Brands that represent quality above all else

[A Harris]

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

A, I'm curious that you would have both Vass and EG.

I'd have to go Vass over EG by a mile...EG does have a variety that is unmatched, if one counts the last permutations, but do you really thing that EG is uncompromising?

And for Aero, is it the entire line?


- B

I included them because of this:

And by "compromise," I don't mean at any cost, but simply, given the premise of what they sell, do they cut corners?

I think that Green is uncompromising in that as a company they are the pinnacle of their field - Northampton RTW shoemaking. They know exactly what they are, and they do it extremely well without trying to be anything else.


Aero strikes me as the same sort of company. They seem to be interested only in making the best quality jackets of their genre, and not much else.

 

[voxsartoria]

Originally Posted by A Harris

I included them because of this:

I think that Green is uncompromising in that as a company they are the pinnacle of their field - Northampton RTW shoemaking. They know exactly what they are, and they do it extremely well without trying to be anything else.

Aero strikes me as the same sort of company. They seem to be interested only in making the best quality jackets of their genre, and not much else.

That makes complete sense...and I think this is one of the areas where the remaing UK companies excel.

The French are better at the ne plus ultra stuff.


- B

 

[DocHolliday]

I think the tricky part of the original question is "as they define it," and that we're actually discussing two different things here. Most of the posts have talked about "makers that accept nothing but the very best," which will exclude, by definition, pretty much every large brand. (Vox raised the issue by questioning Charvet's high-volume RTW.) The second category we're discussing, as I see it, are makers that have not compromised their product/cheaped out. That category is much wider than the first, and has room for multiple makers in the same field. Lange's finishing, compared with Patek's, is extremely relevant to the first category, not so much to the second.

I can't think of any mass-market brands that fit in the first category, but for the second, will nominate Brigg's umbrellas.

 

[bbaquiran]

Vanilla Bicycles

 

[voxsartoria]

Originally Posted by A Harris

I think that Green is uncompromising in that as a company they are the pinnacle of their field - Northampton RTW shoemaking. They know exactly what they are, and they do it extremely well without trying to be anything else.

How would you compare and contrast with Lobb, though? I think Lobb has higher quality standards for the leather in the uppers.

But, one thing about being a RTW shoemaker is having a variety of sizes and last available...there, EG does excel.

- B

 

[voxsartoria]

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

I can't think of any mass-market brands that fit in the first category, but for the second, will nominate Brigg's umbrellas.

I think that all SAB products maintain this level.

- B

 

[merkur]

..

 

[voxsartoria]

Originally Posted by bbaquiran

Vanilla Bicycles

That's pretty, but on a bike like that, I want adjustable dropouts.


- B

 

[voxsartoria]

Originally Posted by merkur

Gulfstream

Fwok.

I'd line mine in shag.


- B

 

[DocHolliday]

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

I'd have to go Vass over EG by a mile...EG does have a variety that is unmatched, if one counts the last permutations, but do you really think that EG is uncompromising?
It was the presence of Alden on your original list that prompted my previous post. Surely you wouldn't suggest Alden is less compromising than EG? I have to assume they could make a much nicer shoe if they wanted to.

 

[tlmusic]

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

How would you compare and contrast with Lobb, though? I think Lobb has higher quality standards for the leather in the uppers. But, one thing about being a RTW shoemaker is having a variety of sizes and last available...there, EG does excel. - B
As far as quality standards for leather and uppers and sole treatment, I think Gaziano and Girling are far more commited to quality. Tony Gaziano is a relentlessly driven perfectionist.

 

[andyw]

The US Mint and the current currency design.

 

[kaxixi]

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

I think that there was a bit of compromise with Wright, but who are we to criticize?

My knowledge of Wright is rudimentary, but the stories I recall from the two tours I've been on made him a candidate. He was unusually attentive to details in his pursuit of the big picture. To emphasize horizontal lines on the Hyde Park's Robie House, he spaced bricks close together and filled the space between them with red grout. The horizontal spaces were filled with white grout. He developed new construction techniques to support the large unsupported overhangs that were also intended to emphasize the horizontal and bring the house lower to the ground. He had no qualms about making decisions against his customer's wishes, in defiance of their budget (he literally bankrupted the Robies), and with no regard for their comfort (when Mrs. Robie complained that the house's many windows and large rooms lent themselves to drafts, Mr. Wrights suggested she buy herself an overcoat that matched the curtains he'd chosen.) Indeed, he usually chose not only the curtains, but all of the furniture, designing dining sets, living room furniture, light fixtures, windows, and so on, all with a uniform design philosophy that, in my admittedly limited experience, I've never seen matched anywhere else.

+1 on Apple. From my understanding, this comes directly from Jobs. Like Wright, they are uncompromising even at the expense of their consumers' comfort.

 

[tlmusic]

Originally Posted by andyw

The US Mint and the current currency design.

Alas, there was a time...

 

[tlmusic]

Originally Posted by kaxixi

My knowledge of Wright is rudimentary, but the stories I recall from the two tours I've been on made him a candidate. He was unusually attentive to details in his pursuit of the big picture. To emphasize horizontal lines on the Hyde Park's Robie House, he spaced bricks close together and filled the space between them with red grout. The horizontal spaces were filled with white grout. He developed new construction techniques to support the large unsupported overhangs that were also intended to emphasize the horizontal and bring the house lower to the ground. He had no qualms about making decisions against his customer's wishes, in defiance of their budget (he literally bankrupted the Robies), and with no regard for their comfort (when Mrs. Robie complained that the house's many windows and large rooms lent themselves to drafts, Mr. Wrights suggested she buy herself an overcoat that matched the curtains he'd chosen.) Indeed, he usually chose not only the curtains, but all of the furniture, designing dining sets, living room furniture, light fixtures, windows, and so on, all with a uniform design philosophy that, in my admittedly limited experience, I've never seen matched anywhere else.

I guess that defines lack of compromise.