A.P.C Jeans... Where made?

[ringring]

Originally Posted by amerikajinda

Yes, Japan made a remarkable transformation in the quality of the goods they produce, but that transformation took many decades... but "Made in Macau" translates to... "Made in Macau" today. Just leaves a bad taste in my mouth... Maybe someday (fifty years hence?) we will covet goods made in Macau. But that's a long way off. At least with the Nudies you know they're coming from a workshop in Italy staffed with Italian women and men with an eye for fashion and detail, as opposed to Macau where there are quite possibly sweatshop-like conditions with under-aged Chinese workers making pennies per hour, and more than likely there is more emphasis placed on quantity than quality. I wouldn't feel safe driving a car made in Macau (the time is coming soon when we're going to be able to purchase Chinese-made cars) so for the time being, at least, I would prefer to wear Studio d'Artisan (made in Japan) rather than APC (made in Tunisia or Macau).
As well as the article pointing to Martelli's wash staff being largely Chinese, you'll find that a large part of 'Made in Italy" jeans are actually sewn offshore, in countries like Romania, before being washed and finished in Italy. And these Italian jeans may use fabric that was woven in Greece, Spain, Turkey, Tunisia etc. And there have been many sweatshop scandals in Italy lately. Made in Macau does not necessarily mean any drop in quality from made in Italy. Far from it. You'll find with the investment in Asian production, that many factories production standards will as good or higher than those in Europe. Decades it will not take

There's a good chance the computer you're typing on was made in China. Quality is not the exclusive domain of any nation or race. And, respectfully, if you've visited Macau lately then I think "Made in Macau, leaving a bad taste in my mouth" does that wonderful place and people a gross disservice. Good food, good people and they, as APC know, can make good jeans. Raise a festive glass to Macau

 

[ringring]

Deleting a double post.

 

[Stylin-1]

I'm wondering if the fact they're made in Macau is why they're only $140, which is damn cheap compared to $265 Nudies, when the quality is roughly on par.

 

[chronoaug]

Nudies are only that much because of US markup. They're much cheaper everywhere else. Nowhere else will you find nudies for over $200, if you look around.

 

[jet]

Can't all this be said of japanese denim? How do we know that the steps in teh process aren't done elsewhere? Can anyone validate if they are truely made entirely in japan? I remember reading otherwise a couple of years ago before joining this site.

 

[quid]

Originally Posted by amerikajinda

Yes, Japan made a remarkable transformation in the quality of the goods they produce, but that transformation took many decades... but "Made in Macau" translates to... "Made in Macau" today. Just leaves a bad taste in my mouth... Maybe someday (fifty years hence?) we will covet goods made in Macau. But that's a long way off. At least with the Nudies you know they're coming from a workshop in Italy staffed with Italian women and men with an eye for fashion and detail, as opposed to Macau where there are quite possibly sweatshop-like conditions with under-aged Chinese workers making pennies per hour, and more than likely there is more emphasis placed on quantity than quality. I wouldn't feel safe driving a car made in Macau (the time is coming soon when we're going to be able to purchase Chinese-made cars) so for the time being, at least, I would prefer to wear Studio d'Artisan (made in Japan) rather than APC (made in Tunisia or Macau).

So what youre saying is you stay away from everything that is made in sweatshops, because nothing thats ever come out of a sweatshop is up to your standards right? The amount of fairy-tale world in all of that nonsense is astounding. Aren't SDA's double the price of APC? Did you just drop that brand so everyone will think you had class or know something about quality? Or maybe, since you know of SDA you then have some knowledge of the working conditions in Macau (and how those conditions directly affect the quality of the garments produced); hell or the conditions in japan for that matter? Have you even been to either country?

 

[Brian SD]

It's valid to have concerns about the difference between jeans made in Tunisia and Macau and those made in Japan. You're comparing people in Japan who market themselves and their products as so meticulous about the art of it, and wanting to specialize entirely in making perfect denim (it's definitely a part of Japanese culture to only trust and invest in people who have spent their entire lives specializing in one single practice, which is why if you go to Japan you'll rarely ever go to a restaurant that "specializes" in more than one food - either sushi or ramen or donburi mono or what not). However as we've seen from the Samurais where the stitching is falling off quicker than APCs, we can see this is not always a valid point of view.

I would definitely trust in the quality and craftsmanship of the Macanese and Tunisians.

 

[theshonen8899]

This is stupid. If a Chinese company decides to open up factories in Japan, does that suddenly make them better quality? Who gives a damn where they're made.

 

[Dick Danger]

Originally Posted by theshonen8899

Who gives a damn where they're made.


Look around.

 

[Brian SD]

Originally Posted by theshonen8899

This is stupid. If a Chinese company decides to open up factories in Japan, does that suddenly make them better quality? Who gives a damn where they're made.

A lot of people give a damn about by whom and where their clothing was made. Don't understand your point of view whatsoever.

 

[theshonen8899]

Sorry, I meant not to stress it.

 

[poly800rock]

Originally Posted by Brian SD

(it's definitely a part of Japanese culture to only trust and invest in people who have spent their entire lives specializing in one single practice, which is why if you go to Japan you'll rarely ever go to a restaurant that "specializes" in more than one food - either sushi or ramen or donburi mono or what not).


it's not a specific japanese thing, it's more an asian culture thing. EVERYWHERE in asia, you'll find the same people devoting their stores to one craft. so the difference between chinese trained in denim is no different than japanese imo. get an american who devotes his life to the art of making jeans, and you sold me.

 

[Brian SD]

Originally Posted by poly800rock

it's not a specific japanese thing, it's more an asian culture thing. EVERYWHERE in asia, you'll find the same people devoting their stores to one craft. so the difference between chinese trained in denim is no different than japanese imo. get an american who devotes his life to the art of making jeans, and you sold me.

That's interesting, and believable. However, I think the image that people have when considering Studio D'Artisans and APC are that the Chinese making APC are people who are trying to make a buck, while the Japanese making the D'artis are artisans themselves and are "in it for the jeans," or some nonsense. The idea is that APCs are made in a factory, D'artis, Sams, 45rpms are made in a tailor shop.

Again, I'm not trying to validate the idea that made in Japan is inherently better than made in China, just clarifying the reasoning (how I see it) behind it.

 

[amerikajinda]

Originally Posted by Brian SD

...I think the image that people have when considering Studio D'Artisans and APC are that the Chinese making APC are people who are trying to make a buck, while the Japanese making the D'artis are artisans themselves and are "in it for the jeans."

Excellent point, Brian. Very well said - you've captured my feelings exactly. Thank you.

 

[Max]

Originally Posted by amerikajinda

Yes, Japan made a remarkable transformation in the quality of the goods they produce, but that transformation took many decades... but "Made in Macau" translates to... "Made in Macau" today. Just leaves a bad taste in my mouth... Maybe someday (fifty years hence?) we will covet goods made in Macau. But that's a long way off. At least with the Nudies you know they're coming from a workshop in Italy staffed with Italian women and men with an eye for fashion and detail, as opposed to Macau where there are quite possibly sweatshop-like conditions with under-aged Chinese workers making pennies per hour, and more than likely there is more emphasis placed on quantity than quality. I wouldn't feel safe driving a car made in Macau (the time is coming soon when we're going to be able to purchase Chinese-made cars) so for the time being, at least, I would prefer to wear Studio d'Artisan (made in Japan) rather than APC (made in Tunisia or Macau).
Garment workers are pretty much the same everywhere. Poor, uneducated, and quick with a sewing machine. The wages suck everywhere and the differences in quality are usually due to the raw materials or the techniques used, not decisions on the part of the individual sewing machine operator or cutter. I feel compelled to mention that garment quality is frequently completely unrelated to price. My $40 Levi's are 6 years old. They were solid dark blue when I bought them at Kohl's. I've worn them a lot; enough to put real fades into them, rit-dye them dark blue, and fade them again. I'm sure they've got another 6 years left in them.