Silent By Damir Doma

[mononon]

just got the jogging sweat pants from forward. arrived in one day! shame that the basics sold out so quickly though...

[sassbrown]

It seems that just about everything has already been covered in this thread on Damir Doma's line Silent. I will add however, to the comment about it being an eco collection, as that is the area that I write about, and I did a blog entry on this collection on my www.ecofashiontalk.com site and blog a few weeks back. It is certainly a well designed, minimal collection of not exactly basics (his PR describes them as basics, but I would say they are a lot more sophisticated than your average basic - more minimal than basic honestly). According to the PR from Paper Rain Group, the "Silent is an organic collection designed and manufactured in a conscientious, and ecologically friendly way by Damir Doma... offering timeless luxury men's and women's wear and accessories that appeal to customers in search of pure, natural and honest products."

[beardown]

I wrote about what appeared as some Silent phenomena earlier in this thread but it still seems to hold true: People are falling over themselves to buy basic tees at $80.
At least in terms of Forward, they can't keep the basics in stock over there and they seem to sell out within a day or two of arriving. It's still crazy to me.
Crazier still is that so many retailers are marking it up well over the traditional retail markup apparently. I know there was some discussion about this but I think Forward is selling Silent at the prices it was intended to be sold while other sites/shops are trying to milk the customer because it's still a fairly new line. I don't know for certain but let's be honest: wholesale is the same for every retailer as far as I know and there is a general equation to determine a retail price based on the wholesale price.

I guess it goes to show that minimalism still works, or rather, works better than it has been working in the recent past to the general population. I like to think people are buying for the simplicity and (perceived) good quality since there is very little identity to the line. And I hope other designers are taking note in terms of how well this seems to be working from the outside at least in terms of a 'diffusion' approach.

You see 'diffusion' happening out there but when a mainline tee is $300 retail and the 'diffusion' line tee is $250 retail, there isn't much of a difference to the consumer, especially if there is any real shift in quality.

Whatever happened to the Silent leather jackets? I thought those would be everywhere and I haven't seen them.

[image]

To me, crazy is spending $300+ on a cotton Rick Owens t-shirt. I'd love to find other options than Silent, but they are one of the few relatively reasonably priced tees and tanks that I liked the fit of and are great quality. I lived in them last summer.

I wrote about what appeared as some Silent phenomena earlier in this thread but it still seems to hold true: People are falling over themselves to buy basic tees at $80.
At least in terms of Forward, they can't keep the basics in stock over there and they seem to sell out within a day or two of arriving. It's still crazy to me.
Crazier still is that so many retailers are marking it up well over the traditional retail markup apparently. I know there was some discussion about this but I think Forward is selling Silent at the prices it was intended to be sold while other sites/shops are trying to milk the customer because it's still a fairly new line. I don't know for certain but let's be honest: wholesale is the same for every retailer as far as I know and there is a general equation to determine a retail price based on the wholesale price.

I guess it goes to show that minimalism still works, or rather, works better than it has been working in the recent past to the general population. I like to think people are buying for the simplicity and (perceived) good quality since there is very little identity to the line. And I hope other designers are taking note in terms of how well this seems to be working from the outside at least in terms of a 'diffusion' approach.

You see 'diffusion' happening out there but when a mainline tee is $300 retail and the 'diffusion' line tee is $250 retail, there isn't much of a difference to the consumer, especially if there is any real shift in quality.

Whatever happened to the Silent leather jackets? I thought those would be everywhere and I haven't seen them.

[Faust]

I wrote about what appeared as some Silent phenomena earlier in this thread but it still seems to hold true: People are falling over themselves to buy basic tees at $80.
At least in terms of Forward, they can't keep the basics in stock over there and they seem to sell out within a day or two of arriving. It's still crazy to me.
Crazier still is that so many retailers are marking it up well over the traditional retail markup apparently. I know there was some discussion about this but I think Forward is selling Silent at the prices it was intended to be sold while other sites/shops are trying to milk the customer because it's still a fairly new line. I don't know for certain but let's be honest: wholesale is the same for every retailer as far as I know and there is a general equation to determine a retail price based on the wholesale price.

I guess it goes to show that minimalism still works, or rather, works better than it has been working in the recent past to the general population. I like to think people are buying for the simplicity and (perceived) good quality since there is very little identity to the line. And I hope other designers are taking note in terms of how well this seems to be working from the outside at least in terms of a 'diffusion' approach.

You see 'diffusion' happening out there but when a mainline tee is $300 retail and the 'diffusion' line tee is $250 retail, there isn't much of a difference to the consumer, especially if there is any real shift in quality.

Whatever happened to the Silent leather jackets? I thought those would be everywhere and I haven't seen them.

Wholesale is the same, but there are so many other factors, like currency exchange (historically non-adjusted because of the time lag between purchase and delivery), shipping costs, taxes, import duty, rent and other costs, that it's impossible to demand shops to keep prices in line.

[upsilonkng]

Oaknyc also got last year's silent line but at twice the price of forward.. I emailed and asked for the reason for the markup, they explained very graciously I might add that they have no clue how forward gets theirs for so cheap, that they are paying basically forwards actual price for them wholesale and that they think forward must have a deal w/ dd or something.
is this stuff great though? it looks too basic or most it at least.

[Servo2000]

Just got the grey sweatpant-ish things they were selling Forward and they're just too long (as usual) so I was going to return them but I see that they're sold out - if you're an SZ'er and interested let me know and I can just sell em to you first (just sale price + shipping no markup) but get back to me fast because I'll return them if nobodies interested.

[endersgame]

did anyone get the scarf bag and actually keep it?

it had the storage capacity of a kayak but you can't hold anything in the strap areas as they will just fall down to the middle. it also has no zipper and was difficult to tell top from bottom, so in the process of looking for the opening, you would turn the thing upside down and all your shit falls out..

so disappointed, i wanted it to work..

[Faye]

I had my tailor put a invisible zipper to the opening area. but in the end I never stored anything inside, as its purpose as a bag just looks kinda forced. using it as a scarf now.

[Supel]

Anyone willing to sell their backpack to me? Will pay decent cash!

[Ivans On High]

Some of you were no doubt aware of this, especially as the swing tags no longer include the relevant text, but I think it worth noting that SILENT no longer utilises 'organic' materials. I am not sure on their current stance regarding 'eco-friendly' fashion, but it appears their desire to expand and develop the line has overtaken their desire to use, or the availability of, environmentally conscience materials.

There has never been too much discussion about this topic, but I am interested if this has changed anyone's opinions on the line, or even their buying habits?

It doesn't look like it has made any dent in the coffers...

[xmattyx]

Huh, that's really a shame as it was definitely a factor in choosing Silent over other basics.

[syed]

One of the main reasons I started paying Silent attention was the use of eco-friendly materials, so I am slightly disappointed with this move. I suppose for them it makes economic sense, plus the fact that the average consumer (even for Silent) probably doesn't care all that much.

That being said I think having organic fabrics acts more as a bonus point, and can be kinda misleading. If you think about it, in the grand scheme of things (taking into account shipping and all the rest), even if it is a move in the right direction, it is only a drop in the ocean in becoming truly 'eco-friendly'. Everything starts with little steps though.

[several_girls]

Some of you were no doubt aware of this, especially as the swing tags no longer include the relevant text, but I think it worth noting that SILENT no longer utilises 'organic' materials. I am not sure on their current stance regarding 'eco-friendly' fashion, but it appears their desire to expand and develop the line has overtaken their desire to use, or the availability of, environmentally conscience materials.

There has never been too much discussion about this topic, but I am interested if this has changed anyone's opinions on the line, or even their buying habits?

It doesn't look like it has made any dent in the coffers...

One more reason for me to avoid the diffusion/"everyday" line. As mentioned before, organic cotton is just a drop in the bucket. I think the larger factor in being environmentally sustainable is low volume production.

I guess this means I'll be trading in my DD and RO for CCP and BBS.

[Letraset]

I think originally it (the use of organic fabrics) was pushed as a point of difference, a good way into the cluttered basics scene. Now that Silent is offering up a bit more than just the simple tees - moving to parkas and more substantial pieces - this differentiation isn't needed.

Yes it sucks that they have simply dropped the organic fabrics, but owning both the new season and the organic pieces from the past, I can say - enviro beliefs aside - that the new fabrics are just as good if not better.