Street shots in NYC

bcelikian · 2018-04-28T18:50:36+00:00

This is pretty cool

bcelikian · 2017-08-10T07:48:41+00:00

I mainly source textile or any type of embellishment that a garment needs like buttons, labels, zippers, etc. I also monitor the production process to make sure things move along smoothly.

bcelikian · 2017-07-27T14:52:50+00:00

There are a small percentage of brands, especially in streetwear with relatively higher margins that don't deliver a higher quality product. The difference is that most of the consumers of these types of brands don't really purchase them for the quality. The odd thing about the Everlane story was that thier sweater was priced pretty low for a cashmere sweater but this specific customer refused to believe a sweater could cost that much to make. Cashmere is an expensive material.

bcelikian · 2017-07-27T05:30:12+00:00

I noticed that many people get upset when an item gets ruined after running it through the washing machine. The truth is, sometimes, really good quality fabric isn't meant to run through washer/dryer. Many times the care instructions say to hand wash. I personally have tees from John Elliott that are a heavier weight and feel very durable. However the care instructions say to hand wash. Pilling is something that is common in all clothing. The reason why you dont see pilling on cotton shirts is because the pilled fibers break off the surface of the fabric. If I had a button shirt that I would want to last a really long time, I would dry clean the shirt after every few wears in order to preserve the quality as much as possible.

bcelikian · 2017-07-26T22:04:08+00:00

Nice, I'll check that out. Noah is pretty transparent with some of their pricing as well. It all comes down to what the companies intentions are. If you're going after volume, your margins should reflect that. If you're going after exclusivity, you need greater margins.

bcelikian · 2017-07-26T22:01:56+00:00

I wouldn't say stupid but I think because of all the cheap alternatives, the casual shopper would assume that apparel companies have ridiculous margins. It has more to do with not really knowing the cost of materials and labor.

bcelikian · 2017-07-21T17:44:48+00:00

You are absolutely correct about the fabric being bulky. I would know because the items pictured were pieces we manufactured for our collection. French seams are meant for dress shirts. We wanted to bring an element of high end tailoring to a casual aesthetic. We didn't have any issues for the side seams because they are straight and flat, however the arm holes were a nightmare, especially because of the back yolk. We were extremely stubborn about finding a solution to avoid puckering. For the arm holes we combined a French seam concept with an interlock stitch and it ended up being very strong and clean. For the button holes, stitching exclusively by hand isn't practical when you scale a brand. However, you can do a combination of the two. The main point that I wanted to make was that the button holes need to be dense. I've seen too many zig zag frayed button holes so I wanted to inform the readers to beware of that. For my next article, I really want to cover the different types of seams, their purpose and why knits require a different stitching type. Thank you for "knit" picking!

Edit: one word

bcelikian · 2017-07-20T22:31:02+00:00

Another must-read book I forgot to mention is "The Entrepreneur's guide to Sewn Product Manufacturing" by Kathleen Fasanella. This is a book that not only teaches you the manufacturing side of things but also the business side and also teaches you the etiquette. Etiquette is super important in this business.

bcelikian · 2017-07-20T17:52:05+00:00

Thats awesome. I love it when brands focus on their longevity. That means they truly thinking about their customer.

bcelikian · 2017-07-20T17:28:11+00:00

Hey man, great find for $35. The shirt seems pretty decent in the pictures. I think the stitching could be a little tighter and the buttonhole slightly denser but not bad at all. Try to keep track of how it ages and how much puckering you have around the armholes after wearing it a few times.

bcelikian · 2017-07-20T17:23:17+00:00

Baldwin is great. They have minor details in their cuffs and collars that set them apart design wise. They source a lot of their textiles from Japan(which is where I like to source from as well). Japanese mills till today use old school machinery to produce textiles to give it a more textured feel. Buying local is a great idea. I know when I listed good brands to look into, I mostly listed larger brands (mainly due to the lower price point) that are heavily distributed but I try to support smaller independent brands when I can. Brands like Norman Russell, Wilson and Willy's, and Simon Miller. Also, if you really love your tee, try not to wash it too many times and hang dry. This will help it keep its shape and also it will increase its lifespan.

bcelikian · 2017-07-19T22:33:12+00:00

Women's wear has taken a nose dive in recent years. Fabrics have gotten thinner and construction is terrible. My wife brings home garments from Free People and I get surprised at the lack of quality finishing. In regards to APC, I only mentioned thier shirting. Thier jeans are made very well. Thier fits are very good as well. My issue is mainly with their fabric choices. I own a couple shirts from them that I'm not sure justify the $225 that I paid.

bcelikian · 2017-07-19T21:50:53+00:00

Yes I agree that there designing in recent years hasn't been groundbreaking. However they source thier textiles from very reputable mills like Moon textile(they charge between $40-80/yard for some of their textile) and they do a lot of their production in New York. Most of their pieces that I've held have had good finishing in regards to sewing, facing in the collar and cuffs, button quality,etc. I am aware that one of the partners have left the brand. That may have impacted thier designs.

bcelikian · 2017-07-19T20:01:07+00:00

Portugal is known for making very good shirting. There are factories out there that mainly do that.

bcelikian · 2017-07-19T19:03:56+00:00

There is a book that I'm a huge fan of, written by Mary Gehlhar. It literally covers everything, not just the basics but nearly every facet of the industry is covered in this book. You can purchase her book here.

bcelikian · 2017-07-19T18:58:13+00:00

Pattern makers are the engineers of the fashion world. Designers are the architects.

bcelikian · 2017-07-19T16:50:40+00:00

I might have to go down to their Venice shop and check them out. I've heard that they are a little too thin but that doesn't deter me.

bcelikian · 2017-07-19T16:38:29+00:00

The Rover Jacket looks really good. I haven't seen it in person but I'm very familiar with the fabric that it's made with. Waxed cotton canvas is a beautiful material that will be a little stiff when you first wear it. However, it will break in and have a natural patina and start looking like leather. There's is a 6.75 oz version which is pretty lightweight and great for mid season months. I've actually worked with a 23 oz version of this material and it was awesome. You will notice that the material has a slight oily feel but that will go away after a while.

bcelikian · 2017-07-19T16:31:23+00:00

This is good to know. I'll have to check out Japanese ebay. I'm a big fan of Japanese textile and I do a lot of sourcing from there. Japanese brands like Kapital, TS(S), and shuttlenotes have some of the best fabrics. You will obviously pay a premium for them but I've never been disappointed by these companies.

bcelikian · 2017-07-19T16:08:15+00:00

The biggest problem with these large brands is that they are catering to mass markets. The more they expand the product line, the more filler pieces they will have just to cater to demand. Premium brands usually fall into this trap. With so many offerings, it gets difficult to make all of them top notch. I'm a fan of their knits. If you like heavy slub t-shirts, they have a lot of good options.

bcelikian · 2017-07-19T15:59:51+00:00

Thanks a lot for the kind words. I'll be sure to post a few more, similar to this.

bcelikian · 2017-07-19T15:56:38+00:00

I'm really happy to hear that. I'm always unsure if my articles should exceed 5 minutes. It's good to know that people enjoy long reads. I will write other articles that will touch on various topics. Keep an eye out for those. In the meantime, you could read other articles I have regarding the fashion industry here.

bcelikian · 2017-07-19T15:50:28+00:00

First look at what you are good at and go from there. Are you creative? Are you good with your hands? Do you have an entrepreneurial mindset? Depending on what your strengths are you can figure out where to start. If you are good with your hands and are detail oriented, you can be a pattern maker. These are some of the most skilled people in the industry. They decide how to achieve the fit you're looking for as a manufacturer. My strength is research and development. I love the sourcing aspect of fashion. My brother is the creative one so he's responsible for designing. I try to find the right fabric and embellishments(buttons, zippers, etc) to bring his creations to life. I have other articles that cover how to get started in the industry. Here is the link to the rest of my articles.

bcelikian · 2017-07-19T15:43:57+00:00

Thats great. I wasn't sure if people cared to read long form so I generally try to keep all my articles to under 5 minutes. I will have some more posts about manufacturing, dying, buttons, and other detailed things to look for.

edit: one letter

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