hey all! I started Pistol Lake because I wanted to make a difference.
Growing up a lot of my family sewed shoes in Maine, and the industry provided a lot of people livelihoods. That manufacturing has all but left America, but we think that if we bring advances in technology, textiles, and manufacturing into apparel, we can not only make fundamentally better things -- but also bring a lot of opportunity to a lot of people.
Our goal in creating our new fabric, Eudae, was to create something that lets you pack light, travel more, and consume less. Something that looks natural, but performs -- to allow you to travel the world with just a single backpack. The fabric is soft like silk, but rugged enough for any adventure, and it's insanely breathable and moisture-wicking. It's a blend of fibers made from recycled bottles and the pulp of Eucalyptus trees.
Now we're going to build a small, but technically-advanced, factory here in Los Angeles, so we can take the next big step toward our goals of not only make gear that let's us live active, adventurous lives, but also allow us to make a big impact on everyone that makes the things we wear.
I'll be around all day if anyone has any questions or wants to shoot the shit. I built tech companies for a while before Pistol Lake and am happy to talk about manufacturing, textiles, apparel, or the shift from building tech companies to making physical things.
@bbalfour it was very much a learning process. I didn't have a background in textiles, but I knew what I was looking for. We've always worked with local mills here in Los Angeles to knit the fabric for our other gear, but this was something different. It came from trying out all these shirts like Nike and Under Armour, which worked well, performed -- but they looked technical/not something I'd wear casually. It also just didn't make sense to be out exploring the world, but destroying it in the making of the clothes I was wearing -- I knew I wanted to do the least amount of damage as I could. So with those specs in mind, I checked out hundreds of fabrics on the market, but couldn't find what I was looking for. We sampled dozens and dozens of the best technical fabrics available and tested in use, and a small make-shift lab we created to test for moisture retention and wicking. Eventually we decided if we were going to get the exact specs we were looking for, we'd have to make something ourself. We worked with one of the most technically-advanced mills in the States to create our custom yarn and finishing, and after many, many months, were able to knit our first sample roll, which is what we're wearing in the video. It's incredible.
@wsul@bbalfour
"I knew I wanted to do the least amount of damage as I could" This bit really drove home the ethos behind the effort you and your team committed to the development.
As you worked through the refining process, what sort of environmental impact factors were important to the team? Were you able to look at the effective water use, petroleum consumption, transportation costs and such for the development/production of (what's now) Eudae vs other traditional fabrics?
@mg the biggest difference is the amount of work that goes into the development. we're a tiny company -- just three of us -- and there is such a huge amount of work that goes into developing a new fabric, sewing countless protos, testing, and then working on the supply of all the raw materials etc. believe it or not, the hardest thing to source here in LA is actually the buttons and small trim items! Andrew handles most of that and he's a machine when it comes to tracking things down. When you manufacture in China, you can send a sample and some notes and because the factories are so advanced and there has been so many billions invested, they will source everything insanely fast - but because manufacturing here in the States has become almost a cottage industry, compared to what it used to be, it can take a ton of work lining up everything from zippers, to pocket lining, to heat transfers.
The ways that it is similar to a typical tech co launch though, is in my own making. Because we launched this new line on Kickstarter, and because so many of our customers are from the tech industry, and so many of my friends, and because we are a tech company, at our heart, we try to get the word to spread quickly on our launch day.
I love the idea behind this and the men's styles seem perfectly suited to going from gym to boardroom to socializing - but the women's line is definitely workout-only. Any plans to make some more versatile pieces for women?
@gillianim absolutely. we've been designing men's apparel for a couple years, and these was our first designs for women. we've had a lot of interest though, so we'll definitely be designing more. What do you think we should work on first?
@wsul I'd love to see a truly versatile pant that you can run in but also looks good enough for the office / out with friends. Men have had this for ages with the Outlier pants http://outlier.cc/ and @Betabrand has made some attempts for women with their dress pant yoga pant range https://www.betabrand.com/womens... but they still really just look like yoga pants. Your men's line really seems to hit the style + function nail on the head, I'd like to see what's next for women!
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My Pistol Lake french terry pullover hoodie is my favorite, and most-worn, piece of clothing. @wsul What's the new factory going to be like? What goes into building a factory in Los Angeles in 2016?
@croaky we're starting small. really small. we've been working out of the same shop/warehouse for a while, so we've cleared some space and we're going to be buying some used cutting tables, some single needle, 4 thread overlock, coverstitch, and flatlock machines, and some ironing boards for finishing. we're going to take it slow, we have a lot to learn along the way. luckily we have some incredible mentors and friends that have done this before, and have built really large scale sewing factories, and are excited to help us. but we're prepared for a lot of learning.
My wardrobe is nearly 100% Pistol lake. I'm wearing one of the henley's right now. I got to try on some of the new line when I was last in LA. The new fabric is amazing. So soft. Perfect fit. Can't wait to wear it to the gym every day.
Pistol Lake is my favorite new brand. High quality products, great design, and great service. William is a good human and has brought a conscious approach to creating great basics for men. The henleys are my favorite of all time, and the shorts are a unique and unexpected design which I have fallen in love with.
Really excited for this new line. We have a few of the original Pistol Lake items at home (@amandakuzma loves her sweatshirt) and obsessed w. the quality of the product.
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