Archibald London: true craftsmanship, no middlemen, Official Vendor Thread

[ArchibaldRoh]

what's the "stylistic" choice? what I want to say if it's just another generic soft jacket (even if well made), it's hard to break out, if it's more structured, than what's so "special" about it

We will have this explained by the actual designer/tailor in this case... I am not best placed to comment on the stylistic choice of the collection.

I can however comment on the craftsmanship and impeccable quality with which it is handmade and the tangible feel of the item which differentiates it.

 

[clee1982]

Understood, think that would have to be a key message though,

for example, I don’t like some of the current Isaia model, don’t care how well it’s made, wouldn’t buy unless it’s like $100 and with interesting fabric to just test things out...

 

[Tektura]

So we provide that option during the checkout, however I agree it is nowhere near as clear as it should be.

That is not the same, I want to choose sleeve length, what you offer is mtm. With sleeve option I can choose from your stock options and found my personal fitting within your collection. With mtm i have one shoot. Im not willing to order something in this price range which not fit on my risk with no return option.

Best

Michael

 

[Rewiag]

As many said before, FIT is the key at this pricepoint. It can be made of the most luxurious fabric by 20 virgins over a 3 months period, it will look and feel like a 20 dollar crap shirt that can be taken off the rack.

Self measurement is a very difficult thing and rarely ends up with the correct numbers. Asking someone else to do it for you isnt much better either if they do not really know what they are doing. Heck, even if the measurement is done by a tailor, there can be up to 20-30% differences between tailors, depending on the technique or what they mean by "sleeve length" or "collar size".
I guess this was shown with the SF-01: even the simple act of measuring your feet ended up with a lot of questions and issues, and that was only one measurement along a straight line...

A~150 dollar shirt is not the category where you can buy 1-2 pieces to get a feel of the fit and iterate through the sizes.

I'd highly recommend incorporating a trial shirt into the price somehow. (Maybe offer it with a min quantity order?)

 

[ArchibaldRoh]

As many said before, FIT is the key at this pricepoint. It can be made of the most luxurious fabric by 20 virgins over a 3 months period, it will look and feel like a 20 dollar crap shirt that can be taken off the rack.

Self measurement is a very difficult thing and rarely ends up with the correct numbers. Asking someone else to do it for you isnt much better either if they do not really know what they are doing. Heck, even if the measurement is done by a tailor, there can be up to 20-30% differences between tailors, depending on the technique or what they mean by "sleeve length" or "collar size".
I guess this was shown with the SF-01: even the simple act of measuring your feet ended up with a lot of questions and issues, and that was only one measurement along a straight line...

A~150 dollar shirt is not the category where you can buy 1-2 pieces to get a feel of the fit and iterate through the sizes.

I'd highly recommend incorporating a trial shirt into the price somehow. (Maybe offer it with a min quantity order?)

I think that is a fantastic idea. We need to figure how to make it work from a numbers point of view but I think you really hit the nail on the head here.

Something that clearly communicates the quality of craft, allows for a safer fit to be established etc and makes the transaction painless and riskless

 

[ArchibaldLondon]

Hi everyone,

We’re really excited to become an affiliate of the forum, we’ve been learning from the Styleforum community for some time now and wanted to start off with a massive thank you for your insights and feedback

The forum really feels like a natural home for us because it’s a space that appreciates the value of quality items as expressed through craftsmanship, beautiful materials and timeless design. Here’s a little bit of background and some introductions on our end:

I’m Rohan, the founder of Archibald London. We started off as Archibald Optics, the world’s first direct to consumer brand in luxury eyewear, offering frames handmade by Takumi masters in Sabae Japan and challenging low grade eyewear from other direct to consumer players. Then a couple of years ago, we realised we were doing ourselves a disservice by offering just one category of product. Ultimately, what we had was an idea for an entirely different approach to luxury retail which could be applied to almost any item. It’s simple to us: find the best people to make a traditionally restricted luxury product, use the best materials, then sell it online with no middlemen at fairer prices. We know that sounds like a pitch you’ve heard before- but our x factor comes down to our emphasis on the product, the makers, the places and the materials.

Over the past 24 months we’ve developed into new categories including:

• Knitwear from Italy and Scotland
• Leather goods from Spain and Italy
• Hand-welted dress shoes, made in Italy
• Casual leather footwear, also made in Italy
• Homeware (from Japanese carbon steel knives to solid Scottish cashmere throws)
• Raw Selvege denim, woven in Japan
• Leather jackets, hand-stitched in east London, England

… and much more!

We’re excited to answer any questions you have for us about our products and get some insight from you on new launches, as well as product development. Ultimately, you are the people who will really understand what we are working on and the value of quality over anything else.

Below are a few images of our hand-welted shoes to get the ball rolling, as well as a video of our Italian craftsman Alessandro demonstrating how he does his hand welting.

Cheers,

Rohan

Hi guys,

We're back with more exciting news. We're developing the ultimate hand-welted wholecut Oxford dress shoe and we want to co-create it with you. Head over to THE STYLEFORUM X ARCHIBALD HAND-WELTED DRESS SHOES GMTO for more info on our newest GMTO and fill in the survey to share your thoughts. If you have even more insights to share then as always, post comments, share images on the thread and let us know.

Orlando, Victoria & Rohan

 

[4r36]

My general advice is the following:

I perfectly understand and agree with you when you say that, I quote a nice interview I read, “you can’t create a business model while also creating new designs. We focus on contemporary classic.”

However, I believe that, in the long term, you cannot just offer the same luxury product at a better price, but you should also try to refine your supply in terms of design, so as to give it its own identity and avoid that it looks like the "poor" copy of something else.

The fact that you focus on classic helps out, since you do not have to invent anything anew, but simply to refine and reinterpret it in your own terms. For example, this means that the lasts of your shoes should be original (as they already are, in fact) and have those little refinements that make them a truly luxury product, such as a particular patina, a blind waist, a tapered heel, and so forth.

Last but not least, keep developing your products (also) in confrontation with your (potential) customers, most of whom happen to be enthusiasts here, and, hence, fine and knowledgeable advisors.

I admire you business model and professional ethics. Good luck!

 

[theparody]

This is spot on and missing only one thing ie. please have as many collar options as possible. Look at S&M for an example and please add an S-collar like Yeossal offers.

If you execute all of these offerings, I will be the first to line up and try your shirts.

EDIT: I was trying to quote docc above.

 

[Devis4u]

I had a couple quick questions regarding the hand-welted dress shoes/boots; what kind of heel blocks are you using? Also, do you have any photos of the rubber sole option offered, such as on the suede chukkas? Lastly, would you offer a recrafting service for when the shoes ultimately need to be rewelted? Sorry for all the questions!

 

[OrlandoMo]

I had a couple quick questions regarding the hand-welted dress shoes/boots; what kind of heel blocks are you using? Also, do you have any photos of the rubber sole option offered, such as on the suede chukkas? Lastly, would you offer a recrafting service for when the shoes ultimately need to be rewelted? Sorry for all the questions!

We have no picture of the rubber sole unfortunately but we are using the attached Dainite Rubber Sole. We don't offer a recrafting service on our website but if you need a help on your shoes we can work something out with our craftsman

 

[EgoCamisas]

We have no picture of the rubber sole unfortunately but we are using the attached Dainite Rubber Sole. We don't offer a recrafting service on our website but if you need a help on your shoes we can work something out with our craftsman




View attachment 1395987

I have tried many type of soles and when it comes to rubber, I find Dainite the absolute best. The Vibram one with the same pattern (I think it's called the Eton?) I also have on one pair of shoes but if I have to choose one, it is the Dainite everyday. I am so happy you are offering it! Cheers!

 

[Devis4u]

We have no picture of the rubber sole unfortunately but we are using the attached Dainite Rubber Sole. We don't offer a recrafting service on our website but if you need a help on your shoes we can work something out with our craftsman




View attachment 1395987

Thanks for the response, just wanted to make sure since the website doesn't specify the exact brand. Dainite is an excellent choice. Now to figure out whether I want the dainite or just Topy the leather sole ?

 

[OrlandoMo]

I have tried many type of soles and when it comes to rubber, I find Dainite the absolute best. The Vibram one with the same pattern (I think it's called the Eton?) I also have on one pair of shoes but if I have to choose one, it is the Dainite everyday. I am so happy you are offering it! Cheers!

yeah we finally made it ahaha we put the rubber sole available just a couple of weeks ago

 

[OrlandoMo]

Thanks for the response, just wanted to make sure since the website doesn't specify the exact brand. Dainite is an excellent choice. Now to figure out whether I want the dainite or just Topy the leather sole ?

Personally, I have mainly leather soles except for one or two pairs; but sure it depends on where you're planning to use the shoes.

 

[EgoCamisas]

Personally, I have mainly leather soles except for one or two pairs; but sure it depends on where you're planning to use the shoes.

That's totally true. I used to be a big advocate of leather soles. The truth is, where I live it rains very often and eventually you get your sole wet, which eventually makes it suffer a bit too much. And when it snows, the salt literally eats it away. I find resoling a pair of shoes a little pain in the rear so the main argument I had when I first tried Dainite some years ago was durability. And boy, through rain and snow and what not, that fist pair is still going strong - the sole a bit thinner, truth be told - but they last forever.

But sure, the feeling and elegance of leather is just hard to replicate!

Cheers