So I started a clothing company...

[dieworkwear]

I think LP is seen as for the casual consumer, while those in the know have the EP.

 

[Despos]

^ What does EP mean?
In my talks with people who shop at LP their point of view is LP is a standard of luxury goods. Their outer wear is exceptional, They have a reputation for quality cashmere. Have clients who love their jeans. The detail in some of their products is exceptional.

 

[Patrick R]

^ What does EP mean?

What is an EP?

 

[bdavro23]

I think LP is seen as for the casual consumer, while those in the know have the EP.

@dieworkwear
Are we gonna get an EP explanation? Or was @Patrick R right?

 

[bdavro23]

While we are on the subject of fabric, I wanted to get the thoughts of anyone who cares to opine. At the moment, I primarily offer Loro Piana and the Gladson offerings (Minnis, Hardy, VBC, Harris Tweed, etc). I have been thinking about offering Scabal or Dormueil. I should say that I am pretty pleased with the options available through LP and Gladson, but I dont have much experience with the other two brands. Is there a compelling reason for me to add one or both? Thoughts? Experiences?

 

[ValidusLA]

While we are on the subject of fabric, I wanted to get the thoughts of anyone who cares to opine. At the moment, I primarily offer Loro Piana and the Gladson offerings (Minnis, Hardy, VBC, Harris Tweed, etc). I have been thinking about offering Scabal or Dormueil. I should say that I am pretty pleased with the options available through LP and Gladson, but I dont have much experience with the other two brands. Is there a compelling reason for me to add one or both? Thoughts? Experiences?

My tailor in LA carries Scabal. I'm not up to that level of cost on my commissions yet, but it is lovely fabric. I have spoken to them and they say that they have clients who exclusively go Scabal for their suiting.

I am less familiar w/ Dormueil, but I know some people have a less than stellar opinion on it - too flashy for some I think.

I think the compelling reason to add Scabal to your lineup would just be that you would expand your base to a type of customer who wants to shop Scabal.

I think in general from what I have seen here, from others, and my tailor would agree:
LP and VBC are "Good" while Scabal is "Great"

 

[Caustic Man]

Why can't you get any cloth your clients want? Or are you just talking about stocking the books?

 

[bdavro23]

Why can't you get any cloth your clients want? Or are you just talking about stocking the books?

^ This, exactly. I can probably get any cloth that I need to if a client knows what they want, but having the books is a different story. My reluctance in part is that I dont have a storefront, so I have to travel with the books. I usually have a good idea of what a client will want and can plan accordingly, but knowing the books and what options are available is pretty helpful.

On the other hand, its nice having options, and I feel like Scabal and Dormueil have something different to offer from what I usually work with. I FEEL that way, but I dont have the direct experience. So I thought I would cast a wider net. The more I think about this out loud, the more I think I should probably stick with what I have and know. I could be convinced otherwise though.

 

[lordsuperb]

@dieworkwear
Are we gonna get an EP explanation? Or was @Patrick R right?

Aren't the EP records known for the extended cuts of a song and usually contain the B side for certain songs not making it to an album? Sometimes the B-sides become cult classics for the serious listeners?

Loro Piana (LP) good for the masses but for the niche bespoke market they want the extended version (H. Lesser).

 

[Patrick R]

It seemed pretty clear to me.

 

[bdavro23]

Aren't the EP records known for the extended cuts of a song and usually contain the B side for certain songs not making it to an album? Sometimes the B-sides become cult classics for the serious listeners?

Loro Piana (LP) good for the masses but for the niche bespoke market they want the extended version (H. Lesser).

Thanks for drawing a map for me

 

[Caustic Man]

If I were commissioning something I wouldn't miss not being able to see Scabal or Dormeuil. But I generally don't like super flashy stuff. I'm interested in Huddersfield, Holland and Sherry, E. Thomas' more subdued stuff, etc. I'm probably on the more boring side of cloth choices, despite the fact that I love color.

On another note, I don't get a lot from touching the cloth. It doesn't give me much of an idea about how it will wear and I can get a pretty good idea of texture with quality photos online. I'm pretty familiar with how cloths of different weights tend to work for me too, and every manufacturer provides that information on its website. It's more helpful with being able to see how the cloth looks IRL. Monitor settings and all that. But just the same, I've never had something come out extremely different in color from the online photos I've seen from the bigger cloth producers. Anyway, I guess I'm just saying that most of the time I pick out my cloth online since I usually use KW.

 

[bdavro23]

If I were commissioning something I wouldn't miss not being able to see Scabal or Dormeuil. But I generally don't like super flashy stuff. I'm interested in Huddersfield, Holland and Sherry, E. Thomas' more subdued stuff, etc. I'm probably on the more boring side of cloth choices, despite the fact that I love color.

On another note, I don't get a lot from touching the cloth. It doesn't give me much of an idea about how it will wear and I can get a pretty good idea of texture with quality photos online. I'm pretty familiar with how cloths of different weights tend to work for me too, and every manufacturer provides that information on its website. It's more helpful with being able to see how the cloth looks IRL. Monitor settings and all that. But just the same, I've never had something come out extremely different in color from the online photos I've seen from the bigger cloth producers. Anyway, I guess I'm just saying that most of the time I pick out my cloth online since I usually use KW.

Thanks for the feedback, and it brings up another point: Making something for a member of the general public can be very different than making something for an enthusiast. I would venture that most members here would have some fairly specific ideas about what they want, the fabric, styling, etc. they'd probably also have some idea of how they want it to fit and have some language available to them to describe those preferences.

Some of the guys I've worked with have literally said, "I need a suit." Great, what were you thinking. "You know, just a normal one." Ok, do you know what color you want? "Oh, whatever you think is best."

I've never used Kent Wang, do they have all their fabric online to choose from?

 

[Caustic Man]

Maybe the answer is to carry the books you have right now and supplement that with digital photos for the more obscure stuff. That way costumers can get a sense of what cloth of a certain weight and texture feels like from your basic books and make educated decisions on the digital stuff. I think there's probably a lot of room to innovate when it comes to cloth selection if you're inclined.

 

[WillingToLearn]

I think scabal has a wider range than people may think. i bought a brown donegal flannel from them - a great "faux" tweed. I saw it on pozetka (?) and hunted down where he got it from, but until then had zero experience with scabal. Point being, i think they have unique stuff that people won't find elsewhere. Whether your customers need that may well be a different story. But from a marketing / word of mouth, having luxurious fabrics is a must, I would think.