HATS ARE ALWAYS COOL

I love hats. I love wearing a different hat each day. I love seeing people in smart hats and I especially love seeing guys rocking a beautiful hat. I love hats so much I have started making them. 

All these are made using traditional techniques of steaming and blocking. These are my first batch. All will be available for sale soon. 

I hope you like.   

 Wool felt fedora with vintage ribbon.

 Wool fedora with bow.

 Waxed vintage fur felt with leather thong.

 Wheat straw raw-edge western with reclaimed nylon cord.

 Wool felt trilby with vintage ribbon.

(photos by grrl+dog)

Hats are always cool.

INTER-COLLECTION MICRO COLLECTION

Most designers create one collection after another. What happens when you have fabric from your previous collection and want to start on your new collection? What happens when you don't care about rules? Perhaps you create inter-collection micro collections. I do. These pieces are playing with my vintage fabrics from the Lawless collection with designs from the upcoming collection called Black Sun.

First, some background history* to the collection inspiration...

As the Allied forces pushed towards Paris in 1944 my grandfather, Sargent Edmond Wade, was making fashion history. Knowing Paris would be chic and stylish, even in these times of war, he crafted the first designer coat from an army blanket.
Coats from blankets had been done before- part of 'trench art' dating back to the Boar War, but this was different. Wade created a cutting-edge design with minimal stitching and hood as part of the body. This radical departure in design was noted by the sexy Parisian women- many of whom were to become his lovers. 
The design was also picked up be British military suppliers J Compton, Sons & Webb, Ltd London. This stylish yet practical designed coat was being investigated for smart military wear. Luckily the war soon ended and the coat was never realized. 

The pattern was handed down to me, patent free, when he returned home.This is a replica of the original coat. WW2 Army blanket coat, with repair and minor holes.

  Also included in the micro collection...

* Cutaway waistcoat from old stretcher bed and vintage ticking. Double layer front and bound seams and edges.

* Reclaimed Australian Army shorts with false braces and belt from vintage webbing.

* Rust dyed one-button hoodie shirt with double layer body from reclaimed cotton and organic cotton sleeves. Dyed using rusty tools- inspired by India Flint- the leader in sustainable dye techniques. 

* Minimal organic cotton T-shirt

All seen here with vintage hat box and sports bag (Paris circa 1910), vintage bowler hat and 2nd hand U.S. Paratroops Corcoran  'jump boots'.

Reluctantly, all pieces available for sale. See my Big Cartel store. 

* History is what you make it. 

FASHION INDUSTRY SCAMS AND SHAMS

For the past month or so I have been stringing along a person who claims to be opening several shops in Romania.  Hopefully I can be of guidance to others in the fashion industry by exposing how fraudsters work.

The correspondence is outlined here. Names have not been changed to protect the not-so-innocent.


Dear Don,

First, let me introduce myself. My name is Alex Leca,C.E.O of the
WATCH-IT company, which managed by me and my associate.Our website is in developing stage...brands we which we create our image, so we are very careful with our selection of partners,because we want to expand in the next few years. Looking forward to your reply asap and wishing you a nice day  

Alarm bells start to go off- calling himself a C.E.O / no website/  using asap. I'm instantly cautious but willing to play along. 

I'm curious and I send him my price list with a minimum order for wholesale purchases. Minimum is not a great deal but if you are buying 50% off then the order should be substantial. All terms and conditions included.

Hi Don,

I hope you are well. Thanks for your mail and info kindly provided. Can we choose just a few evaluation samples, for our needed review. We look forward to possibility of working together in the future. With best wishes.

I explain to him again the minimum purchase amount for 50% off. I'm thinking he wants some cheap clothes for himself and posing as a store owner. One or two pieces are NOT wholesale terms.

What is curious is there has been no mention of where he saw my label or which particular items he was interested in. The other curious thing is he has not given me an address of the store he is opening. I don't hear from him for a few days so I send him a message...

Hi Alex, 

Perhaps my last email did not get to you. Just wondering how the shop is going?

Love to hear an update of how it is running- you did show enthusiasm for stocking my label.

Regards, Don

Don, 

Thank you for your reply. Our physical stores are due to open in April. Kindly advise about the samples matter as soon. 

Alex

I have advised him on the samples (minimums and terms and conditions.) but he seems to be sticking to some form of script. Time to rev it up a bit...

Alex, Good to hear from you. Just a question...Where are the stores located? I have a friend heading to Bulgaria, and keen to get to Romania too- perhaps they can visit you on my behalf. Just send me the name of the shop and address- that would be wonderful! 

Oh, do you have a website too?

Don

Hello Don,
I am currently travelling and would need a few samples by the end of this month. 

Indeed, our shops are in Romania, in the construction stage at the moment, in Bucharest, Sibiu and Brasov

All the best, Alex

More alarm bells here: He is travelling while he is opening three stores- lucky him! Again no actual address and another demand for samples. He has not mentioned the name of the stores and has no web presence either so I have a little push...

Alex, Glad to hear it is moving along! What did you say the name of the shop was again??? Also, do you have a web page or facebook page to drum up business??? Oh, and which particular pieces were you interested in? Cheer, Don

Hello Don,
Our retail shops will be called ESSENTIALS, and aren't yet advertised, until we have all needed brands on board.
Kindly advise from which collection can we choose the needed samples or forward a catalog better yet with current collection, ready to be ordered.
Sincerely, Alex Leca

I Google Essentials in Romania- nothing even remotely close. Again I get a push for the 

samples. I have already sent  price list and catalog! I make him do some homework...

Alex,
Sorry to be a bother, but which other brands will you be stocking? It would be nice to get a 'feel' for the stores.
Cheers, Don

Dear Don,
As I will concentrate more on accessories and bags, will be stocking also Bison Made, Primo Luxe and Think Neves, among others.
Kindly advise about the catalog matter .
Sincerely,  Alex

Seriously? The catalog? I have a giggle too- bags are accessories! 
I think about emailing those brands, but I don't want to waste anyone's time. Crunch time and I ask for money. He does not like that...

Alex, Just let me know which items you would like from the catalog you would like, transfer owing into my bank account, and I will express post them to you. Cheers, Don

Dear Don,
We don't require an entire collection, but only one or two review samples... Men's Military Gilet Waistcoat from Military Coat & Men's acrylic treated cotton button-front shirt.

received free of cost and sent back afterwards, as support from the company with

whom will make business afterwards. We would waste only precious time for such a small amount sent, as we use only T/T bank transfers.
Wishing you the best, Alex Leca

It is the moment I have been waiting for! The ball drops, the scam has arrived! Free of cost? Sent to the other side of the world? Bullshit! 
One final thing before I shoot him down in flames...

Alex, Sure, send me the address of the store. Don

Dear Urbandon,
Thank you for your decision. Is it possible to include also the Contraband vintage 3 pocket leather bag?
Kindly send the samples to following postal address,exactly as it follows,with no adding :
Attn. Alexandru Leca
Blvd.Tomis ******************       

Constanta CT 900432 Romania

T : 0727001444
 ***  For easy customs clearance,please put a maximum 10 USD TOTAL VALUE
on the package papers and describe them as samples with no commercial
value.

Incredibly he wants me to lie on a postal form ( in which I would lose all insurance on if lost) but not surprisingly his address is residential. 

Game over man, game over!

Alex,

I have been stringing you along all this time. From your first email I could tell you just wanted clothes for yourself. You have no internet presence, no retail address and no business credibility.

At no stage you praised my label, told me where you had seen my label or been specific in your requests for pieces. Your business addresses have not been forthcoming and hysterically you don't even have a facebook page or website before you open your three stores! 

Purchasing half a dozen pieces minimum would be the least of your expenses in opening three stores.

The fact that you disputed my terms of wholesale- wanting to purchase only a couple of pieces at wholesale prices- and now asking for pieces for free while lying to Australia Post/ customs over the true value of posted items: Illegal and unprofessional. 

Clearly you are a *******************  ************ ************** if you think I am going to just send you pieces to someone with no shop or business skills. 

So long and thanks for the fun, **********************

Don

What can we learn from this? Don't trust anyone unless you can google them and find anything that would support their story. Professionals just don't use this type of language in their emails. Unless they can give you addresses, names and evidence of a legitimate business then don't touch them. Never send them anything...or you could just string them along for fun.

Be warned!

UPDATE: (22/3/13)

Hello Mr Pezzano,
This person just bought some watches from us a couple of years ago but we haven’t had any continuous business relationship with him and we haven’t heard from him in a long time. He is NOT one of our authorized dealers.

His behavior has been kind of dodgy and from our experience I would not recommend this person as a business partner. 

Popochos is a well known brand and we sell worldwide. Of course if you are interested in receiving catalogues and price lists of our products, don't hesitate to ask me.
Have a nice day,
 
Popochos Watches

LAWLESS COLLECTION PART II

We live in desperate times once again my friends.
Like before, the bankers have screwed us over and left us to fend for ourselves. Soup kitchens are full to the brim, unemployment and crime high. 

Survive is all we can do. We weather the storms. We stay strong.

Sometimes we fight to survive and break the rules to make a buck. We are The Lawless. 

This collection is about survival, resourcefulness, and the sometimes hard ways in which we live. 

*Uppity linen waistcoat with handmade leather button.

*Loner oversize linen jacket with handmade leather buttons.

*Slinger vintage L-shaped leather belt.

*Military pup-tent pants.

*Stingray muscle T-shirt.

*Contraband 3-pocket vintage leather bag.

* Chinese packing-cloth scarf.

*Vintage fedora hat.

*Asylum leather cuff from vintage medical restraints.

*Boots by Fly London.

See also...LAWLESS COLLECTION PART I 

GETTING YOUR WEBSITE MOBILE

Urbandon has as gone mobile. 

What?

Now I have a mobile-optimised web site. This means my site looks good on hand-held devices like phones and tablets. You get a web site that is designed for small screens.

Why? 

More people are using mobile devises than ever before and the trend is not slowing down. 

How much?

The best thing is getting it for free with GOMO. This is an initiative of Google who can see this being the future and want to cash in.

I can see how popular, or not, my mobile site is and then, if I want, start paying for the service next year. I get my own domain name (urbandon.com) then instead of the gomo/urbandon type of thing. 

Sounds complex.

No it's not. If you already have a web site then GOMO will optimise your site automatically. You may want to 'tweak' it a little to get it just right- and that is easy too.

I want more geek factor!

These are fun too- QR Codes (Quick Response Codes). Point your phone at the screen here for a link to my site.

If you have a mobile, give it a whirl. (feedback much appreciated!)

So why all this mobile excitement buddy? 

Well, I just received as a gift (Thanks Grrl!) the new Nokia 820 phone. These are very nice phones.

My old phone was a tin-can and a piece of string, so this was a major upgrade. 

My new laptop also runs Windows 8 along with my phone so they are synced, making them easy and fun to use. 

I always avoid sounding like a infomercial but if it works, looks good, is easy to use and FREE then I'm in. 

Are you mobile? Please post your mobile site in comments as I would love to have a look.

Think it is all stupid?

Willing to give it a go? 

Questions?

How much is Nokia paying you?

SHOT BY PETER COULSON (NSFW)

One of Australia's hottest photographers, Peter Coulson captures Gemma wearing urbandon menswear. 

Loving our collaborations.

*acrylic coated shirt and pants.

*wool waistcoat from reclaimed blanket.

*reconstructed hand-made suit.

*sleeveless wool T-shirt.

*sheer wool knit shirt.

Photographer Peter Coulson @ www.peter-coulson.com.au

Model: Gemma @ Vicious Models

Make-up: Natascha Verkaik

Designer: Don Pezzano @ Urbandon 

LAWLESS COLLECTION PART 1

Outlaws, gunslingers, bootleggers and moonshiners. Sometimes men get desperate in desperate times. How do you feed a family when you ain't got no skills? 

Whatcha gonna do to survive? Whatcha willing to do?

I ain't condoning no violence here- just criminal activity, like.  

Bugsy, Slim, The Kid or Weazel: them boys be bad. 

Babyface, Billy the Kid, Pretty Boy. Them all got the best nicknames too.  

Everyone remembers The Lawless.

*Drifter long coat made from vintage moleskin with hand-made leather buttons.

*Bootleg waistcoat from vintage duffel bag and Chinese print fabric with hand-made leather buttons.

*Slinger vintage L-shaped leather belt.

*Asylum leather wrap cuff made from vintage medical restraint.

*Stingray raw-edged cotton muscle T-shirt.

*Multi-panel pants made from reclaimed U.S. Army 'pup' tent.

*Contraband vintage 3-pocket leather bag.

*Explorer vintage fur felt fedora with Boy Scout Master leather hat band.

*Vintage ticking neck tie.

***

Ain't nobody is go'n get hurt. 

Just lie down on the floor and keep calm. 

SELLING THE SIZZLE, NOT THE SAUSAGE

I feel I can share with you. 

We have been together long enough that I can let you in on a secret.

Copy-writing! 

I am learning to dig a little deeper when it comes to promoting my work. Learning to explore and connect with my audience. Perhaps I did with a blog- but now is the time to string more than a few words together.

After discovering The Middle Finger Project and the amazingly talented and funny Ash I am rethinking my whole approach to marketing. 

(Please don't visit that link if you don't like swearing. If you don't mind rude words and want practical business advice in a language you can understand then go, go, go!)

Here is a sample of copy that actually uses my voice, not the drone 'size, shape and colour' (said really, really slowly) type of descriptions...

I was thinking about the women that would wear this while crafting this piece- if you are here, then perhaps it is you. 

It's funny, so much of what we buy comes from people we don't and never will know. That is not the case with hand-made. Send me an e-mail, visit my studio, pat my dog, Bruce. 
That is what buying hand-made is about. You can see the process, watch me rummage through boxes of found objects and know where everything came from. 

It's just me, in my studio, drinking coffee and asking Bruce to not sleep under my feet while I am trying to sew.  

While at other times, I am enjoying a more 

J. Peterman approach...



Thunder roared through the darkening valley, 

a cold wind blew off distant glaciers. A 

handful of ravens mocked the storm and 

spiraled overhead. Mist was creeping in, 

making the going precarious.

Lindbergh castle, my grandfathers home for

many years, was a few miles yet. Damn 

stage-coach driver, scared off by wolf howls

on a full moon. What a superstitious bunch. 

Yet here I was alone, on foot, with nothing 

but my lightweight bags and heavy heart to 

take me through the darkness. 

My boots were strong and a dusty fedora

clung to my head. Luckily I was wearing my 

long black Sith Coat from urbandon. It 

didn't just suit this mood, it was the only 

thing keeping me warm. I wrapped the built-

in scarf around my neck, securing the coat 

closed. A bitter wind was now the last thing 

on my mind. Just a little bit further to go.

It is refreshing, fun and I feel I am being myself. 
Thanks for listening to me yabba on all this time.

Check this wonderful promotional video that uses emotion not facts to encourage tourism in Peru...

As the title of this post says- It's selling the 'sizzle' not the 'sausage'. 

Sold?

URBAN TRIBAL JEWELLERY

Jewellery. 

Urban. 

Tribal. 

Reclaimed. 

 Discarded leather.

Found brass ring.

Waxed cotton cord.

Noise.

Knots.

Primitive.

Minimal.

Clean.

Calm.

Raw.