Field Leathers

[red devil]

I am less critical of the collabs. Basically, sought-after brands offer easy-to-get slots for standardized products.

It´s a bit like Thurston-Bros.: Yes, you can get a stock Vanson, but you can´t specc. the details.

That´s why the Carl-collab doesn´t sit well with me. I am with @Marc mndt: why do a collab and then offer customization?
That must be a slap in the face of clients queueing for a year or so.

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't Thrston Bros a distributor? At least they are the ons who distribute Thedi in the US?

And then you have some makers that do OEM work for better known brands, that is another concept.

But just tacking on the name of a random reviewer?

 

[Tom71]

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't Thrston Bros a distributor? At least they are the ons who distribute Thedi in the US?

And then you have some makers that do OEM work for better known brands, that is another concept.

But just tacking on the name of a random reviewer?

Yes, you are right. Maybe I took a misleading example.

I was commenting from a consumer perspective: How can I get a product fast when I would need to wait for months or even years for a MTO product.

I chose TB as an example since they sell standard OTR jackets and thought this was comparable to small makers doing collabs.

 

[red devil]

Yes, you are right. Maybe I took a misleading example.

I was commenting from a consumer perspective: How can I get a product fast when I would need to wait for months or even years for a MTO product.

I chose TB as an example since they sell standard OTR jackets and thought this was comparable to small makers doing collabs.

Agreed, offering a group buy is a good way for small makers to optimise their production ressources, and for buyers to get an item without the hassle of speccing it - quite a few clients just want a shoe or a jacket without delving into details after all.

 

[Zoro]

From my ignorance in the process of making a leather jacket (or a jacket, no matter the material), I could understand prioritizing a collab when you stick to set sizes (collaboration or not). Even if you end up having to put them all together separately and that takes the same effort as a fully custom one, you would be able to have the different pieces cut at once for several jackets of the same size. This could allow for time efficiency and more sales in less times.

This said, now he's moving onto made to measure for this new collaboration, I would be trembling if I was currently waiting on an order. I considered ordering his B3 (it may not be very appreciated here, but I find it gorgeous ) and I know that if I had done it, I would be having second thoughts right now due to this and asking what's up as the new collab looks like "new people skipping the queue".

It's still entirely possible he could be ahead of all the prior orders and fully estimate he'll still deliver within the promised timeframe, but, even if this is the case, it would still feel wrong to bring a new project in between them.

It could also be possible he's estimating (or hoping) this collab will push his business enough to allow him to add someone to the team, which would increase his business and/or decrease his lead times on standing and newer orders.

I don't know, possibilities are endless. Still, there should be open communication with anyone who's still waiting and seeing him offer a product with a far lower lead time than theirs.