Zam Barrett Dialogue/ Zfactorie - Official Affiliate Thread.

[Zamb]

Hello to all Styleforum members,
A Happy New year to All

We are pleased to announce that through much discussion and consideration, Zam Barrett Dialogue is now an official affiliate of Styleforum.
We have had many customers of our brand's products who are members of the Styleforum . Through these channels, we were offered and excellent opportunity to become an affiliate Vendor and we have decided to take advantage of the offer extended to us. We thank all of the members here who have been passionate supporters of our work over the years and we look hope to continue to provide them with some of the best artisanal products on the available.

We hope to use this thread as a means of creating a greater understanding of who we are as a brand, what we stand for as a company and the kind of products we make, along with greater audience we hope to provide Styleforum members some of the best deals on great artisanal products.

Below is a brief outline of who we are, what we do and some of the services we offer as a company.

WHO WE ARE:
We are first and foremost an Avant Garde artisanal brand that makes a wide range of products for men and women (predominantly men) from tailored goods, to jeans, tops and accessories. We have been in business since 2010 selling to stores in Japan, China, Russia, England, France, Germany, United States, South Korea etc. We also operate ZFACTORIE , our online store that serves to provide our products for customers in whose countries or locality there are no stockist, or whose sizes most stores do not carry or those who want certain products that from us that are not stocked by the stores that carry our brand. Since we are also a New York based brand and do not have much retail representation i the US, Zfactorie also serves to provide a place for united States based customers to access our products without having to deal with import taxes and other matters that comes with buying from overseas.
We are in nature and philosophy, a decidedly committed ARTISANAL company, and take pride in being one of the very few existing in the united States. By artisanal we mean, all our products are made In House, in our own production facilities, by a team of people that have been trained directly by myself, a skilled tailor, pattern maker and designer. all our products are made from natural materials, such as leather, linens, cottons, silks, woolens, with the only exception being for either durability or slight aesthetic compromises.


WHAT WE DO:
We are in nature and philosophy, a decidedly committed ARTISANAL company. We take pride in being one of the very few existing in the United States carrying on a craft in a methodology that is becoming rarer and rarer in today's world.
By artisanal we mean, all our products are made In house, in our own production facilities, by a team of people that have been trained directly by myself, a skilled tailor, pattern maker and designer committed to expanding and perfecting my technique for over 25 years.
All our products are made from natural materials, such as leathers, linens, cottons, silks, woolens, with the only exception being for either durability or slight aesthetic compromises. We have a reputation of providing possibly the best range of pants in the Artisanal market in terms of durability, cut, fabrication and pricing. We also have a growing following for out expanding outerwear offering that has allowed me to return to my tailoring roots as we cater to an older more discerning customer who seeks out an alternative to traditional menswear.

We also provide basic in house alterations for all our products, along with the possibility to custom order either items from a past collection, a current collection item if you need special sizes that may not be available or is not normally produced in our production runs..

We want to thank the Styleforum community again for its support as we look forward to our future partnership here.

To launch off our affiliate program, we are offering a 15% discount code to all Styleforum members for the entire month of January on already marked down goods in our webstore: www.shop.zambarrett.com.

The Code is: STYLEF15 and is good for all product categories including Final Sale and Accessories

We also ask that when you visit the site please subscribe to our mailing list as there are often news, deals and exclusive that are not made public but told of through our newsletter.


We say thanks again to all our customers here and to the whole Styleforum community at large. We look forward to taking the best care of you for the year 2017 and beyond.

 

[BubblyMasquerade]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[max_r]

Very cool!

Now I wish I waited a couple days to order some pants, but they were already on sale. This may just be more motivation to order more if they fit me good.

 

[Zamb]

Welcome to the forum!

Thank you!

Very cool!

Now I wish I waited a couple days to order some pants, but they were already on sale. This may just be more motivation to order more if they fit me good.

Your pants is on its way, hope it fits you well. looking forward to taking care of you in the future.......

 

[oulipien]

This is super cool, glad there's now a dedicated thread!

 

[bows1]

Glad you are an official affiliate! Thanks again for great products, looking forward to receiving my second pair of minimalist Linen pants! Didnt know about the code when I ordered yesterday though

 

[Zamb]

@bows1


thanks for the kind words, we will update you with tracking for the pants tomorrow
you must've missed my last message to you via PM,
in it was the notice that we are now an affiliate also with the code for you.

 

[Zamb]

This is super cool, glad there's now a dedicated thread!

Indeed, will be posting some great things soon

 

[Zamb]

Hello Styleforum,

we wrote this piece about two weeks ago, i am posting it here in the thread as its I think its very relevant.
Enjoy!

Over the last five to ten years, there has been an increased awareness and appreciation for all things artisanal. Along with this increased awareness and consumption of artisanal products, comes the appreciation for Artisanal fashion.

On the downside of this movement, many, being aware of this and the “coolness” and marketing possibilities that can be developed around the term, have applied the word to different categories of products from food, to clothing to artwork, that really has nothing artisanal about them. The only association they have is the misappropriation of the word for marketing and profitability purposes.
The focus of this essay is to clarify what is Artisanal clothing. What it is about and to help you to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for the real people who are committed to the process of creating artisanal fashion with little or no compromise.




What does the word ARTISANAL really mean?

The word Artisanal, when applied to products, refers to a product that is made in a traditional way, through non-automated, or non-industrialized processes.
With respect to clothing, this means a garment or garments that are made through the ability or skill of an artisan or artisans who executes the product from start to finish with little or no automation. So a shirt, made in a factory by dozens of people and machines that are set up to produce aspects of the garment without human skill at its center is not an artisanal product.
If one is making buttonholes on a shirt, in an artisanal sense, they are either made by hand completely (see a Geoffrey B. Small shirt) or made on a single needle lock stitch machine, one at a time by a skilled person (the way we do it at Zfactorie), rather than a seven head automated chain stitch machine that self folds he front of the shirt and sew seven or 8 buttonholes at once without human intervention.

Why is ARTISANAL clothing even necessary?

It isn’t that all clothing could not be made through industrialized processes. Industrial manufacturing increases efficiency, often reduces per item cost and provide clothing for millions of people at prices that are affordable. These are positive aspects of industrialization. However there are many negative aspects too, and one is often left to consider, whether the positives when compared to the negatives, creates a net win situation. Not just for the manufacturer but for the employees, for the society and the planet as a whole.
The negatives often include overproduction and clothing that end up in landfills. Clothing that are made using materials and supplies that are not biodegradable and damage our ecosystem in the name of profits for large corporation. Often (but not always) there exploitation of workers and in some circles an often a joyless work environment where human skill and ingenuity is not developed and personal satisfaction of producing a high level product through ones capabilities is missing from the life of the employee.
When artisanal clothing is produced, it brings about a kind of clothing that is beautiful, usually of natural fibers and materials that does not damage the environment. Unique and generally rare as most artisanal makers do not do large production and garments that are often a topic of conversation either by strangers on the street who appreciates the uniqueness of the wearer and the clothing or by those of us who already are in the know and have a deep appreciation for the kind of aesthetic beauty that can only be achieved through clothes that are infused with the soul of its creator(s). This alone and the joy that it bring to both the creator and the end consumer makes artisanal clothing very necessary to our world.

Is an ARTISAN an Artist?
While I often make the distinction between an ARTISAN and an Artist, there is a definite overlap between the two. Consider a world where there were no Rembrandt, no Picasso, no Mondrian, but only large scale computerized print manufactures and it gives you a good picture of why Artisanal designers and clothes makers are and will continually be important to the future of fashion.
Consider a word where there is only fast food, or home cooking, but no truly gifted chef making the highest caliber of gourmet food that fills one’s craving for a uniquely sensual eating pleasure that can only come from the best restaurants and the best chefs
Take a brand like Martin Margiela, at the height of his reign, the Maison headed by the man himself produced some of the best artisanal clothing to have ever been made. They had an unorthodox beauty and a high level of humorous intelligence that can only come about by having a unique mind capable of interpreting the world in an artistic way. When Margiela retired and the company was sold, the clothing produced by the brand got cleaner, more palatable to the masses, but they lost that pure artistic quality that can only come about by the work of a uniquely gifted artisan.

The Future of the Movement
Artisanal Clothing has gained a level of prominence in certain circles, especially among menswear connoisseurs that the movement is definitely here to stay. However there needs to be a clear separation and an a genuine effort to articulate and educate the masses or at least those genuinely interested in who an artisan is, what can and should qualify as artisanal clothing and a greater effort to promote these designers and clothes makers as such.
In 2017 I will be playing my part in writing more, producing more, demonstrating more and also TEACHING those who are interested in learning. Especially learning the techniques that are necessary to produce truly artisanal clothing. The world does not need more clothing or more designers, but it really does need people who take the time to produce the beautiful and unique garments that can only be made by highly skilled artisanal clothes makers who take the time and are faithful to the métier….

 

[chobochobo]

I have a few pieces, mostly pants/ jeans that I really like.

 

[oulipien]

TIL that when Zam says "heavy linen", he means it. Damn.

(Though I think they got rained on a bit in delivery as they were slightly damp-feeling when I put them on, so perhaps they're not quite *so* heavy as the first seemed. Tighter fit in the waist than I was expecting, though; sized down from the raw silk pants which were quite loose at 50 and it's pret-ty tight.)

 

[applegreen]

Ha I had the exact same experience with mine. Super fast shipping, incredible communication, and amazing pants. Well, other than the equally damp package. Snug around the waist but accurate to the measurements. Thanks again Zam!

 

[Zamb]

I have a few pieces, mostly pants/ jeans that I really like.

thanks
We make other beautiful things too,
the FW16 season saw some really great products across the different product categories.

TIL that when Zam says "heavy linen", he means it. Damn.

(Though I think they got rained on a bit in delivery as they were slightly damp-feeling when I put them on, so perhaps they're not quite *so* heavy as the first seemed. Tighter fit in the waist than I was expecting, though; sized down from the raw silk pants which were quite loose at 50 and it's pret-ty tight.)

Ha I had the exact same experience with mine. Super fast shipping, incredible communication, and amazing pants. Well, other than the equally damp package. Snug around the waist but accurate to the measurements. Thanks again Zam!

the waist of the pants will give a little because of the nature of the fabric, so they should be Ok with a couple of wear.
We are completely sold out of them, after we did two restocks.

look for an update with a few announcement from us tomorrow.

 

[Zamb]

Of all the pants we have designed and made, the DNA Jeans was one of the first offerings from our company. Over the years it has possibly become the most successful pants we have ever produced in our workrooms and maybe even the most successful item from our company. We have had many customers, who have bought various iterations of this pants, almost every season. We have also a particular customer in Seattle, who might actually own, every iteration of this pants, in every fabric it has ever been produced and made for sale in!
Sometimes a successful product becomes uninteresting to its creator, and the mind of the designer is challenged it either replace it with something new, or update the exiting product with a fresh ideas and functional improvements. Over the last three seasons, we have kept the classic DNA Jeans cut that our clients have come to know and love, but have worked to create a New version of the DNA, called the
"RIDGE SEAM DNA JEANS"
This new version of the jeans retains the double helix cut of its predecessor, but is more aggressive and far more detailed than the classic version of the pants. the name comes from the "ridgelike" seams , a design technique we created by overclocking the seams of the pants, and then encasing the overlock stitching in a reverse french seam with a raised effect on the outside of the pants.
This along with the the cold dyeing effect that gives the pants a marbled texture and leave areas closer to the seam the original color of the fabric, has created a pants that is more aggressive and interesting to both look at and wear, than the original classic DNA Jeans.

RIDGE SEAM DNA JEANS - GREY
the jeans this season is made from a medium weight Stretch Cotton that is 97% Cotton + 3% elastine, making the pants very comfortable to wear and solving a problem several of our customers have, of the pants being tight just below the knees for guys with thicker calf muscles. The Cold Dyeing process gives the pants a nice "marbled texture' that is a feature of artisanal garments

Unlike the original version of the DNA's that are made with flat patch pockets sewn to the body of the pants, these pockets are built onto the the overlocked seams of the upper block

 

[Zamb]

OUR END OF SEASON PRE PARIS SEGMENT OF THE SALE IS NOW ON:

All of you who have been our loyal and supportive clients over the years, know that our trip to parish Marks the official end of a season and the preparation of the release of two collections.
First in Paris , the release of our Fall 2017 collection to the Buyers of the stores that carry our collections. Upon our return it will be the release of the Spring 2017 collection.
While we prepare for this, we invite to take an additional 20% off already marked down goods until the 25th of January.
Please use Code: PARIS20 to receive your discount.
the Code is good for all categories on the webstore.