olyclimber Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 Well I learned something new today! Behold the technical scarf: chutzpah!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hafilax Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 Has anyone mentioned American Apparel? They have an interesting business model and seem to be going strong. They make great, if expensive, t-shirts and sundries. All of the labour is American and they pay a reasonable wage (~$25000/year) with good benefits. The upper management take a big hit in wage relative to other companies but still pay themselves plenty. You need an idealistic CEO for this to work. I'm not saying that it's wrong for Arc'teryx to move the labour to China. It's a business choice. BTW I've heard of Arc'teryx counterfeit socks showing up in Asia lately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayB Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Why people are whining about poor Chinese folks using the only comparative advantages that they have to lift themselves out of poverty...when they could walk the talk and buy custom gear that satisfies *all* of the perogatives of the economically-illiterate-protectionist-bargain-hunters-decrying-the-excesses-of-consumerism-while-searching-for for-a-high-end-niche/boutique/consumer-product posting on this thread is "beyond" me... www.beyondclothing.com I buy their stuff for other reasons, but if you need something that slakes the pain of the affluowesternconsumo angst in addition to actually working well for its intended purpose, the stuff that they make should do the trick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbw1966 Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 American Apparel's CEO is also the defendant in a number of sexual harrassment claims by his employees. Apparently he's taken a fondness for showing up in meetings showcasing the underwear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeroforhire Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 that is actually a pretty pimpin scarf.. you could keep you energy gel in the pocket, during your night out on the town. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Conway Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 that is actually a pretty pimpin scarf.. you could keep you energy gel in the pocket, during your night out on the town. I would think condoms would be more apropriate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i_like_sun Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 Why people are whining about poor Chinese folks using the only comparative advantages that they have to lift themselves out of poverty...when they could walk the talk and buy custom gear that satisfies *all* of the perogatives of the economically-illiterate-protectionist-bargain-hunters-decrying-the-excesses-of-consumerism-while-searching-for for-a-high-end-niche/boutique/consumer-product posting on this thread is "beyond" me... www.beyondclothing.com I buy their stuff for other reasons, but if you need something that slakes the pain of the affluowesternconsumo angst in addition to actually working well for its intended purpose, the stuff that they make should do the trick. Who cares man? In 20 years China will be richer than the US! I know Arcteryx is a Canadian brand, but outsourcing seems kinda hypocritical to me. They started the company based on the idea of local-built quality. NOT mass-produced fashion show. I don't know, who am I kidding. If I could buy all my textbooks from some Chinese factory for $5 a piece I'd do it! Man will always follow the call of money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulB Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 I know Arcteryx is a Canadian brand, but outsourcing seems kinda hypocritical to me. They started the company based on the idea of local-built quality. NOT mass-produced fashion show. When standing in a lift line at Whistler, it doesn't take long to see that A'T has taken over from The North Face as the fashionable brand of choice. Not that I can point fingers when I'm standing there in my Alpha SV jacket. If I could buy all my textbooks from some Chinese factory for $5 a piece I'd do it! Get on eBay... you can buy the "international" edition of many textbooks for less than half of their price here in North America. I'm taking a course right now and the school bookstore sells the textbook for $170. I bought it online for $70 including shipping from Singapore. The kicker is that book was printed in Canada to start with! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chirp Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 As an aesthetics guy, I appreciate domestic quality. I just purchased a Vic Firth Pepper and Salt mill and every time I freshly grind delightful Tellicherry pepper or coarse Sea salt, I am satisfied on a whole different level. Seriously, I love my mill set! The goods! Made is the USA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dechristo Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 American Apparel's CEO is also the defendant in a number of sexual harrassment claims by his employees. Apparently he's taken a fondness for showing up in meetings showcasing the underwear. Mission statement ~ missionary position Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delmarco Posted January 26, 2008 Author Share Posted January 26, 2008 That scarf is soooo ghey! LMAO! You could buy that same scarf off the street vendors in NYC for $5.00 and I'm sure you can trace both the street-sold and Arc'teryx branded scarf back to same factory in China, yet I bet Arc'teryx are selling their "technical" scarf for $50.00! That is where I lose respect for a brand. List already includes Nike, TNF, Patagonia-somewhat, Dana Designs/Marmot(just how that all went down), and now Arcteryx. Everyone should pick up the latest copy of Backpacker magazine. They have a great arcticle, actually its a section, in the back that is a Gear Guide based on what brands makes stuff where and how "fair and green" certain brands are in terms of production and labour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couloir Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 As an aesthetics guy, I appreciate domestic quality. I just purchased a Vic Firth Pepper and Salt mill and every time I freshly grind delightful Tellicherry pepper or coarse Sea salt, I am satisfied on a whole different level. Seriously, I love my mill set! The goods! Made is the USA! Which mill did you end up with Chirp? The "Vic Firth Gourmet 'Lock and Grind,'" the Mario Batali Signature Series, the 'Pump and Grind' or some custom made job? I'm sick of the mills I've been using. They always unscrew at the bottom or fall apart somehow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Conway Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 I'll take the one on the left Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couloir Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 Good, cause I think the one on the right is a dude. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken_p Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 Integral is still all Canadian made. Lived in Calgary the past 2 years and went to the factory many times to get pro deals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delmarco Posted January 27, 2008 Author Share Posted January 27, 2008 Good, cause I think the one on the right is a dude. Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! (washing eyes out with soap!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chirp Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 As an aesthetics guy, I appreciate domestic quality. I just purchased a Vic Firth Pepper and Salt mill and every time I freshly grind delightful Tellicherry pepper or coarse Sea salt, I am satisfied on a whole different level. Seriously, I love my mill set! The goods! Made is the USA! Which mill did you end up with Chirp? The "Vic Firth Gourmet 'Lock and Grind,'" the Mario Batali Signature Series, the 'Pump and Grind' or some custom made job? I'm sick of the mills I've been using. They always unscrew at the bottom or fall apart somehow. I ponied up for the Sierra, simple and solid. Good stuff! Vic Firth Sierra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-spotter Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 Everyone should pick up the latest copy of Buttpacker magazine. They have a great arcticle, sickie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delmarco Posted January 27, 2008 Author Share Posted January 27, 2008 Everyone should pick up the latest copy of Backpacker magazine. They have a great arcticle, sickie Don't get it twisted huckleberry! LMAO! Hear something funny, I did an Semester Long Alpine Mountaineering Outward Bound Course in 1994 when I was wee lad in HS and I did this 3 day marathon challenge (where we had to run a distance of 28.2 miles whiles picking up trash along the trail and running with it. At the end your garbage was weighed in and compared to other teams garbage), We won first place and I got a lifetime subscription to that Backpacker magazine. I went away to college, moved to San Franscisco, then New Jersey, then I came back home to New York and found my Mom kept about 7 years of unread magazine in my room. All that time I was travelling I forgot about it. I collected them and I spent a month reading all 7 years of that Magazine which is how I got back into the outdoors. Now I live in Westchester and I still get them every month (but lately I think my neighbor has been stealing my copies). EDIT: Oh...we won that challenge because the morning of our last day we found a fking 19th century rusty metal chimney deep in the San Juan mountains and we ran that shit all the way to the finish line. Team Vader of Leadville 1994!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spike1970 Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Interesting topic. I have lots of Arcteryx gear, so does my wife and climbing partner. It works really well in the mountains here in BC in snow and rain. I feel like it is "cheap" if it is made in China but I can't blame the company for going there. I run a company in Vancouver and have 120+ people working for me. I advertise every week to find more people due to our growth (we are not an outdoor company) and for most jobs even though we pay well, give benifits etc we get no resumes sent to us. The reality is that I'm sure Arcteryx would not be able to find people to willing to work in Vancouver to meet the demands of what they sell even if they were paying $35+ per hour. I know we can't so what choice do they really have if the people here don't want to do the work, I wish I had the luxury of being able to do things off shore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billcoe Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Integral is still all Canadian made. Lived in Calgary the past 2 years and went to the factory many times to get pro deals. You get pro deals on salt and pepper mills! Wow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billcoe Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Interesting topic. I have lots of Arcteryx gear, so does my wife and climbing partner. It works really well in the mountains here in BC in snow and rain. I feel like it is "cheap" if it is made in China but I can't blame the company for going there. I run a company in Vancouver and have 120+ people working for me. I advertise every week to find more people due to our growth (we are not an outdoor company) and for most jobs even though we pay well, give benifits etc we get no resumes sent to us. The reality is that I'm sure Arcteryx would not be able to find people to willing to work in Vancouver to meet the demands of what they sell even if they were paying $35+ per hour. I know we can't so what choice do they really have if the people here don't want to do the work, I wish I had the luxury of being able to do things off shore. Spike, what does your company do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elliottwill Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 Anybody know if Patagonia's still making clothes for the military? That's fine by me, and I mean no disrespect to my family members or anyone else in the service. But it does seem inconsistent with their marketing. Integral Designs stands behind their choice to make military gear, and I respect that a lot more than if they carried on a continuous litany about being good for the planet but participated in an economic sector that's all around very bad for it. (Although the petroleum and metal basis for almost all our gear depends on resource extraction that destroys the landscapes used to market the final product.) I complained to Rock and Ice a while back about a Honda ad they ran, in response to their bragging about turning down a free Hummer because it wouldn't have been ecologically responsible. It's not the actual choices here that bug me, it's the hypocrisy that distracts us from recognizing some of the things in this industry that we *can* have an affect on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marylou Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 That's an interesting point. Are you suggesting that by selling to the military, Patagonia somehow supports the US's military activities abroad? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Conway Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 Anybody know if Patagonia's still making clothes for the military? That's fine by me, and I mean no disrespect to my family members or anyone else in the service. But it does seem inconsistent with their marketing. Integral Designs stands behind their choice to make military gear, and I respect that a lot more than if they carried on a continuous litany about being good for the planet but participated in an economic sector that's all around very bad for it. (Although the petroleum and metal basis for almost all our gear depends on resource extraction that destroys the landscapes used to market the final product.) I complained to Rock and Ice a while back about a Honda ad they ran, in response to their bragging about turning down a free Hummer because it wouldn't have been ecologically responsible. It's not the actual choices here that bug me, it's the hypocrisy that distracts us from recognizing some of the things in this industry that we *can* have an affect on. By that logic the entire industry is hypocritical and we should all just shoot ourselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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