Zam Barrett Dialogue

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SOCRATES HEMLOCK SHIRT

Concept and Execution

The SOCRATES HEMLOCK SHIRT was originally a part of our first full menswear collection and exhibit in the fall of 2010.
The theme of the collection was “Voices of Vice and Virtue. The basic concept was to select important historical figures of the past that had made contributions to the development of western society and mankind at large, whose lives were symbolic of the constant tension between human vices and the call to virtue experiences by us all.

Enter Socrates, a philosopher known for wisdom, restraint and a commitment to principles that ultimately cost hi his life………Talk about Causes worth dying for!
The First iteration of the Shirt was made of 100% Linen in a pure white, symbolic of the purity of Socrates’ ideas. The shirt was then screened over at the chest with an illustration of a human heart. The lower portion of the shirt was dyed and then painted in a gradient black, transitioning into the white upper portion of the shirt.




WHAT DID THESE SYMBOLS MEAN?
The white linen was symbolic of the purity of Socrates ideas and his commitment to them. The Heart was printed onto the shirt to illustrate firstly his genuine belief in his core values and secondly because upon drinking the hemlock, it was the slow travel of this poison to his heart that ultimately killed him. The manner of execution in ancient Greece

---original iteration---




The lower black portion of the shirt was a symbol of Death and the gradient of the black transitioning up to the heart print on the shirt indicated what happened to the philosopher after he drank the poison. Death slowly crept up on him. He moved from a life of principles and personal conviction to a process of slow death and ultimately decay into blackness.

THE PRODUCT
The shirt was originally intended to be a purely conceptual piece not mean for retail. But after the show, it ended up being an item that was in high demand by both buyers from stores like AL SELECT in Tokyo Japan and POLLYANNA in Barnsley England.
In the original production run, only 13 pieces were ever made and sold and since then it has never been reproduced………up until now.
The newer iteration of the shirt, executes the exact same concept in the exact same color way, albeit much differently.
The FW15 versing of the shirt is longer in the body. The Original “Funnel Holes” on the collar has been removed. The shirt is now made of double ply cotton instead of linen. It is still a beautiful item, faithful to its original concept, but made more modern and relevant while still faithful to an historical event and an idea of virtue that is as relevant to today as it was over 2500 years ago……….

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more to come...........

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Category: M
// A Formal introduction

Over the last two seasons, Zam Barrett Dialogue has been slowly developing and expanding on a project we call” CATEGORY M.
While the products under this label have been made and sold alongside mainline Zam Barrett items, it is important for the sake of clarity that we now to formally introduce this project to you, to inform of our vision for it and about what distinguishes Category M. Items from the Zam Barrett mainline.

WHAT IS CATEGORY M.?

Category M is essentially an extension of the Zam Barrett brand. It is not a secondary of a diffusion line in the traditional sense as it is not designed or treated differently from the mainline products. Because of how the products are made and the line distinctions of brand coding: Z. A. M.
Category M products are those falling under the M aspect of our company.

Z – Conceptual designer Driven items that are new each season
A - Accessories and non-clothing goods
M - Mass produced, classic items made every season.





M products fall under category of basics or classic items that we produce from season to season. These items function as a complement the more designer and conceptual items that drive the brand. There are always slight changes to them in terms of fabric, color way and certain small details, but the items in and of themselves remains the same.

HOW DID CATEGORY M COME ABOUT?
The decision to take this approach was one that evolved over time. In creating our collections over the years we have come to realize that the stores and customers who support the brand are always looking for “classic or core” items that do not change each season and are the underpinnings of the brand. There are group of core items that are created every season and they are some of the best selling items we produce these are the items that make up Category M.
Since they are always available, we decided to spin them off, not as a separate brand, but as a sub category of products that stores can buy entirely on their own and that we sell on the web store separate an apart from the more concept driven items that are new every six months.



WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE IN MEANS OF PRODUCTION FOR CATEGORY M. IN RELATION TO OTHER ZAM BARRETT PRODUCTS?
Well, we own our own factories, we control our own production, and Category M items are made by exactly the same team and with the exact same standards as other Zam Barrett items. Where the differences are is that we are always striving for simpler production techniques for Category M items. We are interested in using means of production that makes sure these products are more cost friendly in a way we cannot do with the concept Driven items. Another consideration is the fabrics we use in category M products have to be fabrics that are not overly expensive and not so precious that they cannot take a beating. The fabrications are limited to more cottons, heavy linens, Jerseys etc. that are easier to source and more durable for everyday wear. For the mainline items we can use leathers, silks, woolens and other experimental fabrics that may be cost prohibitive for Category M.



HOW DOES THE PRICING OF CATEGORY M. DIFFER FROM THE OTHER ITEMS UNDER THE ZAM BARRETT BRAND?

We have and continue to review our pricing structure. I think across the board as a brand, we are one of the premier brands in terms of value, when the price/ quality ratio is taken into consideration. Category M Products are about 30-40% less expensive than the rest of product categories. This by no means is as a result of lesser quality. It is simply that because the items are across multiple seasons and limited to certain types of fabrics. For us at this stage there is no cost for research and design, there is no cost for development of new patterns and the staff is already knowledgeable on how how to produce those items so there is no production lag but a very efficient approach that reduces cost significantly.







WHERE DO YOU HOPE TO TAKE CATEGORY M IN THE FUTURE AND HOW DO YOU PLAN TO ACCOMPLISH THIS?

It is out hope to ultimately make Category M a separate brand from the Zam Barrett mainline. Over the last two seasons its development has been done with this in mind.
We are constantly adding products, considering the prices and treating it more and more not just as a brand extension but a separate brand under the Zam Barrett banner. There are a lot of accessories and other non-clothing items we would like to make, that does not fit under the Zam Barrett brand but would work well under Category M and there will be more of those in the future.
While accessories are sold separately now they will be added to Category M as well.
There will also be Women’s Wear as we have increasingly developed a larger and larger women’s following. They buy the menswear, the accessories and many other items that could be considered unisex but we would like to offer products that are specifically designed and made for women and Category M offers us the opportunity to do that.

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For one week in order to promote Category M Products, we are offering 30% off on all items in the sub category.
Please use discount Code: Intro30 to receive your discount.

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ZFACTORIE
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- A STUDY IN PANTS -
Over the last five years, Designer Zam Barrett and the team at Zfactorie has slowly developed and created some of the most innovative and thoughtfully designed pants available on the Artisanal men’s fashion market. While the Zam Barrett brand itself continues to create a wide assortment of items across different product categories such as dress shirts, suits and even accessories, it is pants that remain the driving force and the signature product of in the mid of many of its most ardent supporters.
Over the next Week, We will take the time to introduce to you a series of pants that have been designed and manufactured by the brand over the last 5 years. We will explore the Concept behind the creations. The Patterns that leads to the fits and some of the most crucial construction techniques in terms of sewing, dyeing and treatment of these pants that have become collectors items in the eyes of many of the brands customers.
Product features coming soon:
1). DNA Pants Range (with all the iterations form classic to Overclocked to Drop Crotch to the Minimalist 2.0)
2). Soft J Pants (both Jeans and tailored pants)
3). Minimalist J Jeans
4). Patchwork Zero Jeans
5). Floating Pocket Leggings Pants
6). Many more in our range





/// Overlocked DNA Jeans\\\ FW15
100% Cotton





/// Floating Pocket Leggings pants
100% Cotton





/// Displaced Fly Drop Crotch Pants
100% Pinweave Cotton

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/// Displaced Seam "Zero" Pants
100% Wool




/// Floating Pocket Metal Clasp Pants
100% Cotton




/// Minimalist DNA 2.0
100% Wool



/// Ridge Seam DNA Jeans
100% Cotton

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[NOHSAD]

I'm assuming Zam's going to introduce a women's (Capsule) collection on said date base this

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++++ JEANS WEEK.++++
A sub feature of our work at Zam Barrett Dialogue is our constant quest to redefine and expand the boundaries of what kind of pants could be considered a pair of jeans
Is a pair of Jeans a pants made from Denim?
Is it a pants made of some other fabric but possessing a classic 5 pocket style
What really IS a Pair of Jeans.
Over the last 5 years we have worked to constantly challenge ourselves and our customers by consistency proposing and expanding on the answer to this question.
This week at Zfactorie we present to you an assortment of pants in an assortment of cuts that are at once Jeans without being traditionally so....
Our proposition has always been that since the original five pocket pants was a already a classic, as a research and design company it was pointless to offer more of the same, without challenging ourselves to introduce something New and different to the customer and the market.
Our way of doing this was to use fabrics that were just as durable as Denim but was not........We used heavy ducks, canvases, cotton and linen blends, wool and cotton blends. Everything we could find that served our end goal while avoiding but standard denim fabric
It terms of Cuts we offered a wide variety of them. All different from the classic five pocket.
We suggested the DNA, that spiraled and stacked around the leg, with a double helix rotating seam.
We offered the Minimalist, that removed all of the traditional top stitching on a pair of jeans and made it into a heavy duty 5 pocket tailored pants.
We offered the Soft J, that divided the leg of a pants into three J shaped patterns pieces instead of the basic two piece found in classic pants patterns
We offered the Z-1's that gave the customer a straight leg slim fit pants, but rotated the side seams to the back and made a classic five pocket style an item interesting and worthy of the conversation of what a jeans can be.
As we continue with Jeans week, our focus is to highlight the work we have done in expanding both the definition and possibilities of what a pair of Jeans can be.

[zamb]

I'm assuming Zam's going to introduce a women's (Capsule) collection on said date base this

Hello NOHSAD,


I did not see this before so sorry for the delay in replying to you
Yes. there will be a small capsule of women's clothing and accessories for the first time under the current banner.
To those who know me, they know I started out doing women swear a very long time ago.
we still have many of those customers who are asking us for Women's now as the menswear has become more visible.
We also have a lot of women who either buy the menswear for themselves or buy clothing from us for their Boyfriends/ Husbands and they keep asking us for clothing for themselves.

Creating the women's is the next logical step for us as a company and something am exited to return to.

Lets see what it will look like as I am a little rusty in this regard

[zamb]

SAVE THE DATE.
11 - 25 - 15

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RESERVED.

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RESERVED

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SOCKS // SOCKS // SOCKS

this is not a project I am thinking to sell under the Zam Barrett Brand. however for my own needs and since we get numerous requests. I decided to do it just for he fun of it.
Cut and sew "artisanal" socks.
they are made from 100% medium weight Cotton Jersey, very stretchy and very comfortable as i have been wearing them for the last couple of days.
they are long enough to be pulled up above the knees or worn below.
I did one pattern and three styles.

1. Solid Black
2. Black with Black overlock
3. Black with grey heavy overlock stitching

The socks are cut into two pieces with a dart on both sides to accommodate for the Heel arch.
The top of the socks is clean finished with coverlock stitching.

PICTURES

GREY OVERLOCKED WITH SHORTS AND URINE COLOR CARPE SIDEZIPS

If there are enough people interested in this I just might do a production run. seems to be something that a number of people are interested in.
Lets see what the interest is..............