the items together. The high quality of the products is definitely a factor when you think about the training needed to produce what we love. Materials such as the aspero cotton used in the UHF’s is also limited and you can only make what the farmers can grow. Sure that stands for many of the materials needed.
Also have to take into account the exponential growth and demand experienced over the last decade. When I first started down this rabbit hole there were only small handfuls of us fighting over very small amounts of product available. The items often sold out in minutes and very rarely over a day or two. Now you guys have multiple choices in sizes and enough product to satiate that demand. Taking into account the numbers of people wearing and wanting IH has grown means the number of products out there has increased dramatically.
The IH community has grown, demand has grown, resources are limited. Machinery, personnel, materials, expertise, time…
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Sounds extremely complex with a lot of factors at play. Thanks for the insight both. Is there adequate safeguarding of the skills (artisanal, technical, craft) to future-proof production down the line? I suppose I’m comparing to a traditional craft skill, many of which are on their knees because there is no uptake on apprentices to facilitate intergenerational transmission / the next generation taking on the mantle.
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The generational shift away from "traditional" crafts is one of our largest challenges.
"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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It also would be nice to see this shirt that has very attractive pattern as well as colour combination back
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@Giles I suppose there is also the creative side to it as well? The balance between tradition (Continuous Production) and innovation (the creation of new products). Clearly there is a ridiculous amount of creativity and design genius that goes into the products. With that level of design talent I’m sure it must sometimes be challenging to choose a continuous production item over the production of a new creative idea or interpretation? Creative people needing creative outlet etc…
What is the general feeling towards the notion of revival runs of IH ‘classics’? Too much of a slave to history, or welcomed in principle? -
Also have to consider what you call a classic. Your, mine, and everyone’s else’s opinion on that will not be the same.
How to approach it where everyone will be happy would be very difficult. It’s hard to make everyone happy now
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@goosehd It could be probably solved by better demand supply relationship. Thus we can see that some classic as well as new fashioned stuff (continuous production) has stuck on the store shelves while the seasonal/limited run is on continuous demand
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@Yoprst I’m really sorry, but I’m having a hard time understanding your comment. It might be a translation issue or my ability to comprehend it.
Can you explain it a little differently?
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@goosehd My message was that often seasonal or limited run is in higher demand than continuous one and probably to make seasonal/limited run continuous would make happy if not everybody but the majority of us
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@Tago-Mago astute observation
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In my opinion, most individuals first IH purchase are one of the continuous items such as jeans or a jacket. Once I made that purchase, then I started buying UHF’s, shirts, etc.
The continuous items gets customers in the door. The seasonal ones keep us here.
"I don't give a shit what anyone else is doing, we will do what is best for us and our customers" - Giles P. :)
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@Tago-Mago On the other hand it could be a clear indication that the product is most desirable. No one would spend his money on the stuff that is not quite to his taste just because the product is not going to be restocked.
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@Yoprst That only applies when there are limited numbers of consumers. What I like and someone else does are two different things.
I’ve seen shirts sold by IH that I would never wear, but have almost immediately sold out. Does that make me wrong for not wearing it? I’ve seen items that I’ve loved and purchased only to go on discount because of poor sales.
It is impossible to predict sales and as @Giles said, if he could then he would be rich….or something to that effect.
"I don't give a shit what anyone else is doing, we will do what is best for us and our customers" - Giles P. :)
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@Tago-Mago Don't take me wrong - I am not against core stuff at all, quite the opposite. I'm for making seasonal/limited run that flies away like hot dogs continuous production too. I stress it - not all seasonal/limited run but just the one that sells within a few days
