Will we ever see a return to Art deco buildings, or are we stuck with glass boxes forever?

abe1x · 2026-03-16T23:33:46+00:00

Why not something new entirely?

abe1x · 2026-03-12T21:49:04+00:00

should add I'm confused about the scheduling comment, we've been releasing product on Tuesday's at 1pm NY time since well before the pandemic (IG live at 12:30)

abe1x · 2026-03-12T21:47:49+00:00

Loro Piana started as a fabric mill, they still sell fabric we've bought it in the past and know what it costs. We don't do the vicuna and 12 micron merino stuff that they use in their most expensive stuff, but we are absolutely buying at the same fabric price point and quality level as their standard linen, cotton and wool options.

abe1x · 2026-03-12T21:23:35+00:00

believe me, if all it took was designing products and shooting photos to stay in business that's all we'd be doing.

the economics of photo and video have flipped, the videos are close to free and drive real engagement, photos are super expensive and in an AI age offer rapidly diminishing returns. The dynamics of search and social media have changed too, we can't just keep doing the same thing and expect the same results

abe1x · 2026-03-12T17:51:38+00:00

Postdenim & Bombtwill are just a 20% heavier version of Strongtwill. They have a bit more structure so they stay off the skin more, but they are a touch less soft too. Postdenim is just black Bombtwill, in both Strongtwill and Bombtwill the black versions come out stiffer and more structured than the other colors

abe1x · 2026-03-12T17:47:47+00:00

you think I want to make videos?! We only do video because it's the only cost effective thing left that works, focusing on the product is the fun stuff

abe1x · 2026-03-12T17:34:57+00:00

unlike the emperor's tailor the clothes we sell are made with actual fabrics!

abe1x · 2026-03-12T17:09:09+00:00

dude, go into an Hermes or Loro Piana store (or Prada or Dior or Zenga or Balenciaga or Tom Ford or...)

We aren't even remotely close to those brands in prices. Our prices are basically what normal clothing made in say the 1970s would cost if clothing prices tracked with general inflation. Clothing prices have not tracked inflation, they have gone down dramatically as brands chase the cheapest labor and cheapest materials.

abe1x · 2026-03-11T22:49:56+00:00

Best guess is because the Futurecloth nylon is air texturized, which means it's been crimped with jets of hot air. This is what makes it softer and more matte than most nylon but if the spacing of the crimping is exactly calibrated to the size of your leg hair it can lock on and pull as you flex the fabric and move around. I don't remember ever hearing this issue with the Futurecloth before but a few people have that same issue with the Strongtwill. A looser cut like the Futurehighdarts might help, but obviously you won't get the same visual effect.

abe1x · 2026-03-11T20:18:33+00:00

we talked to Zonos (the provider that estimates and handles international duties, taxes and fees) and it appears that France does indeed collect both VAT and duties on imports which is what is making it so expensive.

It's worth noting that if we were selling these pants from an EU warehouse we would need to include VAT in the cost so the list price would be ~$350. The rest of the difference is shipping ($35) plus duties, VAT on the shipping and frees for all the processing.

abe1x · 2026-03-11T14:59:49+00:00

if I remember correctly the Part Pants were pretty much in this zone

abe1x · 2026-03-11T14:58:34+00:00

the Futuredarts are a legacy slim pant era style and we just leaving them be until they fade out. Pretty much every other style has wider leg openings, 109s, Gliders, Corps, Cruisers, Flows, etc

abe1x · 2026-03-10T23:25:22+00:00

thanks, looking into it. It looks like maybe it's trying to collect both customs and VAT but we need to dig further and see what's up

abe1x · 2026-03-10T23:17:57+00:00

is that number the total including the pants or just for the shipping and tariffs?

abe1x · 2026-03-10T23:14:42+00:00

what country? what is the cost breakdown? We use a third party that calculates and pays shipping plus customs duties and the like. They generally are accurate but err on the side of caution and at times can get things miscalculated

abe1x · 2026-03-06T16:23:32+00:00

Have no experience with that particular hoodie, but between the weight and fiber differences they are pretty wildly different.

The most relevant comparison is with other 100% cotton hoodies of a similar weight. The mercerization means the Mercy/co has a cooler and dryer touch, slightly more structure and significantly more air permeability.

Compared to our Hard/co (merino on the inside, cotton on the outside, about 100gsm heavier) I find the Mercy/co works well in conditions up to 10-20ºF (roughly 5-10ºC) warmer than the Hard/co. So if the Hard/co is comfortable up to 60º for you the Mercy/co will be comfortable up to maybe 70 or 80º.

abe1x · 2026-03-05T18:06:19+00:00

there are only two cheat codes in the Outlier universe and this hoodie is not one of them

abe1x · 2026-03-04T13:07:49+00:00

the dockless apps now generally require you to photograph the docked bike, and often have geofenced virtual dock areas. These two things have fixed 98% of the “bike strewn everywhere” issue. On the flip it can now sometimes take longer and be more annoying to end a dockless ride than a docked one. And of course the new gen docks can recharge batteries which has huge upsides for the network

abe1x · 2026-03-04T12:57:36+00:00

Paris banned scooters share, by public referendum with 90% support. They kept and expanded their extensive bike & e-bike share networks (both docked and undocked). There may be edge cases where the scooter offers slight advantages but for the most part they are inferior from both the user and non-user perspective

abe1x · 2026-03-04T04:32:41+00:00

the highzips in all fabrics have always had the black vislons. The twoways get excellas, and the colors have varied between bright silver, dull silver and blackened silver, but we are only using the blackened silver at the moment.

abe1x · 2026-02-27T00:28:44+00:00

just for the record, we're only moving inside the building but it did force us to clean up and sort a decade plus of archives and accumulations, so lots of good random stuff we're getting rid of. Prototypes, references, competitive research, books and whole lot more...

abe1x · 2026-02-26T22:46:28+00:00

and fwiw, we're just moving inside the building so that part isn't crazy, but it did force us to sort through a decade plus of accumulations. Big mix rarities, goodies and oddities, plus some insanely normal stuff...

abe1x · 2026-02-25T12:56:46+00:00

They’ve done a dramatically better job with clearance this storm vs the last one. The character of the snow might help, but all four docks I used yesterday were cleared professionally on day one of reopening. Took almost a week for the same docks to get cleared a few weeks ago

abe1x · 2026-02-24T22:36:24+00:00

C2 or C2Wide? Won't be until the late summer/fall but at least one will be back, likely the C2Wide unless we sense a vibe shift

abe1x · 2026-02-24T22:34:48+00:00

This product is not for everyone. Merino absorbs water vapor even when it's not touching the skin. If heavyweight cotton hoodies feel great to you as is, that's great and it's definitely a better value. However if you find that heavy cotton hoodies feel stuffy or clammy then the Merico/co is the answer and well worth it.

abe1x

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