stitching & b*tchining ruggedwear: how to do an 18oz selvedge jacket poorly

[hivecanary]

I got this on ebay because I really hoped it would be as good as it looked. it *looks* incredible, and every element should lead to a fantastic unique jacket. but no, the execution killed it by a thousand cuts. My understanding is that this is from a guy who works at a car dealership or real estate agency, I can't remember which, and this was a side project gone bad. You can find his bussinesses facebook by searching the brand.

The 18oz selvedge is lovely, but heres a photo rundown of all the things they did wrong.

 

[hivecanary]

Sad

 

[hivecanary]

Flat lock stitches are a way of using a non serger non coverstitch machinento join two pieces together: but thats not a seam. I have *no clue* why they ran a zig zag or serger over that spot and then pulled it apart, cause its not binding anything (the liner is free floating there)

The interior edge finishes are rough. Inwould have prefered the liner go through the sleeves, but with all the other problems maybe it was best to not put more on the sewers plate.

I am always drawn to unique interperetations of time tested standards, a special lining, a floral stitch, a duo tone etc. This could have been grand, but it was a swing and a miss.

The experience for me is like i have a 2 pound tie on, pushing my neck forward, but also my hips, its like it was built for someone with a heavy spinal curve. The armpits arent a deal breaker, but if you sweat it will show immediately with how high they are. The sleeves are meant fornsomeone with 12" circumference forearms or less, my 13" is just to big.

 

[l0fielectronic]

Kind of a shame there is some nice detailing there.

A guess would be whoever was making these found the heavyweight denim much more difficult to work with than they had expected.

Couldn't find much online expect for the guy in LV selling them and some talk of them coming out of Indonesia. Does seem to be a lot of product out there in a very short time, for a one man operation. Feels like maybe these were a batch made somewhere which someone was hoping to import and sell ...but it didn't quite go to plan.

 

[hivecanary]

The tag does say indonesia. Its a frustrating product for the money, but it was enlightening in showing me what to look for in a jacket before buying it.

Ie:
What do the shoulder seams do when resting vs arms lifted?
Is there any distance between the body of the model in a resting position indicating poor fit?
How accurate are seam lines?
Is there obvious thread tension issues?
Are the panels and seems evenly placed?

 

[AeroFan_07]

While I agree there is room for improvement here, a couple factors I would consider are price & intended usage. If it's above say, US $125, then certainly I would not purchase it knowing the lack of consistency in construction, stitching, etc. However, from an intended usage standpoint, this heavy of denim often would be used in workwear applications. Should that be the intended usage - wearing for work, requiring a durable and well-fitting jacket, this one probably would fit the bill well. When purchasing items for work - I am a lot less concerned with stitches out of place, some inconsistency in panels of cloth and how they line up, as long as they do not compromise strength or fit and function with the jacket on. However also the price should be acceptable as well. It DOES look nice from 10' back.

 

[hivecanary]

Things I like about it:
It is actually fairly difficult to find a lee storm rider copy that uses gold thread. The stitching (sloppy as it may be) really stands proud of the indigo, highlighting the composition of the panneling and aesthetic design. The sashiko is *gorgeous* and with the cuffs rolled back it is a truly unique take, even though its just the cuff that shows it.

I might try putting a small panel insert in the forearm seam and dropping the nape cut back. Hand stitching 18oz denim is not my favorite past time, but this is a really good looking storm rider with elements no one else is doing.

 

[Edward]

In part I think this shows the difficulty of getting a new business making this stuff off the ground. A big outfit like Levis can afford to go through a pattern testing stage without having to sell things that don't quite work, whereas a start-up will often be on the sort of budget where they have to sell what they get in a first run in order to keep the show on the road. It's often a problem in the long run, though, when it comes to market trust. Particularly these days, with social media et al, a bad reputation once gained can be hard to shake.

Hopefully they can turn it around; as noted, there are some nice design ideas here if they can improve on the realisation. And it's nice to see somebody doing something other than Yet. Another. run at the Levis Type III, tbh....

 

[Yango]

Stitching And B!tching. What a perfect name! It covers the jacket and the post. Lol

*Just my warped sense of humour... there are some definite issues going on with that jacket...

 

[Kunja]

I bought a pair of their 17oz jeans and they fit so nicely, immediately satisfying right out of the box. I’m not real picky though and the price was nice. For what it’s worth.