Epaulet shop - Official Affiliate thread

[Beav]

This is a good point, and I'm honestly pretty open about which way to go. There was a time period when stock trousers were a really big part of our business, and I'd order something like 120 units from Hertling every single month.

These were the days when the only competing good pants out there were from the likes of Brooks Brothers and J.Crew, and their prices and fits were both pretty lousy. But things have changed, and there's a ton of startups out there offering basic dress pants which are offshored. And there's brands like Bonobos - who operate at a huge loss and can often sell off imported trousers at close to production cost.

Those volumes that I achieved in the early days were possible because of (1) guys like you who understood and respected the quality and (2) dudes who wanted something that fit slimmer and we were the only option that they saw. Group #2 now has a ton of options, and I couldn't compete with the other players on price no matter how hard I try.

Southwick is pricey for sure, but they've been making really great pants for us, and we've been able to offer a lot of new fabrics - like Harris Tweed and Cotton-Cashmere Corduroy - that Hertling never really had. But outside of that, I'm thinking to focus on the Rivet and Wilhelm shapes in Los Angeles more than ever.

I have a long way to go with communication on this, but the current Rivets and Wilhelms are the best quality cotton pants that we've ever made. From stitching to finishing, the product is really clean. And it has soul to it. The best way to describe an LA-made chino or jean versus a European or Asian one is to contrast a Harley against a Yamaha cruiser. It might be more expensive, it might be a bit less consistent, but there's a feeling there.

So, let's say I get the Rivet and Wilhelm back to good stock levels right after the holidays (this is the plan). If I could source an inexpensive dress wool, these items could be produced for $175 as off the rack. And offered via full MTO as well. They're not traditional dress pants by any means, but maybe that's what can make them cool. And offering such an item with a matching Doyle or Sinclair will make an alternative suit that really stands out. What do you guys think of that?

I'd love to see some budget friendly sinclair and trouser options. I think I've been buying from you for 8 years but have found myself priced out in recent years. More budget sinclair based options would draw me back in.

 

[Epaulet]

Rivets in wool? sign me up

@scb hopefully we can make that happen sooner than later! Got a little project cooking for January

I'm definitely a smaller customer but I really love this thread and I think it got me back into forum culture and American manufacturing. I check it for convo and fit pics and updates from Mike because I really like reading about the development of the business.

That being said, couldn't that also be done on Insta? Some of the posts you post here Mike could obviously be narrative on the Insta stories. And I find a lot of good stuff by putting #epaulet into my Instagram follows.

I also think traditional American style is a bit less popular amongst folks below mid-thirties (including myself here). So it's kinda natural that the internet would be filled with less of those folks as streetwear and athleisure and mega expensive designer stuff becomes the menswar default.

EDIT: i'm also a bit surprised there are no local stockists anywhere else btw. Like Modern Anthology is near the old Epaulet location and I get American Trench socks and try on Magil polos and such there pretty often. I know Brick & Mortar is pretty dying but it could help spread the word a bit more if people get a chance to try stuff on more often. For big purchases, I still like to try it on first if I can to reduce the amount of shipping I do. Like I was on the fence about the Black Fleece fabric shirts but tried one on in person at the LA shop and knew I needed it. I'd probably do same if I had someplace to pick it up on East Coast.

@apolloali thanks and it was great meeting you in person! Really appreciate all of your support.

Good call to echo the posts here on Instagram... I need to bring some more content onto that platform. Hopefully we can expand things soon.

And I'd love to have a stockist in New York. As it stands, I'm not really set up to wholesale things. When we do special edition Doyles for people like Kapok, Office Hours, or American Trench, we don't really make any money off those sales. It's just a cool project to do. Many of our other items really don't work sold that way. But it would be cool to find a partner out there. I have spoken a few times to Ouigi at Brooklyn Circus.. maybe we can swing something for 2020. Either way, I'm absolutely doing an NYC trunk show in March!

I'd love to see some budget friendly sinclair and trouser options. I think I've been buying from you for 8 years but have found myself priced out in recent years. More budget sinclair based options would draw me back in.

@Beav I'm working on some coordinates now. Sashiko in the Rivet / Sinclair would probably be in the $450 range for both pieces. I might be able to find a nice 100% cotton twill which would drop the price to $375. Would those work for you?

 

[Beav]

@scb hopefully we can make that happen sooner than later! Got a little project cooking for January



@apolloali thanks and it was great meeting you in person! Really appreciate all of your support.

Good call to echo the posts here on Instagram... I need to bring some more content onto that platform. Hopefully we can expand things soon.

And I'd love to have a stockist in New York. As it stands, I'm not really set up to wholesale things. When we do special edition Doyles for people like Kapok, Office Hours, or American Trench, we don't really make any money off those sales. It's just a cool project to do. Many of our other items really don't work sold that way. But it would be cool to find a partner out there. I have spoken a few times to Ouigi at Brooklyn Circus.. maybe we can swing something for 2020. Either way, I'm absolutely doing an NYC trunk show in March!



@Beav I'm working on some coordinates now. Sashiko in the Rivet / Sinclair would probably be in the $450 range for both pieces. I might be able to find a nice 100% cotton twill which would drop the price to $375. Would those work for you?

For some reason I'm not sure I could pull off sashiko rivets.... but I love the fabric and would love a sashiko sinclair. And some twill combos, very much yes! Continuing to offer occasional MTO projects is fun, it is great to check out the fabric listings when you send out the link. Thanks for considering this.

 

[Patrick R]

For some reason I'm not sure I could pull off sashiko rivets....

I have two pair of sashiko pants. They are as easy to wear as can be. They are great for moderately athletic situations (playing with kids). They are way cooler than sweatpants, but wear as easy as sweatpants. Great with flannel shirts, corduroy shirts, sweaters, t-shirts under jackets, etc. Wear them TTS or a size up and keep them casual.

 

[Epaulet]

For some reason I'm not sure I could pull off sashiko rivets.... but I love the fabric and would love a sashiko sinclair. And some twill combos, very much yes! Continuing to offer occasional MTO projects is fun, it is great to check out the fabric listings when you send out the link. Thanks for considering this.

I have two pair of sashiko pants. They are as easy to wear as can be. They are great for moderately athletic situations (playing with kids). They are way cooler than sweatpants, but wear as easy as sweatpants. Great with flannel shirts, corduroy shirts, sweaters, t-shirts under jackets, etc. Wear them TTS or a size up and keep them casual.

Glad that you like them so much @Patrick R !!

Yeah I think that we can make these really work with some design tweaks. The big things are going to be:

1) We'll use the Rivet Shape rather than the EZ pant. No pleat and no more self-belt to contend with

2) The herringbone taping that we use on the outseam of the Rivets ends up taking the dye as well and the effect is seriously dope

3) We'll size up the pattern in all dimensions to allow for shrinkage and give a correct fit

4) We're going to use a lap seam for the back. A few customers had "crotch blow outs" (always my favorite term) on Sashiko pants in the past. We'll use a more reinforced technique to prevent this. It won't impact the biz-caz vibe whatsoever.

But yeah, the resulting product will be easy and comfortable to wear. Totally machine washable and fades with use. Won't be a product that's readily available elsewhere either. I'm really jazzed for it!

 

[Epaulet]

Necktie Bundles!

Hey guys, I've got a great deal for everyone. We bundled together some of the tie styles where we had a good amount of inventory. They're priced at three units for $165, which is about 35% off the usual retail. With the holidays coming up, you can always give away one or two of them as gifts!

This is going to be a uniquely high point in our tie assortment going forward. Anyone watching would see that we received like four times the quantity of ties in the Fall than we did in the Spring. Reason was: the Brooks Brothers tie factory and the Brooks sample room did their first clean-out in five years, and I bought everything that was "tie appropriate." That meant that we got about 600 units this season. But it also means that the pickings will be much slimmer after this. So if you dig this tie shape and width, you might want to grab these while the stock is plentiful and we're offering these great prices. Each one is handmade in NYC and self tipped.

TIE BUNDLE: FOX BROS FLANNEL, REGIMENT STRIPE, NAVY REPP STRIPE

TIE BUNDLE: DRAGO SILVER, PURPLE MICRO-WAFFLE SILK, PEWTER MICRO-WAFFLE SILK

TIE BUNDLE: VIOLET JACQUARD, LORO PIANA GUNCHECK, PEWTER FLORETTE: $165

TIE BUNDLE: FALL DONEGAL, NAVY SILK FLORETTE, POWDER BLUE SQUARES

 

[mattw]

Love all this talk around the Rivets! From experience with an MTO pair in wool cord I’d eat up wool pairs as quickly as budget allows. And I’ve been close to selling off a pair of sashiko EZ pants that I haven’t quite jived with- great to hear I’ll have a chance to revisit the fabric in a more conventional shape.

One beef, though- is there a chance the Rivet tape could be revisted? I know it’s a signature feature, but it sort of feels dated to me. Just a little. And I don’t know what I’m doing wrong but it gets in the way when trying to iron them, and it always seems to create a crease or indent you can see from the outside Maybe I’m just dumb or need to get a bigass steamer, LOL.
I don’t know what it’s called, but I have a pair of Wings and Horns chinos that have my all time favorite inside seam finishing. It’s clean and obviously has attention put to it without all the visible thread from normal stitching, but it’s just a cleaned up edge with no drama. Anyone know what I mean?

Anyway, I’ll never match the big hitters around here, but keep it up and good luck!

 

[Epaulet]

Love all this talk around the Rivets! From experience with an MTO pair in wool cord I’d eat up wool pairs as quickly as budget allows. And I’ve been close to selling off a pair of sashiko EZ pants that I haven’t quite jived with- great to hear I’ll have a chance to revisit the fabric in a more conventional shape.

One beef, though- is there a chance the Rivet tape could be revisted? I know it’s a signature feature, but it sort of feels dated to me. Just a little. And I don’t know what I’m doing wrong but it gets in the way when trying to iron them, and it always seems to create a crease or indent you can see from the outside Maybe I’m just dumb or need to get a bigass steamer, LOL.
I don’t know what it’s called, but I have a pair of Wings and Horns chinos that have my all time favorite inside seam finishing. It’s clean and obviously has attention put to it without all the visible thread from normal stitching, but it’s just a cleaned up edge with no drama. Anyone know what I mean?

Anyway, I’ll never match the big hitters around here, but keep it up and good luck!

Thanks! It's interesting about the herringbone... people's preferences definitely go both ways. Based on our projects and preorders where guys can opt for a plain outseam, about 90% choose to keep the herringbone, so I'm going to retain it for any stock orders.

But.. you can bet that our MTO program and other preorders -- particularly in wool -- will allow you to remove it. And I think that we can provide hemming service as well. It will be included for MTO and available for a small fee (maybe $7 or so) on preorders, but would then imply a final sale. But yes.. there's going to be a lot more Rivets next year!

 

[mike2]

Good call to echo the posts here on Instagram... I need to bring some more content onto that platform. Hopefully we can expand things soon.

I hope that things will continue to be posted here rather than just on instagram. I'm sure instagram is good for pictures, but I find it impossible to find anything on there. Sometimes I see someone mention instagram on this thread and I go over there to try to find out what they're talking about and there's nothing there! I don't know if content just disappears, or if I'm not seeing it because I need to 'follow' it in the right way, or what. So, I much prefer SF.

 

[FLW]

Thought of one more thread idea...

I've always loved Mike's take on some of the behind the scenes/industry insight type posts. A recent example would be his view on the collapse of Unionmade. Same goes for the decline in interest for Alden footwear or why particular items failed or succeeded.

I know this also usually comes up on Reddit AMAs. I think it is a unique perspective and has definitely impacted my buying habits, EP or otherwise.

 

[Duke Silver]

@Epaulet When you say 'rivets,' does that also include the Wilhelms for your large-assed customers?

 

[Epaulet]

@Epaulet When you say 'rivets,' does that also include the Wilhelms for your large-assed customers?

Yes absolutely!

 

[Epaulet]

The brave dudes who ordered this based upon the loudest Supreme jacket ever know who they are. We salute you!

 

[suuteebird]

One of the things that I really like about this forum is that it is a place where Mike often gives us an early preview of something upcoming - or an early link to new product before going out via the newsletter or appearing elsewhere. This often gives me a headstart to quickly grab something before it’s gone - especially an EFF or similar.

I also like to hear and see what others are liking and purchasing, and how they are wearing it. I have learned a lot about ways to pair pieces that I never would have figured out if I hadn’t seen it here first.

I guess i look at this forum as a sort of “insiders” page - so the more info that is flowing, the more I enjoy it.

 

[Thefenceposts]

@Epaulet Love all this conversation about the direction of the business - could never have this on Instagram!

A few things that have led me to buy less from Epaulet lately, ordered by how specific they are to me as a customer (aka you should ignore the bottom two if you want):

- styling and models for product shots - I'm a boring office drone like i imagine many customers are, so have a tough time making the jump from some of the "nutzo" styling to how I would wear them on a day to day basis. It's a casual office, but still hard to imagine something like a tie dye button down...
- custom / limited run stuff, it's really hard to envision how some of these wool fabrics would make up for things like a doyle jacket which has no structure to it. A deeper understanding of the original intent of the fabric (suiting vs jacketing vs outerwear, etc) would help me stop fence-sitting and pull the trigger.
- Rivets, in my recent experience, are just too low rise relative to the rest of the chino market. The new ones in particular seem to be even lower to the point that nothing stays tucked and if you pull them up you end up with mooseknuckle. I still wear them for casual untucked stuff, but you can wear higher rise trousers for that without consequence
- Haven't seen a super- heavy canvas sinclair yet... I want that!