Clothing Lines - Why not add another?

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DMC611 06 Dec 2018

Hi all,

This is my first post on the forum. Always came here to look at threads and read up on stuff. 

So I wanted to get your views on the outdoor clothing brands.

Ive always bought Rab, ME, North Face, North ridge gear, Black diamond and many others.

Do you think there is room for more brands in this market? Ive always thought about starting a clothing line.

What do you look for in a brand? Do you stay loyal to the same brand every time you buy a new top/jacket/coat? 

 

Thanks all

 ALF_BELF 06 Dec 2018
In reply to DMC611:

Those day-glo clown pants with elasticated cuffs are unforgivable. Anybody caught wearing a pair should be publicly flogged. 

Every climbing logo t shirt is pretty shite too. Who in their right mind designed this stinker ....

https://www.bananafingers.co.uk/t-shirts/friction-labs/mystic-tee

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 Hyphin 06 Dec 2018
In reply to ALF_BELF:

who in their right mind designed this stinker ....

Same folk that designed chalk that's more expensive than coke, for the same market. 

 RomTheBear 06 Dec 2018
In reply to DMC611:

I'm looking for durability before everything else which unfortunately is hard to find.

Anybody can recommend a brand that makes DURABLE outdoor clothing ?

 Fredt 06 Dec 2018
In reply to DMC611:

Anything that is light, durable and cheap would be a winner.

DMC611 06 Dec 2018
In reply to ALF_BELF:

Yeah they are not the best design and I stay well clear of them!!

The design on the t shirt isn't my cup of tea either. 

 

Hoping to come up with a few decent designs myself soon. I'll post them for feedback

DMC611 06 Dec 2018
In reply to Fredt:

That's exactly what I'm looking at producing Fredt. 

As much as I love my Rab tshirts etc. I hate wearing them climbing!

A cheaper, durable, hard wearing and well designed top is what im hoping to create

Post edited at 21:15
 John Ww 06 Dec 2018
In reply to Fredt:

As is often said, you can combine any two of these assets, but not all three.

 Billhook 06 Dec 2018
In reply to DMC611:

Most people LOVE brands.  The gear sections is full of questions about "which mid-layer this and which hard shell that?   I've yet notice a post which doesn't then include a few brand names to follow.

I may not look at all cool in my unbranded fleece which only cost £35 from Yorkshire trading but lots of local gamekeepers can't be wrong and it does the job in winter.

So start up by all means  - plenty of room out there if you can raise the profile of your brand.

 toad 06 Dec 2018
In reply to DMC611:

I can only fit one in my garden. If i had 2, the shheets would tangle

 Ridge 06 Dec 2018
In reply to DMC611:

> That's exactly what I'm looking at producing Fredt. 

> As much as I love my Rab tshirts etc. I hate wearing them climbing!

> A cheaper, durable, hard wearing and well designed top is what im hoping to create

I think Alpkit, Decathlon and to an extent Mountain Warehouse and the like havethat business model, but you might be able to pull it off.

 Andy Mullett 06 Dec 2018
In reply to Hyphin:

> who in their right mind designed this stinker ....

 

Well, when I signed off on the design, I was sure I was onto a winner... but you don't like it? No taste, some people.  

 

 Oogachooga 07 Dec 2018
In reply to DMC611:

I'll say something durable aswell. The problem with most funky climbing branded stuff is, it's not fit for purpose. Okay it may look good and have a £50 price tag but it is far outlived by Sports Direct jogging bottoms and a decathlon t shirt. Why is it that the cheaper simpler stuff seems to last longer?

Another suggestion would be a funky 100% merino wool line. Clothes you can wear indoors, cragging and even out on the hills and still look fairly good in the pub after. 

A line that doesnt have the usual: outlines of mountains, sketches of cams, ropes and any other climbing related stuff that just looks plain tacky on a t shirt. Perhaps play with blocks of colours, lines. I used to like the stuff done by old school Paul and Shark. Asics can do some funky looking stuff sometimes as can Adidas.

I can see the joke with the unicorn tshirt but I wouldn't be wearing that in a frigging pub!

 Jon Read 07 Dec 2018
In reply to DMC611:

Anything that's not black, blue, plain red and dark grey would be a good start.

 ianstevens 07 Dec 2018
In reply to Fredt:

> Anything that is light, durable and cheap would be a winner.

Holy grail and eternal life would be good whilst your at it. Pick 2 of those three.

1
 GarethSL 07 Dec 2018
In reply to RomTheBear:

If you have a spare few pennies, Klattermusen could be worth a look. Quite popular in research as work wear style outdoor gear.

https://www.klattermusen.com/

1
 druridge 07 Dec 2018
In reply to DMC611:

Durable, cheap, and light; that's really a variation on the 'quality, cost, time' triangle, so it's all about trade-offs and balances.

If it was just cheap and durable then Army surplus would probably clean up.

Certainly plenty of super-lightweight stuff isnt fit for purpose, you pays your money......etc

 tlouth7 07 Dec 2018
In reply to DMC611:

I think Montane demonstrated how it is possible to enter a market and generate considerable recognition in a small space of time. I imagine they spent quite a lot of money on marketing though, and they have a full range as opposed to a single item.

You need to identify a market segment that is under-served, and that you can actually create clothes for. Then work out why the big brands aren't serving that segment.

2
 wbo 07 Dec 2018
In reply to druridge:

Fir for purpose, or fit for your purpose.  Go up a couple of 1000m per day and that tradeoff between durability and weight starts to change.

 ianstevens 07 Dec 2018
In reply to Ridge:

> I think Alpkit, Decathlon and to an extent Mountain Warehouse and the like havethat business model, but you might be able to pull it off.

Alpkit: not cheap

Decathlon: not well designed (like wearing a sack) (can't speak on durability as I've never got anything) 

MW: not well designed and not durable 

 

13
 ianstevens 07 Dec 2018
In reply to tlouth7:

> I think Montane demonstrated how it is possible to enter a market and generate considerable recognition in a small space of time. I imagine they spent quite a lot of money on marketing though, and they have a full range as opposed to a single item.

> You need to identify a market segment that is under-served, and that you can actually create clothes for. Then work out why the big brands aren't serving that segment.

Montane have been around for over 20 years, not exactly new to the game.

 Ridge 07 Dec 2018
In reply to ianstevens:

> Alpkit: not cheap

Not £9.99 cheap but, despite price hikes, much cheaper than the big brands for well designed, functional kit.

> Decathlon: not well designed (like wearing a sack) (can't speak on durability as I've never got anything) 

I know a couple of people with decathlon kit, seems ok to me.

> MW: not well designed and not durable 

But very cheap.

It's always a trade off, but out of the above Alpkit have the best combination.

1
 ianstevens 07 Dec 2018
In reply to Ridge:

> Not £9.99 cheap but, despite price hikes, much cheaper than the big brands for well designed, functional kit.

I'd argue that they're actually not much cheaper than the big brands anymore. I was recently searching for a jacket in the "affordable" category, looked at Alpkit initially but ended up with a Mountain Equipment offering as it was cheaper (admittedly on sale, but the cost you can actually by things for seems a more pertinent comparision than RRP).

> I know a couple of people with decathlon kit, seems ok to me.

People do seem to rave about it, but I'm (clearly) not a convert personally.

> But very cheap. (MW)

Is this really a good thing though? Disposable society is hardly an ideal.

> It's always a trade off, but out of the above Alpkit have the best combination.

Of course, and I'd agree that Alpkit don't really compare with Decathlon and MW - their a tier above in both quality and price. Obviously all just my opinion!

In reply to DMC611:

Go for it.

First decide on a name, sendpsykecrushrad or something similar.

Second, watch Rainbow, Rod, Jane and Freddy, Playschool etc for design ideas and colour schemes.

Step three, give some away to strong climbers to be photographed in them.

Fame and fortune beckon, and more grown men wander the streets of Massouri, Llanberis, Sheffield in clothes designed for toddlers.

In reply to Presley Whippet:

> Go for it.

> Second, watch Rainbow, Rod, Jane and Freddy, Playschool etc for design ideas and colour schemes

You can't mess with colour schemes.

You have to have black, bright red or bold blue for the mens range and yellow, turquoise or pastel purple for the girls.

It's what a the other manufacturers do so it must be what the market demands......

GoneFishing111 09 Dec 2018
In reply to Hyphin:

Please PM the name and number of your dealer

 jonnie3430 09 Dec 2018
In reply to Ron Rees Davies:

> Pastel purple for the girls.

I'm told it's known as mauve, and have a friend that hunts it out.

I'd be happy with cheap and durable, from the trilogy. The pain with most cheap and durable is that it usually isn't designed well, where you (op) could be onto a winner. Das parka is discontinued; another please. Montage have stopped the featherlite smock: Please reignite. R1 hoody is epic; cheap one please. Dickies insulated work gloves are too short on the cuff. Please fix 

Where is the cheap and durable sack of our era? They're all a pain in the ass, with way too many fancy bits to deserve buying. 

 Rick Graham 10 Dec 2018
In reply to jonnie3430:

 

> Where is the cheap and durable sack of our era? They're all a pain in the ass, with way too many fancy bits to deserve buying. 

Try scottish mountain gear or aiguille.

I have had them for years, and some original pod.

Edit decades 

Post edited at 09:51
 Bulls Crack 15 Dec 2018
In reply to Rick Graham:

I still think of my SMG daysack as my 'new' one.....25 years on! 

 mike123 15 Dec 2018
In reply to Presley Whippet:

> Fame and fortune beckon, and more grown men wander the streets of Massouri, Llanberis, Sheffield in clothes designed for toddlers.

"hello mr. Kettle, you re looking very black today "

In reply to tlouth7:

> I think Montane demonstrated how it is possible to enter a market and generate considerable recognition in a small space of time

Well, if you consider 25 years to a short space of time...


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