The Flat Head - NEWS
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The Flat Head is very special to us personally and to Rivet & Hide. Giles was the distributor when we started out in 2012 and The Flat Head was our first brand and our first ever delivery. Having TFH gave us much needed cachet and opened the door to other brands in those fledgling days when we were trying to get this show on the road.
We started the business at home and for the first year operated from our living room and any other nook and cranny in our West London flat. Customers soon started knocking on our door eager to see The Flat Head clothes in person and were so exited that they could now find the brand in the UK. We never knew back in 2012 that we'd take R&H in the precise direction of where it is now. We are where we are thanks in large part to The Flat Head and the bloody amazing clothes they make: jeans, t shirts, flannels, superlative leather jackets and random crazy stuff such as 100% rayon sukojans that kick the competition out of the park.
That said, they have never been the easiest brand to retail with peculiar idiosyncrasies we've learnt to adjust to (and curse about at times) but you know..it's always been worth it. This week we got a big restock of Real Japan Blue Jeans collabs, heavyweight t shirts and horsehide jackets. We now have 4 new members of the R&H family due to recent expansion and the pure joy on their faces marvelling at the sheer quality of the clothing reminded us of our own reaction to that first delivery back in 2012.
Our business with The Flat Head has grown year on year since 2012. It's such an integral part of R&H and our own journey that we feel pretty emotional about these developments. At this point we are hearing that some core Flat Head production will continue. We really hope it does.
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…we are hearing that some core Flat Head production will continue. We really hope it does.
Same. The market will be less interesting without them in it.
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So bummed. I've always loved The Flat Head as I felt they really pushed the boundaries in terms of design and patterns. Time to stock up.
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flat head was also the brand that propelled me into this whole japanese denim direction.. i've never owned any of their jeans thus far which is a bummer but their tees were perfect for me..
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Shit!
Giles, since your prediction was almost a year ago:
Because Iron Heart has a healthy and growing customer base outside of Japan, we are probably the best able of the Japanese brands in our space to weather this storm.
Is this still happening?
Yes, we are growing faster this year than we have for a long time…
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I received an email this morning from The Flat Head and most of its core production will continue. Basically, ambitious full new collections will cease but core ranges (jeans, tees, flannels, leather) which they do so well will continue.
It will be interesting to see in which direction the new brand goes. -
Street? Really?
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Be interesting to see their take on that.
Is that what they perceive as a more prosperous market?
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Fast fashion and street are really dominating the Asian market atm. That is one of the reasons that more traditionally-focused brands are having a hard time. If it was not for our international market, Iron Heart probably would not be a viable business, the market for our kind of clothing has been decimated in Japan.
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I received an email this morning from The Flat Head and most of its core production will continue. Basically, ambitious full new collections will cease but core ranges (jeans, tees, flannels, leather) which they do so well will continue.
It will be interesting to see in which direction the new brand goes.Thanks God for that.
Danny, if you don't mind me asking, what's FH concept behind their sub-brands Hard Bird and Club Label anyway?
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Fast fashion and street are really dominating the Asian market atm. That is one of the reasons that more traditionally-focused brands are having a hard time. If it was not for our international market, Iron Heart probably would not be a viable business, the market for our kind of clothing has been decimated in Japan.
Dear Giles,
If FH new venture to "street" is on the same path as Commes Des Garcon, Jun Takahashi, Sacai and Mastermind, I don't think we have nothing to worry about. I am keen to see their new A/W collection and what kind of design they cook up.
:op/s: I just bloody hope you re-make that IH-536 type 3 eventually. ::)
Charlie
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I received an email this morning from The Flat Head and most of its core production will continue. Basically, ambitious full new collections will cease but core ranges (jeans, tees, flannels, leather) which they do so well will continue.
It will be interesting to see in which direction the new brand goes.Thanks God for that.
Danny, if you don't mind me asking, what's FH concept behind their sub-brands Hard Bird and Club Label anyway?
Club Label was launched only a few years ago. The style was slightly more urban than Americana and the price point lower as proprietary fabric, costly to produce, were not used or discontinued fabrics of which there were stocks were used eg for jacket linings. It was all about bringing a great FH garment to the customer at a lower price point. Hard Bird has been around for much longer. There were a lot of graphic tees and sweat shirts in a Japanese street style if you like. I'm not really sure what the original concept was.
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i've always thought FH to be street from the get go. maybe not the street wear we know today but their line of clothing and style has always been very modern compared with IH. things like their baseball tees, sneakers and their denim cuts have always made me think that they're slightly more modern in their style
Thanks.