Random Observations #013
Black Friday wins, losses in soles, and questions of ethics and critique.
There are so many things I wish I could write about one day. In the Random Observations series, I attempt to put together my random thoughts and observations on clothing and related topics in a shorter, more approachable format. This is one way for me to capture thoughts before they sink into oblivion. If you find any of the subjects helpful or questionable, do not hesitate to share your feedback in the comments below the article — I’d be happy to continue the conversation.
In the thirteenth episode of Random Observations, I share the wins from Black Friday, the losses from the soles of my shoes, and the questions of ethics and critique brought up by my previous posts.
Let’s get it!
Black Friday Wins: Story mfg. and Community Clothing
Lots of things happened clothing-wise since the last issue. First, I did score the Story mfg. Station Jacket at 25% off during Black Friday. Woo-hoo! Now, I just need to wait for at least another two months before it’s warm enough to put it on. An investment piece indeed! The jacket belongs to the “Wonky-Wear“ capsule which is a joke on vintage workwear: you are paying a premium for pieces inspired by century-old silhouettes with intentionally messed up stitching. Oh, what a beautiful world we live in. Be sure I’ll wear the hell out of this jacket in the next five years or so to prove to both you and me that it’s worth it.
Another order I placed on Black Friday didn’t come with any discount. I saw an anti-Black Friday post by Community Clothing on Instagram and pulled the trigger on a couple of dozen English-made socks. I needed to stock up on socks anyway, but Community Clothing is interesting for several reasons. Ten years prior to launching the brand, its founder Patrick Grant purchased the two-century-old Savile Row bespoke tailoring house Norton & Sons. Later, he went on to create voluminous, experimental ready-to-wear tailoring under E. Tautz label. With Community Clothing, Patrick wants to revitalize British manufacturing by producing affordable quality basics. Made in the UK and affordable rarely meet, but Community Clothing sells cotton rib socks for £8.50 a pair and three-pack sports socks for £19 — that’s at least twice as affordable as Drake’s or Japanese brands, including RoToTo, Anonymous Ism, and Beams.
The brand achieved reasonable price points by cutting out the unnecessary. They only do permanent collection eliminating the costs of coming up with new silhouettes every 3–6 months. Instead of professional models, they invite factory workers for shootings. Less spending on marketing and logistics means more investment in quality and lower prices for customers. Sounds sweet enough to convince me. I put two pairs of socks aside so I can compare them to worn ones later. Hopefully, it won’t turn into a comprehensive review series.
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Losses From The Soles Of My Shoes
The soles broke on two pairs of my shoes. The first one is pretty obvious — it’s a pair of Birkenstock Boston that I bought back in 2017. I’ve worn them exclusively at home to the point that the rubber soles worn out down to the cork. I hate myself for waiting until the cork started to crumble. But I swear I stopped wearing them as soon as it did. Because I don’t want to throw them away. Just like socks, Birks are probably not the item you want to turn into a true luxury. But this particular pair is my first one, and it’s still one of the most comfortable shoes that my feet ever stepped in.
The soles on the second pair actually broke my soul. Because I’m talking about the prohibitively expensive pair of “perfectly harmonized“ visvim 7-Hole ‘73 Folk boots. While there is no way to justify the price tag (if you manage to find them), I simply love the silhouette, and the boots turned out to be extremely versatile, working in any weather conditions — from cold to hot, from wet to dry — and keeping my feet comfortable even after hours of walking. I knew from the very beginning though that I didn’t pay extra for the quality. Gosh, that plastic heel cap wasn’t attached properly to the leather even when new! It’s the quality we choose, I guess. Although annoyed, I wasn’t surprised when the custom Vibram protector started coming off at the toes — this is a common issue with rubber soles glued to EVA midsoles. The same thing happened to my Diemme Roccia Vet hiking boots. I was too lazy to bring the visvim boots to a cobbler before the end of the season though. But I didn’t expect the unglued part of the protector to crack! What’s especially frustrating is that the brand showed off by stitching through the outsoles at the toes — and that’s exactly where the protector cracked.
Old visvim never dies though, so I took the boots to shoe repairs to replace the rubber protector at the toes. I’ll show you how they turn out, along with the Birks, once I get them back.
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Questions Of Ethics And Critique
Although I didn’t attack Aimé Leon Dore in my recent newsletter on the challenge the brand might be facing (if any — I actually defended its cool), some people did respectfully stand up for it. It turned into a healthy discussion in the comments section under the post, which I genuinely appreciate. My other note on Aaron Levine feature in the Zara campaign also led to people defending him, to the point that I now want to write a separate newsletter on that. Feel free to join both convos!
What’s curious is that raising doubts and concerns is still somewhat taboo in fashion. Online debates have never been quiet but fashion somehow escapes them. Like any cultural matter, fashion evokes feelings and emotions in people. Yet, for some reason, they shy away from expressing or questioning them. I can get the industry professionals — although, I’d rather see them being honest — but what’s stopping the online community from discussion? Why not raise questions and share opinions, that are different? As long as the conversation is respectful, it can only be productive and fun. It’s just fashion, after all.
Mystery Links
That’s a wrap for the thirteenth issue of Random Observations! As always, let me know what you think in the comments section on the blog, ask questions, and share the article with friends who might benefit from it.
Pretty wild that you would get pushback on legit criticism (the analysis kind, not the shit talking kind) of a brand but not surprised since menswear seems to have abandoned it in favor of affiliate links and influencer groupthink. Keep it up!