Mod to Suedehead - Page 583

Originally Posted by flyfronted 

" Harrington Jackets, UK Original 1960's, Harrington Jacket, Harringtons.
 
We have been manufacturing our Combat label Harrington Jackets in the UK for over 40 years, no one else in the UK can claim this. We are THE UK's ORIGINAL HARRINGTON JACKET MANUFACTURER. Our jackets are made using the best quality fabrics and not cheap materials. There IS a difference between our Harrington jackets and others. YOU WILL NOT FIND BETTER QUALITY POLY/COTTON FOR UNDER £70.
Traditional, original and authentic Harrington Jackets manufactured by us using the same pattern and cut we have had for over 40 years. "
 
surely that claim is bollocks as Baracuta is the OG ' harrington ' and made in the UK for much longer , still easily the finest jacket of its style .

Originally Posted by Darksideoftheforce 

When companies like FP, and DMs move production out of England, does it necessarily have to mean a decline in quality or could products made in China be just as good in terms of quality?

Originally Posted by flyfronted 

surely that claim is bollocks as Baracuta is the OG ' harrington ' and made in the UK for much longer , still easily the finest jacket of its style .

Originally Posted by Gramps 

I don't think any of the baracuta jackets are actually made in the uk anymore tbh.

Originally Posted by Kingstonian 

Except that 1960s skinheads were wearing Harringtons from Millets which did not have a knitted collar like Baracuta. Who actually made them for Millets, I could not say.

Originally Posted by HughJ 

History has shown this to be the case in general (but not always). Companies get bought and sold all the time, and shareholders care little about nostalgia. A company that moves production to China is doing so to increase profit margins. The cost to the consumer never goes down, after all. The next logical step to increase profits is to either lower the quality of the raw materials or the amount time spent crafting the product. Or both.

Originally Posted by Sipreano 

I hope http://www.bennevisclothing.com/Harrington-Jacket-Classic-Cotton-Harrington-Jacket doesn't use slave labour or Solovair or Allen Edmonds.....
For knitwear i go for the stuff made in Hawick. If you don't want a Lyle&Scott eagle on your chest you can get excellent quality for a decent price:
http://www.hawickknitwear.com/
or
http://www.whiteofhawick.net/
for example.
Or alternatively Alan Paine:
http://www.ap-shoponline.com/
Haven't bought anything from them for a long time but had a nice cricket jumper in the past.
Sometimes it can be not that easy to get a good fit though. That is one of the advantages of Fred Perry, they have a slimmer cut for a more athletic build while classic knitwear is sometimes in a looser fit.
As far as brand whoring is concerned i'm long past that stage where i cared for visible brand labels. I'm primarily looking for quality and fit. Me personally i would nowadays never wear two FP items together (might be hard though if you have a FP Harrington ) and am much more impressed with a person dressing smart without using too many items of the "usual" brands.

Originally Posted by MikeDT 

Which is often what the Chinese contractors will be doing. Because they wan't to make as maximum profit as they can. The client is looking for the cheapest tender possible, the Chinese contractor's margins are cut to the bone. We'll make your polos for 6 quid a piece, in lots of 10,000, so you can sell them for 100 quid each.
What frequently happens is, they'll start out making a product like polos, jeans, harringtons, toys, hairdryers, confectionary, toiletries, etc. as specifiied by the client. But then they'll try and find ways of lowering the production cost, either by using cheaper, lower quality materials and/or seeing what they can save on labour and workmanship, and they hope that the client doesn't notice the gradual decline in product quality. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. All depends if they regularly do spot checks on product quality as they come into the country.
I think only ways to really avoid this, is if the client keeps a QA team in the factory 24/7, which is expensive, or if Fred Perry or whatever owns the factory.
How many times have we read about product safety recalls with Chinese made products, things like lead paint in toys, dangerous electricals, contaminated shampoo, etc.
BTW if anyone thinks that cheap clothes from Tesco, Sainsbury or Primark are bad, should see some of the dreck that gets sold here in China. On the other hand there are some really nice things made in China. I love Erdos cashmere & wool sweaters, but then this company is making and distributing their own product, under their own name and is privately owned.

Originally Posted by baggycasual 

A while ago I even managed to get a Baracuta for £20! Though it was mesh lined not tartan.