I suppose Orvis presented an opportunity for Himel to do a bulk sale of standardized jackets and Himel agreed to the design requirements of Orvis in order to complete the deal. Making one-off custom products is a tough business, particularly when applying the artisan craftsmanship that is the hallmark of Himel's bespoke jackets. While superlative quality is obviously Himel's paramount objective, he also must pay his expenses and keep the business afloat. Himel does not enjoy the economy of scale achieved by certain larger manufacturers. Himel is both an artist and a small businessman, and when opportunities like this become available, it is hard to say no. I have never seen one of his Orvis collaborations but, based on what I read here, it clearly in not on a par with Himel's one-off bespoke jackets. I am not going to boycott Himel simply because one of his collaborative products was less than desirable. Likewise, I am not going to boycott Ferrari simply because they recently produced this abomination:
Just as Ferrari remains capable of producing masterpieces notwithstanding the above-depicted FF, Himel also continues to produce superlative jackets notwithstanding the Orvis collaboration. One need look no further then Carlos' recent acquisition for confirmation of Himel's enduring quality.
Fair point I guess, still think it's a mistake to make such a misshapen jacket. After all Thedi and LW are as small and have never produced something like this.
If Himel is a Ferrari, does that mean that with their wild designs, Thedi are Lamborghini?