Q & C
May 18, 2009

Having the bulk of our biz in outerwear and building a name built upon quality products, I personally make sure shit is tight. We have a reliable team of Quality and Control Inspectors, both on the factory level and on a third party level. However;  I still want to touch, feel and review it all before it’s in your hands. We arrive at our newly built factory in Xiamen. (Here’s some sneaks, as I gotta keep the rest on lockdown)

Front view



Side view

I usually don’t give a shit how the factory looks, as long as quality product comes out of it. But our new factory is incredible. High tech, modern, super clean, etc. Check out the hallway. Looks like a hotel.

Chill area where we have “tea.”



Ok, let’s get down to biz. Before we do our Q & C process, I’d like to give you a brief rundown on what it takes on the production side (This is just a small part of the LONG process it takes from an idea on a piece of paper)

Over 50% of the cost of a jacket or pant is in the shell fabric. We spend a lot of $ using quality fabrics either from Japan or Taiwan to make our products. Here’s what they look on line in rolls.



Like the glove factory, each roll is inspected to see if there’s any inconsistencies. Next is the cutting process.



The Shell fabric out in layers.



Each garment has a complex set of patterns that make up every piece of the product. Check some of ours (FYI, you live and die from a pattern. It’s a complex process I’ll have to show you later)

From the pattern room, markers (copies of the patterns laid out in a formula to maximize yield) are made, then cut with a crazy machine.



Some of our technical specs require Laser cutting to insure precise cutting for unique shapes. Laser cutting is actually done with a laser that will cut just about anything. It’s an expensive process, but mandatory for the things we do.



There’s over a hundred pieces of fabric alone in a 686 garment. Each piece is neatly organized through a helluva lot of carts.



It finally hits the factory floor and goes through several “lines” of sewers. Here’s an example of one line of 20 sewers per line. Each line has a line manager to make sure it’s all good in da China hood.



Here’s one example of a sewer working on one small part of the hundreds of pieces that makes up a 686 jacket. Guess what this is? A cuff tab on our smarty liner (this small tab alone has 5 other inter-connecting pieces)



How about a larger panel on this same liner.



From another line, here’s an example of the Welding process some of our pockets and seams go
through. Each area is welded through a special adhesive process that’s heated up to weld the seams together. It’s a long expensive process that must be done correctly the first time.



Later on in the production process, each garment is put through a special Waterproof/Breathable testing. A machine tests the time it takes for water to penetrate the fabric and taped seams. Most riders never go through crazy winter conditions to test the true waterproof ratings, however if you do, we’ll make sure you stay dry.



Skipping forward, each garment is checked through a series of inspectors that cut, trim, and clean any excess materials. At our exclusive 686 factory we have air guns that clean everything else off. Don’t mess with me man!



Fast forward again to post hangtags and folding to packing.



Almost there



Ok, done!

Now, I want you to pull box #524, #36, #144, #686, and a few more dozen boxes in each style, colorway, and size for the following countries so I can do a personal random inspection. Get your measuring tapes, tech packs, pens and paper, its gonna be a looooooooooong night.



For the Skittle-Thugs, XXXL pants. Front view…



Side view…



I think it’s time to get the hell back to LA, when these guys are scared of the Swine and…



…Leila (686 senior outerwear designer) can’t find a bathroom that has a damn Western toilet seat to sit on!