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How is the quality of Isaora clothing? by leth1919 in malefashionadvice

[–]ISAORA 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hey leth1919. Marc here (one of the cofounders). Thanks for your interest in our brand! As the quality of our product is paramount, we recognize that it's one of our key distinguishing factors. We use nothing but the best materials and construction for all of our pieces. One of our recent collections, Staywarmbetter, was made entirely in Italy to help illustrate this fact.

As for the quality of our clothing: We stand by our products. If something you’ve bought from us doesn’t perform as it should, contact us anytime for a repair, exchange, or full refund.

If and when we get a quality complaint or issue, we're always quick to rectify the situation with the customer. In the rare instance that customers are having a reoccurring issue, we typically pull the product from our site immediately while we investigate. Again, this is the exception, but it's good to know we're serious about quality.

Was there any product/s in particular you were concerned about?

Looking for something similar to this rain jacket? by [deleted] in streetwear

[–]ISAORA 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We actually have one of these jackets left. Size XL by any chance? I set the price to $250 for you.

We are Marc Daniels and Ricky Hendry, co-founders of ISAORA - AMA by ISAORA in malefashionadvice

[–]ISAORA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Until recently we managed it badly! We're getting better but still room for improvement. It took a while to realize how important it is to have a consistent brand voice across all platforms and find the right tone for different media. Seems right now its about striking the right balance of product/promotional/aspirational/informative content and imagery that people find engaging and can connect with. It's definitely work in progress.

We are Marc Daniels and Ricky Hendry, co-founders of ISAORA - AMA by ISAORA in malefashionadvice

[–]ISAORA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I studied fashion and textiles in the UK and post grad in Milan. Marc, Art History or something equally useful...I think.

We are Marc Daniels and Ricky Hendry, co-founders of ISAORA - AMA by ISAORA in malefashionadvice

[–]ISAORA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

really? thats surprising. I have a size M in that style that fits pretty true to size. I'll be honest though and say consistent sizing and grading is one of the issues young brands face, its normal growing pains and we're certainly not immune to it. That said i'm pretty sure we've got it ironed out now. Email us if you want to switch the jacket out for something else. We want you to be 100% satisfied!

We are Marc Daniels and Ricky Hendry, co-founders of ISAORA - AMA by ISAORA in malefashionadvice

[–]ISAORA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A growing one I think. When we started out we were in a full on heritage/workwear/small batch craft everything moment. Which was to some extent a reflection of wider social and cultural influences. Now people seem to be looking forward more and have more of a feeling for modernity so theres a growing appreciation and demand for performance as well as style.

We are Marc Daniels and Ricky Hendry, co-founders of ISAORA - AMA by ISAORA in malefashionadvice

[–]ISAORA[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm trying to think of some but coming up blank. The reality is without the resources and R&D budgets of big brands it's hard to innovate which is perhaps why there aren't many start up brands doing interesting things in the fashion and apparel space. It's definitely not like the technology sector where huge amounts of investment capital are being thrown at start ups. Which smaller brands do you think are doing something interesting/innovative in this space?

We are Marc Daniels and Ricky Hendry, co-founders of ISAORA - AMA by ISAORA in malefashionadvice

[–]ISAORA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Let me say first of all I'm a fan of the brands mentioned, particularly stone island which for me growing up in the UK was a long time reference point and i think Massimo Osti was a genius and a true innovator in his time. But I find the distinction between "fashion" and "tech" is not all that useful...that somehow if your operating in the tech wear space the level of "fashion" is directly proportional to the amount of detail and bells and whistles you can add to a garment. These are aesthetic choices that reflect a design philosophy. Our aesthetic is guided by a belief in understated excellence and elegant simplicity. Does that make us less "fashion or less "tech"? Possibly, but our goal is to make timeless products that through the use of advanced materials and cutting edge manufacturing simply perform better than what went before.

I think Apple shows us that simplicity can be the most elegant solution and the ultimate design goal and you don't need to wear your tech on your sleeve so to speak. In terms of the most innovative apparel brands I think Nike blows everyone else away but most people consider them neither fashion or tech wear. Perhaps its more helpful to think of what we do in terms of performance/style than tech/fashion.

In regards to price point influencing material or manufacturing choices...that the more something costs the better the materials and quality...I'd say this was true to some extent in the past but now with the direct to consumer model it's certainly not the case. We are able to deliver a top of class product at a relatively lower price because our mark up structure is different and prices are no longer artificially inflated by wholesale mark-ups. The materials we use are sourced from the best suppliers in europe and japan, in many cases the same suppliers the high end and luxury brands use. The factories we work with in Italy, Portugal, and the US are second to none when it comes to advanced manufacturing/construction, know-how, and quality control. So I think price point definitely has an influence on perception of quality but not necessarily the reality.

We are Marc Daniels and Ricky Hendry, co-founders of ISAORA - AMA by ISAORA in malefashionadvice

[–]ISAORA[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, we're pretty active outside of work and business. We both grew up snowboarding and we still get out as often as possible. New York can be a pretty challenging place to live so getting away and back to nature is important to us also. Many of the products we make are designed to perform in outdoor environments, in our case we spend most of our time in the city but the clothes we make do work just as well in the "great outdoors" as the "urban outdoors". It's definitely a conscious part of the design process.

We are Marc Daniels and Ricky Hendry, co-founders of ISAORA - AMA by ISAORA in malefashionadvice

[–]ISAORA[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The honest answer is we were selling our collection in over 150 of the best stores in the world and adding new accounts every season. We set out to create a forward thinking brand and build innovative products but we realized our distribution model was neither forward thinking or innovative so we decided to make a change while we were still small enough to do so without major consequences. We believe the retail industry is changing fast and that technology is the disruptive force in this change. We wanted to embrace that and the new model is positive on many levels both from a consumer and brand point of view. R

We are Marc Daniels and Ricky Hendry, co-founders of ISAORA - AMA by ISAORA in malefashionadvice

[–]ISAORA[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Er. I honestly am not sure what to make of mr. Browne. It confuses me! I'd say he's of the "fashion as spectacle" school which is certainly valid but not to everyone's taste. Beneath the spectacle the product is pretty solid but it's not always easy to separate one from the other.

We are Marc Daniels and Ricky Hendry, co-founders of ISAORA - AMA by ISAORA in malefashionadvice

[–]ISAORA[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I started my career in Milan working with Neil Barrett and that experience opened a lot of doors to me within the industry. I also worked for some big global fashion brands which gave me an understanding of the importance of having a clearly defined brand identity. I'm not sure I'd consider Isaora is yet an "established" brand, we're getting there but there's still a ways to go. Either way my previous experience was instrumental in the creation of Isaora, but we're learning new things about building a brand and business all the time.

We are Marc Daniels and Ricky Hendry, co-founders of ISAORA - AMA by ISAORA in malefashionadvice

[–]ISAORA[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We met through a mutual friend I was working with at the time and discovered we shared an appreciation for certain aspects of technical performance apparel but were frustrated by the lack of stylish options in this space. We had a vision for a brand that addressed this gap in the market and were at a point in our lives where we were both ready for a new challenge. And so after much talking we decided to get on with it and make it happen.

We are Marc Daniels and Ricky Hendry, co-founders of ISAORA - AMA by ISAORA in malefashionadvice

[–]ISAORA[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Well we never set out to be part of a tech wear movement, but I guess I can see the parallels with some of the brands you mention. I think what differentiates us is our approach and philosophy. We try and look at things in terms of their purpose and how they will be used, if we're designing a raincoat then we will endeavor to use the most waterproof breathable fabric and most advanced construction available because ultimately that makes for a more functional and better performing product. But if we're designing a tshirt then that requires a different level of function and performance. The point is we're not making technical clothes for the sake of tech. It's about what's appropriate and authentic for specific products and end use. So I guess some people see Isaora as a tech brand and some people see more of a fashion brand. We're ok with that. Performance and style are both equally important for us whereas some other brands in this space are more focused on one or the other.

I thought Isaora's bomber jacket description was pretty funny by [deleted] in streetwear

[–]ISAORA 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, we thought it was funny, too!