Heddels Blowout

Reed and David discuss what fall fashion and the typical "back to school" buying season will look like as they wear their respective basketball shorts and t-shirts. Is there going to be a need to buy clothes for this upcoming season as so many stay inside and many more face financial uncertainty? We also get into our favorites on the Taco Bell menu and ponder if celebrities can use mask wearing as a way to send body doubles out to do public appearances.

If you want to support the show, have a look at the new Teamster Tees on the Heddels Shop. We're currently backordered but should have more stock coming in shortly, as always, take 10% with the code BLOWOUT. Send emails with questions, comments, etc. to [email protected]

Heddels writer Reed Nelson and managing editor David Shuck run down the issues of the day including the mass exodus of retail in NYC (and what's left to fill it besides real estate speculators), how postal slowdowns/shutdowns affect small business, and should Patagonia be given any credit for taking this long to cut ties with potential forced labor in Xinjiang. Also we make fun of random PR emails for a long time.

If you want to support the show, have a look at the new Teamster Tees on the Heddels Shop. We're currently backordered but should have more stock coming in shortly, as always, take 10% with the code BLOWOUT. Send emails with questions, comments, etc. to [email protected]

In the early twentieth century, it's estimated that 70%-95% of all clothing worn in America was made in a small section of midtown Manhattan. In 2020 it's less than 3%, but NYC's Garment District is still one of the most crucial communities in the entire global fashion industry. However, it's shrunk to the point where it's at risk of being uprooted and destroyed entirely.

We're talking with Alex Robins, one half of the linen-focused brand Blluemade, about what it's like to do all of their production in the Garment District, transporting their collections via subway, and their fight to keep the factories and finishers that helped them start their business alive.

If you'd like to support this episode, have a look at the Heddels Shop and check out our new selection of madras western shirts from Left Field, made in USA from authentic Indian madras, and get 10% off with the code BLOWOUT.

The man, the myth, the legend. We've got an hour with the most passionate man in denim, a Swiss geographer named Ruedi Karrer who also has one of the largest private collections of denim in the world. Since the early 1970s, Ruedi has grabbed up nearly every scrap of raw indigo he could get his hands on, amassing a total of 16,000 denim garments in his "Jeansmuseum of Heaviest Fadings". Learn all about Ruedi's life in denim (doing everything from climbing Kilimanjaro to attending weddings and funerals), his days of environmental activism, and his future plans for the Jeansmuseum and his exclusive birthday jeans in this week's episode.

Also, this week we're promoting our new arrivals of Ashland shell cordovan wallets in the Heddels Shop. Made in Chicago from Chicago-tanned Horween shell cordovan, these wallets are made to outlast whatever they're holding and whatever pocket they're put in. Get 10% off them at the Heddels Shop with code BLOWOUT.

Also, if you're interested in donating your jeans to the Jeansmuseum, visit the museum website and email all your questions/comments to [email protected].

We're back this week with another two discussions. First we chat with our editor James Smith about a recent article of his documenting his journey buying clothes as a vegan and avoiding all animal products (https://www.heddels.com/2020/06/my-experience-of-navigating-quality-menswear-as-a-vegan/) and all the difficulties and decisions that requires. Then David talks with Jaime Wong, the owner of Raggedy Threads (http://www.raggedythreads.com/), about her 20+ years buying and selling vintage workwear. Learn about The Real McCoy's Polish horse farm, the history of the Buddy Lee doll, what it takes to sell at the Rose Bowl and more!

Be sure to check out our new offerings on the Heddels Shop (https://shop.heddels.com) this week and take 10% off with the code BLOWOUT. Also, send us your questions, tips, and sounds to [email protected]!

We're back! Unfortunately a lot of other brands and retailers aren't. In this Heddels podcast reboot, David talks with writer Albert Muzquiz on his articles following the fallout of Covid-19 on the clothing business (spoiler:  it hasn't been great). Then we have a lengthy chat with all-around denim renaissance man Mohsin Sajid about his 20 year career designing, consulting, and educating about all things indigo, including his latest push for a greater use of hemp in the textile industry.

Also, take 10% off your next purchase at the Heddels Shop this week with the code BLOWOUT, including our newly stocked Waltzing Matilda sandals. Handmade in Maine from Horween Chromexcel leather, these are flip flops that will last you for many many seasons. https://shop.heddels.com

You can find Albert's articles here:

J.Crew: https://www.heddels.com/2020/05/another-one-bites-the-dust-j-crew-files-for-bankruptcy/

CARES Act: https://www.heddels.com/2020/05/the-harsh-reality-of-the-paycheck-protection-program/

J.C. Penney: https://www.heddels.com/2020/05/j-c-penneys-long-slow-decline/

Brooks Bros.: https://www.heddels.com/2020/05/a-brooks-brothers-without-american-manufacturing/

Gitman: https://www.heddels.com/2020/06/gitman-shuts-a-plant/

Here's Mohsin's vintage sewing machine piece: https://www.heddels.com/2015/02/vintage-sewing-machines-the-complete-guide/

And his webinar on hemp in denim: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AthZzgROhSc

If you've got questions, comments, or want to submit your own industrial audio, email us at [email protected]

Don't listen to this, it's a test!