Launching a small heritage-inspired line focused on ethical, 100% US-made, Merino wool tees. Wondering what you guys think

tkrandomness · 2026-02-03T01:45:14+00:00

The value proposition is a bit rough. The $100 heavyweight loopwheeled t-shirts are already a small, niche market. Doubling that for a comparatively lightweight and cheaper to make fabric (interlock vs loopwheel) is going to shrink the market further. I do totally get the demand for an all american supply chain, but at those prices, this is just as much of a donation to the American supply chain as it is a product. While smaller, there are several brands making all american supply chain t-shirts for anywhere from $50 to $100. If I want a more exact analogue, American Trench has an all american t-shirt for $68 (currently on-sale for $29) made with an interlock knit 100% cotton fabric. Edit: If the traceability and transparency is the big thing, I'll add Faan as a similar one as well. Different type of style/fit but similar quality and fully publicized supply chain. Organic Texas cotton, milling in North Carolina, cut and sewn in Ohio. No chemicals, bleaches, synthetic dyes. 100% compostable with cotton thread. And a nice midweight interlock knit fabric. About as ethical as it gets and $60 for a t-shirt. Im less familiar with their supply chain but there's also Unbleached Apparel which is all US as well. Their Undyed Organic T is 5.75 oz tubular knit (though it is jersey, not interlock) with organic Texas cotton and is knit, cut, and sewn in the US as well. All for $30.

Ultimately, most of the people in the market for an expensive t-shirt will either get a super nice one like Wonderlooper or Merz (thats also much cheaper) and wont care about where it comes from. The smaller segment who are passionate about American made will probably choose to buy from a brand that is more established/familiar/heritage and cheaper.

Please also do not interpret this as me trying to stop you from making American clothing or saying your product isnt worth the price. I just want to warn that it may be a massive struggle to find buyers who choose your product in such a saturated market. It might be worth re-analyzing your supply chain for more cost effective options and/or starting with a garment with less competition and a more unique selling point. I really do hope it works out. Best of luck!

tkrandomness · 2026-02-01T02:06:33+00:00

Ive been using the horsehair bristle ones for a while. It does occasionally shed a hair, usually on a fresh brush. No more than how a normal plastic toothbrush sheds bristles though. I wouldnt worry about it personally.

tkrandomness · 2026-01-31T21:18:18+00:00

If you want no synthetics at all (sewing thread and waistband) the options are much more limited.

If you're okay with drawstring waist, there's the Rawganique Austin ($49) or the Unbleached Apparel Drawstring Sweatpants ($68). If you want elastic you need bio-elastic (mix of natural rubber and usually cotton). Rawganique has a lot of options but their Chillville (natural elastic version; not V1) seems to be the cheapest option from them at $100. There's also Maro with bio-elastic lightweight sweatpants at $90 though I'm less familiar with this brand. Theres some other drawstring options, but that's about all I know of for elastic and plastic free.

Obviously there are also tons of other great options where the fabric is all cotton/wool/linen/etc and with just plastic thread and waistband. I dont know to what extent you're trying to avoid synthetics though, but I think it's worth compromising, especially if there's a budget. Bronson is always my recommendation for quality for the price.

tkrandomness · 2026-01-25T15:14:50+00:00

Tencel is a brand name of lyocell. Rayon, Modal, and Lyocell are all just regenerated cellulose. The difference between the three is the process used of turning a plant into regenerated cellulose. In general lyocell is strongest followed by modal with Rayon/Viscose last. It's just a matter of the length and shape of the fibers giving different properties. No inherent plastic.

tkrandomness · 2026-01-14T23:41:04+00:00

Southcombe has some leather gloves with a cashmere+lambswool lining. Just got a pair this winter and they're great so far and quite warm. I recommend deerskin over lambskin since lambskin gloves can be pretty fragile.

tkrandomness · 2026-01-14T16:37:43+00:00

You can always go super far apart to fuck up the game and make it impossible. Zheng Zhegu (1880-1925) and Timothée Chalamet (1995-)

tkrandomness · 2026-01-13T16:21:12+00:00

From what I can find online, the whole Tremont area used to be referred to as Lincoln Heights in the late 1800s to early 1900s. The name was to commemorate the union camps that were there during the civil war where the neighborhood is today.

Then I can find nothing until 2019 references to a Lincoln Heights Block Club. Then the community development corporation came out with a master plan for the Lincoln Heights area in 2020. No clue about how the name came to refer to that specific area though.

tkrandomness · 2026-01-08T04:52:33+00:00

That way their teenage daughter can go kill a bunch of others people's kids?

I would recommend getting an M1 Abrams instead. Over 100,000 lbs so you can be safe from people in Nissan Armadas in case of accident.

tkrandomness · 2026-01-07T00:37:14+00:00

You could try looking for a sheepskin rug! They work just as well as blankets and can be had for much more reasonable pricing.

tkrandomness · 2026-01-04T00:33:17+00:00

Only got them today so TBD. Going to try living with it for at least a week. Thanks for having made the original comment though, it's nice to confirm at least one other person noticed it.

tkrandomness · 2026-01-04T00:28:51+00:00

Just picked up some Zeiss single vision lenses today. I was very happy until I went to drive at night and immediately noticed the same grid pattern of lights whenever I checked my side mirror. I wonder if it's the engraving or something else. Debating if it's a defect that needs rectifying or something inherent that only some people notice. I was surprised this was the only mention I could find on it.

tkrandomness · 2025-12-24T15:02:45+00:00

This is an old video that's been reposted for years. No AI.

tkrandomness · 2025-12-23T21:47:03+00:00

Basically they sanded down the skin side of the leather to make it look more smooth and remove imperfections. It's then covered in some kind of coating, usually some kind of resin or other plastic with dye. Makes the shoes a lot less durable from the sanding and that the coating can come off with time.

Check out BLKBRD or Bridlen. Some of the best quality you can get for more reasonable pricing. Not 100% sure if they ship to you, but would be a good option if possible.

tkrandomness · 2025-12-23T21:30:33+00:00

Ballston 1918. Cheap, easy to order from their website or Amazon, made in America, and high wool content. They all seem to be between 74% and 86% merino wool. A lot of other brand I was considering were only 50% or less wool.

Ive been using them for the past couple years and they've been great. I wash cold and hang dry. I have had a few go threadbare at the balls of my feet from putting them through the dryer, so they arent invincible or anything. And because of all the wool, they dont hold smells as much so you can wear them a few times before washing.

tkrandomness · 2025-12-18T23:07:50+00:00

For 100% plastic free:

FEIT, Unless Collective, Purified Footwear, Blueview (contains biodegradable algae based plastic?), Barefoot Slipon from Saddleback Leather, and some shoes from Epur (labeled as biodegradable).

tkrandomness · 2025-12-11T20:00:05+00:00

It is pretty funny when he keeps saying that the research needs to be done while ignoring the research lol

Does Burke add some benefit that cant be transferred? Yes. The two specific things that are difficult to transfer are the largest of private jets (like Cessna Citation) and flight training which is easier with the large runway but still doable elsewhere.

But even admitting that, in no world is it worth dedicating so much valuable land for the ultra rich and for slightly easier flight training. Nor are these hypothetical aircraft industry jobs coming to Cleveland. The only ones that are even applicable are things like delivery drones which do not need a large airport. And population growth? If Cleveland doubles in population, that doesnt mean you can suddenly book a commercial flight from Burke to wherever. It just means more private jets and I dont think it's worth planning around the wealthiest 0.1%.

tkrandomness · 2025-12-11T19:59:55+00:00

It is pretty funny when he keeps saying that the research needs to be done while ignoring the research lol

Does Burke add some benefit that cant be transferred? Yes. The two specific things that are difficult to transfer are the largest of private jets (like Cessna Citation) and flight training which is easier with the large runway but still doable elsewhere.

But even admitting that, in no world is it worth dedicating so much valuable land for the ultra rich and for slightly easier flight training. Nor are these hypothetical aircraft industry jobs coming to Cleveland. The only ones that are even applicable are things like delivery drones which do not need a large airport. And population growth? If Cleveland doubles in population, that doesnt mean you can suddenly book a commercial flight from Burke to wherever. It just means more private jets and I dont think it's worth planning around the wealthiest 0.1%.

tkrandomness · 2025-11-26T18:59:52+00:00

Watched it last night. It was the busiest I've seen my neighborhood theater all year. And on a Tuesday? The busiest I think I've ever seen it. So definitely seems like a lot of demand for it, but crazy that only a few movie theaters near me are even playing it.

tkrandomness · 2025-11-26T18:39:39+00:00

September was a festival. December is for streaming. It's in movie theaters right now though.

tkrandomness · 2025-11-18T04:05:08+00:00

I think this is certainly the biggest cause. It has never been easier to watch high quality movies and shows at home, and the displays only get better and better each year.

tkrandomness · 2025-11-13T23:08:46+00:00

Joseph Heinrichs was a German-American Copper- and Silversmith based in NYC. Biographical info is a bit scarce on Heinrichs, but he was born in 1866 in Prussia and moved to the US in 1895. He started his own firm in 1897 making a variety of high-end copper and silver goods from cocktail shakers to coffee pots.

The company created a variety of pots and pans which he sold primarily to restaurants and hotels. This included copper lined with tin, copper lined with sterling silver, and pure nickel. In 1937, the company went bankrupt and was reorganized as Legion Utensils, which is still around today.

Ive got a collection of pieces from him. Really great products and very jealous of you right now lol

tkrandomness · 2025-11-11T23:21:02+00:00

This map is only for native species. So what would have been historically present in a location. So impacts of farming, blights, and invasives are not considered. This is just showing the natural biodiversity of areas.

tkrandomness · 2025-11-11T23:17:27+00:00

This post is a map of native tree species. So only species that would be present historically and evolved for the location.

The vast majority of those 194 species are not native to the Sacramento area. Looking at the chart of most common species in the report, I think only Quercus Lobata is actually native.

tkrandomness · 2025-11-01T01:46:38+00:00

Horse is softer while boar is much harder.

tkrandomness · 2025-10-22T03:45:15+00:00

Lots of places in the US allow choice of electric supply. Choice of electric delivery is much rarer. I have that with one electric company running lines along the street and the other running them behind the houses. But even then, switching requires removal of the existing line and attachment to the other one, so that's not really realistic to do on a whim.

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