So I started a clothing company...

[smittycl]

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).

In album terms I believe LP means "long play" and EP means "extended play" which has fewer songs. Newer bands would issue an EP if they didn't have enough songs for a full LP and established artists would issue EPs of different versions of their songs, live tracks, etc. At least that's how I remember my old album collection.

 

[smittycl]

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

They have a selection of fabrics on their website and can also source basically anything you ask for.

 

[FLW]

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?

I would easily qualify as "an enthusiast" and I would say that having books on hand would greatly increase the likelihood of me purchasing something from a maker and would certainly make it more likely for me to purchase a more expensive, "luxury" fabric.

I love classic tailoring, but I really don't care to take the time to memorize weaves or fabric weights. When someone says "this is a 8.6 oz wool hopsack!" they might as well say it in Korean for all that it really means to me.

I shop by touch when I'm buying off the rack in a store and books allow me to do the same with MTM/MTO/bespoke.

If you are going to be doing things remotely, I would recommend doing something other than perfectly-lit static studio shots. I remember when Mike at Epaulet started shooting videos of their fabrics for custom orders- it probably doubled my purchase rate and got me to buy things I would never have otherwise considered. Photos (like the ones KW uses) are, in my experience, too bright and offer really no sense of how the fabric looks in real life. A video may do little to convey the the weight of a fabric, but at least it helps with color and finish.

 

[bdavro23]

I would easily qualify as "an enthusiast" and I would say that having books on hand would greatly increase the likelihood of me purchasing something from a maker and would certainly make it more likely for me to purchase a more expensive, "luxury" fabric.

I love classic tailoring, but I really don't care to take the time to memorize weaves or fabric weights. When someone says "this is a 8.6 oz wool hopsack!" they might as well say it in Korean for all that it really means to me.

I shop by touch when I'm buying off the rack in a store and books allow me to do the same with MTM/MTO/bespoke.

If you are going to be doing things remotely, I would recommend doing something other than perfectly-lit static studio shots. I remember when Mike at Epaulet started shooting videos of their fabrics for custom orders- it probably doubled my purchase rate and got me to buy things I would never have otherwise considered. Photos (like the ones KW uses) are, in my experience, too bright and offer really no sense of how the fabric looks in real life. A video may do little to convey the the weight of a fabric, but at least it helps with color and finish.

Thank you for taking the time to post your feedback, it really is helpful and it definitely gives me something to think about.

 

[bdavro23]

I have a cousin who is about 5 years younger than me. When he got out of college he sold Cutco knives and kitchen supplies. If you arent familiar with Cutco, they have the same kind of in home demonstration type business model as Avon, or other door to door sales. Basically, you call everyone you know and try to get them to buy from you. And then you ask them to ask everyone they know. Or you ask them to host an in home party with all their friends. I think you get where this is going. Anyway, he was maybe 22, which would have made me 27, and I had zero money. Still, I got a call to buy knives. You have to give it to him, he had the hustle and didnt mind hearing no.

He didnt stay at Cutco long and now runs his own healthcare company. But my grandmother had a set of Cutco Knives. So did my mom, all my aunts and uncles, and even some of our older cousins. His mom had half a dozen sets if I recall correctly. But you start a sales job by selling to the people you know. I'm no different and most of the sales I've made have been to people I know well or their referrals.

The jacket below was sold to one of the owners of a local jewelry store where I've been a long time customer. I've also done some consulting for them in the fairly recent past, so we know each other pretty well. They've always taken care of us and so I wanted to take care of him and give him 20% off. I wanted to do that, but ******** up and looked at the wrong price, so I'll make enough on this jacket to buy a 3 topping pizza. I wont make that mistake again, but I really hope the jacket doesnt need alterations

 

[bdavro23]

I got a package in the mail today that I've been waiting for. Inside were some garments that I've been very excited about for several reasons: First, there is a brown suit that I had high hopes would look great. Second, the suit is for me. And third, I made my wife a pair of pants by copying a pair she really likes. I will post fit pics on Wednesday as I'm planning on wearing the suit, but the early signs are promising other than the pants being a little too long. Enough words, enjoy the pictures...

 

[bdavro23]

A quick follow up to answer a few questions I've received: The pick stitching on these garments look incredibly prominent in these pictures. I remember this coming up a few weeks ago when I posted some other jackets. I actually thought about it when I started taking these pictures because, especially on the brown, in person it is very subtle. In fact, you can hardly see it in certain areas. Photography, especially on a cell phone is an art, and one I dont fully understand. Anyway, theres the explanation to those who were curious.

I'm planning on wearing the suit tomorrow, so I will try to get some pictures in the wild.

 

[bdavro23]

A (for me) quick two part post today: First, we just did our taxes. It turns out you get to write off a bunch of stuff when you have a small business, so thats especially helpful when you are still working for the man full time. I cant say it was a surprise since I did some research into this ahead of time, but it was certainly nice to see the results.

Second, I am starting to work on a website. By "starting to work", I mean I am story boarding the pages I want for a pretty simple website. There wont be an e-commerce component to it, as it will be more designed to be informational and give details about my goods and services. There will be a section for a blog, though. I mean, I think really what the world is crying out for is another menswear blog. Right? Hello?

Anyway, I had planned on using Wix, or something like it and trying to build this out myself. I'd love to hear feedback from the more IT knowlegable members or people who have built sites, and any advice they may have for me.

 

[Bromley]

A (for me) quick two part post today: First, we just did our taxes. It turns out you get to write off a bunch of stuff when you have a small business, so thats especially helpful when you are still working for the man full time. I cant say it was a surprise since I did some research into this ahead of time, but it was certainly nice to see the results.

Second, I am starting to work on a website. By "starting to work", I mean I am story boarding the pages I want for a pretty simple website. There wont be an e-commerce component to it, as it will be more designed to be informational and give details about my goods and services. There will be a section for a blog, though. I mean, I think really what the world is crying out for is another menswear blog. Right? Hello?

Anyway, I had planned on using Wix, or something like it and trying to build this out myself. I'd love to hear feedback from the more IT knowlegable members or people who have built sites, and any advice they may have for me.

Nice. I miss menswear blogs, especially the writing component. I've never used Wix, but Squarespace is pretty versatile and really easy to use.

 

[WillingToLearn]

From my rudimentary exposure, when my firm re-did our website using a design firm, the blog is key to generate new content regularly which helps in the google ratings. I don't understand that much about it, but it think the effort to generate content on a regular basis is key. i actually think that should be easy. you could do posts on things like the differences in style and make in should construction, pocket styles, etc.

Frankly, a lot of topics and content you can poach from SF, if i am allowed to say that...

 

[Patrick R]

i actually think that should be easy.

But it never is.

 

[WillingToLearn]

no, you are right, we have that debate here all the time. but no one wants to read long pieces any more, so one of us will write something on an industry trend and then we break it up into 5+ content blurbs that can be spread out over time. like should styles - each one could be a separate post - plus a post or two comparing the styles. that's like a month's worth of content right there

and so little of it has to be original, just take from here

 

[bdavro23]

My thinking for the blog, at least the first 10 or 20 posts I suppose, will be dedicated to helping the regular guy dress better. Ultimately, thats who the majority of my customers will be, and really, the enthusiast doesnt need much in the way of my opinion. I think there is a tendency for us to get into an echo chamber here and get lost in minutia. I think if I were making something for one of you guys, you're more than likely going to have a pretty good idea of exactly what you want and how you want it to look. I might be able to give you fabric advice or fit guidance based on what youre trying to achieve, but you know what you want largely.

Most of the guys I work with arent enthusiasts and rely on me for advice. So thats what I'll be focusing on. For now...

 

[sid11111]

A (for me) quick two part post today: First, we just did our taxes. It turns out you get to write off a bunch of stuff when you have a small business, so thats especially helpful when you are still working for the man full time. I cant say it was a surprise since I did some research into this ahead of time, but it was certainly nice to see the results.

Second, I am starting to work on a website. By "starting to work", I mean I am story boarding the pages I want for a pretty simple website. There wont be an e-commerce component to it, as it will be more designed to be informational and give details about my goods and services. There will be a section for a blog, though. I mean, I think really what the world is crying out for is another menswear blog. Right? Hello?

Anyway, I had planned on using Wix, or something like it and trying to build this out myself. I'd love to hear feedback from the more IT knowlegable members or people who have built sites, and any advice they may have for me.

A un-search engine optimised website is not worth the effort IMO. Better a facebook page/tumblr or any other established blog platform combo.

 

[dieworkwear]

My thinking for the blog, at least the first 10 or 20 posts I suppose, will be dedicated to helping the regular guy dress better. Ultimately, thats who the majority of my customers will be, and really, the enthusiast doesnt need much in the way of my opinion. I think there is a tendency for us to get into an echo chamber here and get lost in minutia. I think if I were making something for one of you guys, you're more than likely going to have a pretty good idea of exactly what you want and how you want it to look. I might be able to give you fabric advice or fit guidance based on what youre trying to achieve, but you know what you want largely.

Most of the guys I work with arent enthusiasts and rely on me for advice. So thats what I'll be focusing on. For now...

I think if it's evergreen content, like explaining the basics of how someone can dress better, the information should broken off and made into its own separate section on a site. A blog is a running timeline of content, and once you've written a lot of stuff, the basics end up getting buried where it's never seen again. If you write ten posts on how guys can build a basic wardrobe, that can be its own drop down section for information.

I also think you should have a good reason to start a blog on a website, and Google ranking shouldn't be a consideration. Your Google ranking is a secondary effect of having a good website. There are a million sites out there with daily coffee musings of someone talking about how they brought their kid to school and how they're made at a co-worker. Those don't rank high on Google, despite there being thousands of pages of content, because no one is reading.

It takes a lot more time than you may think to generate content people will read. Maybe ten posts, broken out into their own section as evergreen content, will be useful. But I'm not sure running a semi-regular blog is a good use of a business owner's time. You'd see more returns from generating a broader social media strategy. A blog may or may not be part of that, but writing one yourself is like going out there and trying to shoot your own lookbook.