Zam Barrett Dialogue

[Oasis]

I have no problem with peoples opinions. however for me there is a difference between an opinion and something stated as a matter of fact. I know in this postmodern world, many of us are taught to believe all things are "relative" Sorry if I am not a part of that camp. I am a firm believer in solid unmovable objectives that exist apart from human perceptions. For me in terms of quality of Clothing, there is such a think as objective quality standards.........

Just to chip in my own personal opinion on this from experience; I have to agree. The ZB garments I have feel indestrictible. I feel I can do anything in them and not have to worry about tears, problems with buttons etc and they've not let me down yet.

Obviously durability etc isn't the first priority for many labels here, but for go to clothing it's important for many people, myself included. Quality maybe isn't the correct word as it can have different meanings to different people. Quality to someone with endless $$$ likely means quality of design/innovation (not that those more well off only care for the aforementioned things but you get the drift). Durability is more apt, and Z's line is on par with (and generally exceeds) any other brand I've seen discussed here.

[zamb]

Thanks O,

My staff can tell you no one wears ZB harder than I do, and I am on top of their a** if I am wearing something and a button falls of or it rips somewhere. with the question being, what will I tell a client if something such as this should happen to something we send out???

I come in in the morning, and I am under the sewing machines fixing them, I am cutting fabric, i am making patterns, I am running around to fabric suppliers carrying fabric rolls on my shoulder. I am dyeing fabric and doing things most people probably don't do in designer clothes, and the stuff has to perform under these conditions.

I didn't come up under any of the great names, I didn't have the money to pour into a brand like other people had, all I had was my skills that I had honed on my own for many years, because sewing has saved me and kept me alive in ways you guys would never imagined.
It was from encouragement from people Like Faust, like Laika, Raw Edge etc, why I am here and succeeding at this. Support from guys like Lowrey and Christian among many others who buy the products.
It was a recommendation from GBS that gave us the biggest store client we have in Japan, of which we are told we are the best selling label in the store having a 95% sell through last season. something unheard of for a lot of designers..........

As I have told many of our friends, the image if ZB is not as cohesive as it should be but we are working on that, but there is one thing I am certain of as I am certain of out lagging image. There are few in this business who is as good a technician at making clothes as I am, and I say this not with an intent of boasting, but being incredibly thankful to God for the blessings I have of this talent, and being incredibly thankful to my supporters who buy the products I make because they have saved me from a miserable existence and has allowed me to have a business and a profession that I truly enjoy, rather than feeling that my talent and skill provides me with any special entitlement. every day I come in to Zfactorie I am happy, as I have some of the best people working for me, some who would not otherwise have jobs, some that I have trained that are very good at what they do now. The reason why I stick around on SZ, and give you guys some of the best deals is because this business would not have been where it is without this forum. Yes we have gotten to a point where we could survive without SZ now, but for me that would be a sign of ungratefulness and unthankfulness........something ZB will never be known for.

Just to chip in my own personal opinion on this from experience; I have to agree. The ZB garments I have feel indestrictible. I feel I can do anything in them and not have to worry about tears, problems with buttons etc and they've not let me down yet.

Obviously durability etc isn't the first priority for many labels here, but for go to clothing it's important for many people, myself included. Quality maybe isn't the correct word as it can have different meanings to different people. Quality to someone with endless $$$ likely means quality of design/innovation (not that those more well off only care for the aforementioned things but you get the drift). Durability is more apt, and Z's line is on par with (and generally exceeds) any other brand I've seen discussed here.

[zamb]

Hello All,

Just want to let you know the short version of the Summer Studio Stock items is ready, to request a copy please email the studio at: dialogue@zambarrett.com

The long version will be ready on Tuesday....

[copacetic]

tl;dr for the past two pages:

lazyguru and kuugaia are obviously trolls and everyone else channels the voice of reason.

[eleven crows]

they're hardly trolls. don't turn zam into a sacred cow - thou shall not worship false idols.

besides, looks like he's doing well enough discussing and explaining. the boastful statements are a little unnecessary. whether you believe you can out tailor the big guns or not, humility is always the better path to tread imo.

[kuugaia]

^ The guy who says 'too long, didn't read the past two pages' then goes on to call others trolls instead of having any kind of input in the discussion? Right. This discussion has just turned pointless.

Thanks for your responses zamb; but yes, we all seem to have better things to do at this point. Will certainly look out for your stuff in person.

[Faust]

The extent to which you are trying to validate yourself is a bit strange zamb.

It's not strange at all. Anyone who is passionate about their work will defend it. Shit, I just went through a facebook discussion with someone I don't even know who said my magazine is too expensive before I realized that it was a stupid thing to do that wouldn't change anything. It's just when you are passionate, you want to explain in detail where your work stands.

[lazyguru]

Lowrey, I was indeed referring to the trousers with the curving seam , hidden back pocket construction which entirely remind me of a LUCA cut.
The Frog leg pants with the combination of overlock stitching also resonates strongly of CCP & then the most recent hoodie jacket really feels like it was inspired entirely by the MA+ Aviator.
The pattern seems identical , the seams down the back , also the way the cuffs are buttoned , I have only seen this on MA+ leather shirts no where else!
And Iam nitpicking here but I also recollect a reference to blistered lamb which as we all know is synonymous with Rick Owens , but maybe Z intended it as a nod to him (RO)

I just noted THIS sales thread by MWNN of ZB’s stuff and it does have his strong individual identity , maybe iam just looking at the few details that I recognize and am reducing his entire collection to those few references.
I will refrain from commenting any further and reserve judgment for when I do touch and try his designs on , IF so many of you do not see the resemblance maybe something translates in person that does not come across in the pics.

Many of the well know designers today have been accused of plagiarizing ( which I by no means am accusing Z of )in their first few collections & have gone on to find their true voice.
Simone C & Odyn Vovk come to mind but look at the leathers by Incarnation , I see less CCP than most of the other members here so its all about perception.

I admire the classy manner in which Z has addressed this discussion & have mad respect for him to be already doing what he does having his own autonomy & being happy with creating.
I really do wish you the best Z!

[cjbreed]

zamb and other so-called SZ designers share some common elements but when viewing the collections as a whole it is impossible to confuse them. it is even more impossible to confuse them in a direct side by side comparison (example: luc j-pant vs. zam minimalist j pant. totally different. totally.) zamb's stuff is entirely zamb. look at his lookbook shots and collection threads up against those from any of these designers we are mentioning and they are completely different. what a silly and tired claim that so and so is jacking from so and so. so stupid. there is nothing new under the sun here folks, everybody is inspired by, and learns from, everybody else. shit i am even pretty sure grandma took a bit of "inspiration" from our very own Chinorlz' collateral concepts glove design. it doesn't matter. the spirit and personality and skill and individuality of the designer always comes thru in the work.

edit - i don't mean this little rant as an insult or attack toward anyone's opinion here. i just don't see the validity in describing zam's work as a cheaper version of someone else's work as if it were like all saints or something.

[zamb]

Guru

thanks for the reply

i will reply in more detail later, and post some detail shots of several items from different collections for you to see, since you have not handled the stuff in person

however, we make many curved legged pants with "hidden pockets" so the one you say was inspired by LUC, with the luc pants you speak of would be nice to see.........

Also the MA+ aviator details that you speak of would be nice. I have seen and handled LUC pants in person, but I've never handled and MA+ aviator
and when I am designing I don't have a bunch of magazines in front of me, I don't have old/ new garments doing research, I do sketch sometimes, but usually the end result is different from the sketch, as sketches for me is only a vague reference to remind me of an idea. The greatest amount of the design for me is done during the patterning and prototyping of the garment samples, when I am trying stuff on, when I am working out how I want the seams to lay on certain parts of the body, how I want the pockets to be positioned for accessibility, how to make the patterns so my sample makers and production people don't want to kill me for making their lives difficult and such things.....
These things are not things that can be copied, but things that can only be worked out by someone who has the technical knowledge to do it.
Similarities in garments does not necessarily mean that one is copying from another. Someone sent me a pic of a BBS bag last night, that looks very similar to the new sling bag we made. I had never seen the BBS bag before, but i must admit that the bags are strikingly similar!....but after reading, the ideas for the bags came from a similar inspiration.

I found this large military bag here in the building where my studio is, and I kept it because I loved the density of the canvas that was used in it. The bag ended up being used by us to carry fabrics to the laundry where we prewash the fabrics before making the clothing. One day I was carrying this enormous bag on my shoulder coming back from the laundry and said, this would be really cool as a leather bag if it was made smaller...so I reduced the proportions and redesigned the bag and made the sample in leather. It was someone who wants to make an order for the bag that actually pointed it out to me I had never seen the BBS bag before but it is indeed similar and I realized that he took the inspiration from a military sleeping bag, which is exactly the bag we have here....


i will post the pics later, but you can post there pics you are referring to


blessings
ZB

[sCrAtChy]

Is the ZB sling red bag available already?

[zamb]

Is the ZB sling red bag available already?

Thanks for the inquiry

we will be producing the bag later this week going into early next week
We are currently in production with the SUMMER 12 Items with some items ready now with others being ready in the next few weeks


The bag will be made in two colors......the color shown here and a dark Grey version. While we will make stock of these it would be good for those who want the bag to make an order so that we can produce what is needed for those who desire to have it.

I will post a picture of the bag being worn later today....along with the dimensions and more detailed shots. so that proper information is there for those who are contemplating making an order.

[zamb]

As promised,

here are a few "fit" pics of the Sling Bag





The bottom of the bag is circular, so the diameter is 10" the height of the bag is 18"

The bag has an exterior pocket that is 10"(H) x 7"(W)
The interior is fully lined with 100% Cotton canvas and has an additional pocket on the inside...........

[moyamoya]

That bag really does remind me of a heart like someone else mentioned.

By the way what is the shirt you are wearing? Is it the new unlined lamb leather shirt?

[zamb]

That bag really does remind me of a heart like someone else mentioned.

By the way what is the shirt you are wearing? Is it the new unlined lamb leather shirt?

thanks, never saw it that way, but i]from certain angles I guess it might

Yes, this is the new unlined blistered lamb shirt, wanted a leather shirt I could wear all summer and this fits the bill perfectly!
this and the "weightless" pieces will be my go to pieces for the summer, because I am my own best customer. I dont want to just wear short sleeved tees because the weather is hot, so these peices were designed as a solution to such a dilema.........

"weightless pieces are coming soon.........