9 Comments
Sep 2, 2020Liked by Michael Williams

There are many lessons to take away from this conversation. Thank you-

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I found Battenwear through Engineered Garments, which I liked in the 00s but not anymore. So I try to support Battenwear by buying as much as I can find over here in the EU...which is not very much. I hope they stay true to their roots unlike EG who have become unwearable for people who want to keep a low profile. It's almost like a costume what they do now, while Battenwear is very wearable.

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Thanks for this. It's nice to hear what's going on with other boutique domestic brands- their accomplishments and challenges. It would be great if we could shift the concept of "expensive" in terms of domestic labor and materials toward valuable. Expensive implies an expectation that something will cost less than it does based on perceived market value or based on what we can afford to pay. I think if we (makers and consumers) want to perpetuate quality, integrity, and domestic production, than we need to separate our perceived value from the "bargain pricing" of products produced abroad by exploiting lower costs which has been conditioned into us through many years of global manufacturing. Sorry for the long reply!

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Sorry? I appreciate the thoughtful reply and I'm sure other people do too. You are right on. I really dislike the casual way people complain that everything is expensive when a lot fo things just have a different value proposition.

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This is great Joseph! Thanks for this comment. I agree with you on so many accounts. I hope that these types of brands start getting the credit they deserve in terms of quality over quantity. Been reading Fashionopolis by Dana Thomas, and this is exactly what she is speaking on.

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Great interview Micheal. I bought that fleece jacket (in blue( maybe 5 yrs sgo and its still in very heavy rotation. Its even gotten ne through the front side on the occasional EARLY morning tee time. Great work!

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Carrie makes killer bread and Shinya is ripped at 48 - I love them both!

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"Ripped at 48" is great, but not that remarkable for non-Americans ;-)

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MW, would love some of your picks from the site to accompany the interview.

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