Stick to What You Know

that My buddy Sizzle's entry into my Favorite Things Series seems to have created quite a stir in the comments for that post on his blog. Mr. Anonymous #2 seems to think that TAD Gear has sold-out and makes some assumptions as to nature of the company, and fashion blogs, where apparently true purpose-driven products go to die from the glares of fashionistas in over priced clothing. Below is my response to the hatred, and also a little bit on the nature of today's marketplace.

Dear Anonymous #2,

While Sizzle wrote a truly fantastic response to your somewhat ignorant comment, I think I would like to go a little further and into more detail, but I’ll keep it short. Anonymous, I would just like to point out that you are not alone in feeling a bit upset over the apparent selling-out of TAD Gear (I’m not an expert on the subject so I’m not going to judge whether or not this has occurred). I am sure there is a select group of people who tend to agree with you. But, unfortunately Anonymous, it happens with almost everything. People frequently experience this with their favorite ‘back-pocket’ band that they saw perform at every grimy, dirty, and awkward smelling bar and club in town. When the band gets a record contract people can’t help but feel let down; the band isn’t small anymore, and their biggest fan suddenly has competition. The best way around this is to try to feel happy for the people who are finally living their dream of seeing a project they started get recognition on a larger scale and start reaping the rewards of their hard work.

May I also remind you that TAD Gear is first and foremost a business, and at the end of the day they have to gross. Without the money they make they can’t offer new and better products for people to enjoy. So if they hire a marketing team to help spread the word about their goods, or can’t let someone into their store to use the bathroom at the risk of potential loss of merch, please don’t blame them. They’re just trying to get by, and bring you the next batch of excellent goods and services.

As far as fashion blogs go, I do not want to be a representative of all the fashion blogs, but I will try to make a stand, because after all, we’re not all talking about “$3000 sunglasses on $400 jeans.” Although there probably is a fair share of fashion blogs out there that feature ludicrous items, the blog that featured TAD Gear, and the one I linked to from my blog, is Selectism. They are a righteous bunch of contributors in collaboration from all over the world that bring you the latest word on the what’s new and exciting  in men’s fashion. The latest in men’s fashion just happens to be an amazing trend that focuses on heritage goods, and above all, a return to honest-to-goodness quality. So what may seem like fashionistas that are trend-hoping, is actually a return to values like quality, simplicity, and timeless style that have almost been forgotten in this fast-paced, instant-gratification driven world of modernity in which we all reside. You will most likely find that quite a few of the items featured on these blogs are not only very inspired by decades old styles, but may even be straight reissues. Not a fickle fad at all.

While TAD Gear may sit next to (corrected based on facts) $500 sunglasses and $300 jeans on these blogs, it is important to remember why. Everything is made in factories, of top notch materials, that maintain a living wage for their workers and do not exploit them for a huge profit margin. In addition, a large majority of the products are made in the U.S.A., so no complaints about outsourcing ‘Merican jobs. These are trends that are here, and hopefully will stay for a very long time. TAD Gear is mainly a purpose driven clothing and accessories manufacturer, but in addition to quality in their items, they strive to offer you a great looking product. There’s nothing wrong with a few people who find their look appealing spreading the word about a great brand.

So Anonymous, please don’t be upset with TAD Gear’s apparently new found (although they’ve been around for a while) success, but be happy that the company you have loved and followed for so long has grown with more and more people getting to enjoy their great functioning and great looking products.

- R.R.

Shit's expensive!

Favorite Things Series: Sizzle - TAD Gear Explorer Jacket

Time to get friends involved! Faithful reader and longtime friend will be the first to take part in my new series entitled Favorite Things. This is an opportunity for folks to talk about one of their favorite item of clothing or accessory, one that truly defines them as a person.

The first entry comes from the man behind The Digital Edition, check out his post about it here. Although he freely admits that he "doesn't have much of a clothing arsenal, and doesn't consider myself an expert on fashion," he was up for the challenge. Sizzle is a huge TAD Gear fan, and owns many products from the company. His favorite though, is the Explorer jacket and here's what he has to say:

I might own a lot of TAD Gear jackets, but there's something about the Explorer jacket I picked up at the end of the summer that has me wearing it more than the rest. It definitely isn't the priciest or the highest performance of the bunch, but it's different. Unlike the others, this one sports a semi-rigid collar (as opposed to a hood) and forgoes any patch panels. Add to that that it's made of a somewhat more textured Rhino-Hide material, and I find it a lot more suitable for school and for just general about-town adventures. That seems to be about the most exploring I have asked of it, but, true to its namesake, I don't think it would let me down in the least should I decide to do some light outdoor adventuring. I know I made the decision to buy it more of stylistic reasons than of performance necessities, but trusting it wouldn't let me down if I should choose to test it is reassuring to say the least.

As Sizzle points out "thanks to a new marketing team, their gear has been picked up by a few style blogs (Selectism), and that part about having to explain and introduce their gear to the uninformed has become less necessary." Their main retail location is located in SF (more info on their website), however with their growing popularity, "they didn't sellout and cut costs to keep up with a growing customer base. They stepped up their production, but the quality is still the same, and if it sells out, it's gone, end of story. They don't bring gear back because that would go against the mentality of improving it at the next cycle. They move on. Of course, they make a few packs and accessories, but their pride and joy is their clothing line, or more precisely, their jackets."This jacket is a wonderful example of how special an item of clothing can be to someone, and I want to thank Sizzle for getting involved with my project here. I am really impressed with the personal touch that the owners of the company have put into their clothing as well as the attention to detail that goes into everything they produce. I look forward to seeing more things that he and others enjoy wearing and using every day.