[Closed] Hebden Bridge Trouser Company

So in essence:Saving Trousertown is achieved by manufacturing somewhere between Leeds and Manchester.

🙂

Bit like saving the North by investing more in the South East.

So is Hebden Bridge good at making trousers or not..?

And if I wait and buy a pair in 6 months are they saying they'll be better quality than the ones they are making today / have in stock?

Genuine question as I was about to buy a pair until I saw this post, they seem to be saying the factory that has been making them to date can't make them good enough or fast enough?

There's nothing wrong with the originals. I have two pairs and they are indeed the best trousers that I have ever owned.

The issue appears to be that the original factory couldn't produce enough trousers to meet demand or a sample to the modified pattern to standardize the range, then their MD made that rather odd Facebook post.

Always bought Howies trousers but last couple of pairs (now made in China) have fallen to bits in no time. Need a new trouser sponsor

[i]The issue appears to be that the original factory couldn't produce enough trousers to meet demand or a sample to the modified pattern to standardize the range, then their MD made that rather odd Facebook post.[/i]

This, from what I can see.

I'm happy with my two pairs of moleskins and if they start doing a cotton trouser I'd buy them for use in warmer weather...

The issue appears to be that the original factory couldn't produce enough trousers to meet demand or a sample to the modified pattern to standardize the range, then their MD made that rather odd Facebook post.

1. HebTroCo engaged in some extremely sharp marketing practice
2. Shorties overreacted

Fair?

The issue appears to be that the original factory couldn't produce enough trousers to meet demand or a sample to the modified pattern to standardize the range, then their MD made that rather odd Facebook post.

This, from what I can see.

Yeah, that will be it...... Nothing to do with margins at all I should think.

Yep. Brant & Ed's Learjet doesn't run on tap water.

Huh, I'd thought this entire thread was satirical

Does this strike anyone else as a bit weaselly? The overriding impression from their website last week was that everything was made in Hebden Bridge. This is some months after production started elsewhere.

This is the issue for me (not an important one as I'm not their target customer to be fair.

The impression I got from the thread that vanished was that their website re-wording was done after the guy from the factory went public - i.e. up until then, despite the fact that they were sourcing production from elsewhere, they were still claiming it was all made in Hebden.

Does anyone know if that is in fact the case? I.e. does anyone know the chronology between facebook rant and website update? (and I don't mean the compliance with the request to remove stuff, I mean stopping saying that it was all made in Hebden Bridge)?

HebTroCo engaged in some extremely sharp marketing practice

I'm still not clear on what this is referring to.

According to the statement above they changed their website before this erupted.

So in essence:Saving Trousertown is achieved by manufacturing somewhere between Leeds and Manchester

Its still boom time for Hebden Bridge Post Office, seemingly. 🙂

i.e. up until then, despite the fact that they were sourcing production from elsewhere, they were still claiming it was all made in Hebden.

Pretty much everything they are selling is made in Hebden bridge. Other supply arrangements might have been in progress for future stock but the website was a fair reflection of what you would actually get if you bought something right now.

I'm still not clear on what this is referring to.
According to the statement above they changed their website before this erupted.

Does this strike anyone else as a bit weaselly? The overriding impression from their website last week was that everything was made in Hebden Bridge. This is some months after production started elsewhere.

According to the statement above they changed their website before this erupted.

The statement doesn't give any timing relative to the other events.

We worked exclusively with Shorties until February this year, when it became clear that demand far outstripped their capability to supply all the trousers we needed.

So the demand for trousers made in Hebden (a significant usp) was so huge they fulfilled it by making the product not in Hebden.

Hmmmmmmmm

Moving to another factory allowed us to make some fit changes but at a significant cost to us. New pattern drafting is not cheap but customer feedback indicated these changes have improved our product. We reworded our website, so as not to claim everything was made solely in Hebden Bridge.

This implies they changed things when they moved some production to the new factory. That happened several months ago - this bit I know for a fact as Ed told me this in the pub (in Hebden Bridge) several months ago.

This implies they changed things when they moved some production to the new factory. That happened several months ago

Does this strike anyone else as a bit weaselly? The overriding impression from their website [b]last week[/b] was that everything was made in Hebden Bridge. This is some months after production started elsewhere.

The overriding impression from their website last week was that everything was made in Hebden Bridge

That is just another (2nd hand) person's interpretation though isn't it, what did their website [i]actually [/i]say?

I don't actually care either way, but for some reason I do care about things being truthful and accurately reported.. off the internet archive to have a look... 😀

EDIT - wording today fromt he 'about' page

[i]"Everything we make is manufactured by factories and individual crafts people in the north of England."[/i]

Wayback machine doesn't have the 'about' page* archived so anyone got a copy of what it said last week?

The main page makes no specific mention of where the trousers are made on the May snapshot, which IS different to a snapshot from 2016

main page in May 2017

[i]"We will make you ...HebTroCo is about proper British trousers. This is modern workwear – whatever your work may be...."[/i]

main page in 2016

[i]"We will make you...HebTroCo is about proper British trousers. [b]Trousers made in a factory in Hebden Bridge[/b], West Yorkshire, England. This is modern workwear – whatever your work may be...."[/i]

change highlighted, so it does support what they said about having made changes prior to 'the incident' and just being called The Hebden Bridge Trouser company doesn't mean they can't source elsewhere as well, heck they could even do it all elsewhere as long as the company is based there/started there.

The overriding impression from their website last week was that everything was made in Hebden Bridge

The company name is quite a strong push to make that inference...

DUnno about that - plenty of bike shops have a town name in their title

Is it really that important they are made in Hebden Bridge or not?

Huh, I'd thought this entire thread was [b]sartorial[/b]

[quote=Mackem ]Is it really that important they are made in Hebden Bridge or not?

quite a lot of the initial marketing push was about "trousertown", meaning Hebden Bridge.

Perhaps they should move in to clogs.

The valley used to have quite a few clogg factories that have all but gone.

I'm looking for some new trousers. Does anybody have any suggestions on where I might be able to procure a pair or two?

Is it really that important they are made in Hebden Bridge or not?

Not to everyone, but this has clearly been damaging for what had become quite a strong brand.

The statement acknowledges in hindsight it was naive to effectively tie the brand to one supplier - who they've then fallen out with.

Can't blame anyone for that really, but it paints the brand into a bit of a corner.

shot in the factory building he leases (having sold it to property developers some years ago).

Meow!

just being called The Hebden Bridge Trouser company

Point of order, they're not called that.

quite a lot of the initial marketing push was about "trousertown", meaning Hebden Bridge.

I know, but even now a large proportion of the money is going through "trousertown", nonetheless why get so bothered? It was never a charity to help Hebden Bridge, it's 2 blokes making some money and some people getting trousers they like.

Is it really that important they are made in Hebden Bridge or not?

In terms of quality, probably not.

In other ways very much so. There's a growing trend for products to have a backstory, for example they don't necessarily need to be local, but they need to be someone relatable's local. You could buy trousers form M&S, but you don't want to, you just do it out of routine, so HebTroCo give you that little extra push in their direction with a backstory.

See also the demise of sausages, cheese, etc etc. You can't just buy cheap mature cheddar anymore, it has to be Cathedral City. It's probably the same dairy (Arla?) making it, but it's a product form somewhere. Ditto Sausages, it's all 'Debbie and Andrews', Bury, etc. I'd bet you neither Debbie nor Andrew made those sausages, but it's designed to trick you into thinking it's not just another big brand.

it's all a bit pants!

😀

(IGMC)

It's not uncommon to fall out with your suppliers in business, happens all the time.

I'm not saying I disagree, I applaud Brant and Ed for setting up a successful new business and supporting their local producers where possible.

The Hebden Bridge Trouser company

Point of order, they're not called that.

Noted*, however the point stands, even if they were that would not preclude them sourcing trousers from elsewhere.

* And you can surely forgive given the title of this very thread!

Is it really that important they are made in Hebden Bridge or not?

Possibly not to a lot of people. But to be fair, it did seem quite important to them when they launched the brand with a massive dollop of heritage marketing based purely on the location.

HebTroCo is about proper British trousers. Trousers made in a factory in Hebden Bridge,

HebTroCo are aiming to get the town known once again for what it was once so famous for. We want to continue and reinvigorate the manufacturing of trousers in Hebden Bridge and ensure that the tradition remains unbroken.

The HebTroCo aims to bring a trouser brand back to Hebden Bridge. We communicate and operate in modern 21st century ways but we keep traditional manufacturing techniques, allowing the factories and staff to keep working and growing.

We ship directly to you to keep overheads down. No high street rent or glitzy offices. Just brilliant trousers made in Trouser Town by skilled staff, sold directly to you.

I'm sure the trousers are still awesome though, as it sounds like they are still made in a similar way rather than mass produced in a sweatshop
So in that respect, no I don't suppose it does matter.

Of course, this could all be an elaborate masterstroke of publicity.

🙂

Brant and Ed consider their next move....

[img] [/img]

😆 😉

Not to everyone, but this has clearly been damaging for what had become quite a strong brand.

Really? the 58 people who were giving judge pickles a reacharound on facebook and the 20 folks who probably wouldn't buy any but love the drama on here?

Are people suggesting that they change the name of their company because there has been a change of supplier?

They are still handmade in the UK. If they were being bashed out of a sweat shop on some far flung land by kids that live under cardboard boxes, whilst still being sold at a premium price, then I could see there being an issue.

In other news.
The Manchester Evening News isn’t printed in Manchester.
Walkers Crisps are delivered in lorries.
Foxes Glacier Mints do not contain any bits of fox or glacier.
Ben and Jerry don’t make ice cream.
Frankie & Benny aren’t actually real people.

Pretty much everything they are selling is made in Hebden bridge.

Apart from the actual trousers 🙂

Is it really that important they are made in Hebden Bridge or not?

I've said it before but they based their whole brand image on 'saving trouser town', the local trouser maker taught them everything they know etc. So is trouser town safe now and they can move on to saving other towns with a less prosperous post office, graphic designer and artisan belt maker? 🙂

In other news.
The Manchester Evening News isn’t printed in Manchester.
Walkers Crisps are delivered in lorries.
Foxes Glacier Mints do not contain any bits of fox or glacier.
Ben and Jerry don’t make ice cream.
Frankie & Benny aren’t actually real people.

None of which based their brand image and 'heritage' on their name.

If they were being bashed out of a sweat shop on some far flung land by kids that live under cardboard boxes, whilst still being sold at a premium price, then I could see there being an issue.

That's probably one for a couple years down the line.

UKTroCo, EngTroCo, ThaTroCo?

I think I'd be fairly cheesed off if I bought some Stilton, and it wasn't actually made in [url= https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stilton_cheese ]Stilton[/url].

Are you suggesting their trousers are not made from actual trousers?

🙂

I think I'd be fairly cheesed off if I bought some Stilton, and it wasn't actually made in Stilton.

It's not. In fact that's a great example being made in Notts,Derbys and Leices.

And HeBTroCo products are not products of designated origin.

I'd bet you neither Debbie nor Andrew made those sausages

I like my trousers from Hebden Bridge.

Really? the 58 people who were giving judge pickles a reacharound on facebook and the 20 folks who probably wouldn't buy any but love the drama on here?

Many more people will be reading this thread than are posting on it. And I'd guess this forum was a springboard for the firm's original success - making the users here a big part of their core customer base.

As an aside, I often work on social media crisis simulations for corporate clients and PR professionals, and this would be a textbook storyline for one of them.

British gas ..... where does the gas come from

Aunt Bessie isn't knee deep in potato peelings either, the fibbing cow.

Pair Number 081 from the first run still for sale. Unworn. 😀

I'm told Yorkshire tea is from India ..... WTAF

How much will Shorties own brand trews cost? circa £20 and I'm in.

Really? the 58 people who were giving judge pickles a reacharound on facebook and the 20 folks who probably wouldn't buy any but love the drama on here?

They only reason I had a look at the original thread was that I was going to buy myself a pair for my 50th birthday in July. I liked the idea of what they were doing. As I said above if trouser town is now saved and they can move on to saving more gritty northern towns then I'm still in.

Pair Number 081 from the first run still for sale. Unworn

It's a bit like people selling their used knickers to middle aged men. The 'genuine article' touched by Brant & Ed

Too late. DD has sold them to a Japanese billionaire fetishist with a thing for men that smell of sawdust.

I’m sure that the stain on his conscience will be eased by the several thousand pounds in his PayPal account.

I'm still not clear on what this is referring to.

According to the statement above they changed their website before this erupted.

1. Was there a statement saying "all of our trousers are made in Hebden Bridge"? No.
2. Did the marketing, narrative, photography and video focus exclusively on Shorties and no other manufacturer? Yes.

As I said, I think the issued statement is weaselly.

Pretty much everything they are selling is made in Hebden bridge.

Apart from the boots. Which are made in Stoney Middleton apparently. Which is still in the North (depending on one's perspecive of course - some might argue it's actually the North Midlands ... but I digress)

Anyway .. the boots look good. Quite fancy a pair myself! Boots from a Trouser Company eh? 😉

Apart from the boots. Which are made in Stoney Middleton apparently.

For now.

British Made To Last. The HebTroCo Moto Boot is hand made exclusively for us by [b]Britain’s last remaining heavy bootmaker[/b], using processes that go back to the 19th century.

Until they can find another one can do it better 🙂

It's all a bit rapha.

Next people will be saying that Rapha hasn't been around since everyone rode in grainy monochrome. This is all very disillusioning.

Saying they are made within 25 miles of hebden bridge does dilute the provenance somewhat, both Leeds and Manchester fall into that range.
HuddsTroCo. Better than all the 'udders.
IGMC

This is all very disillusioning

I know ... as a teenager in the '80s I was advised to "Have a Coke and a Smile" ...

Which is clearly all marketing baloney as everyone knows that coke doesn't make you smile ... it just makes you a self-obsessed, arrogant and obnoxious ***t.

I suppose this all means that Brant's promises to revive the coal mining industry are empty waffle as well then? Anyone heard owt about that?

Oh, just so it's clear, that's not something that's definitely fact. It's just what I wrote on an internet forum as opinion.

Until they can find another one can do it [s]better [/s] [i][b]cheaper[/b][/i]

FIFY..

 

Until they can find another one can do it better cheaper

I rather think that what has actually happened here is they've gone and found a supplier that can do it.

At a basic level that's pretty fundamental to any business that uses a supplier.

This has rapidly become the silliest thread on here. Who knew that the manufacture and sale of moleskin trousers could be so polarising and arouse such passions? The Jeremy Corbyn and Brexit threads better watch out, there's a new kid on the block threatening to knock them off their perch.

Who knew that the manufacture and sale of moleskin trousers could be so polarising and arouse such passions?

I think it's the animal rights thing that gets people so wound up. A lot of townies don't understand that moles are vermin full stop.

I'm pretty miffed by the fact that a company called Shorty's are making trousers and not shorts. They clearly didn't think it through.

'm pretty miffed by the fact that a company called Shorty's are making trousers and not shorts.

For how long is a different matter

I think I'd be fairly cheesed off if I bought some Stilton, and it wasn't actually made in Stilton.

I rather think that what has actually happened here is they've gone and found a supplier that can do it.

Hardly saving Trouser Toon though is it. They've just become yet another boutique clothing manufacturer.

Yet another boutique clothing manufacturer...exactly how many do you think there are of those in the UK?

Such a load of twaddle on this thread. I believe butthurt whiners is the appropriate term. Well done Ed and Brant for having the entrepreneurial spirit to grow a new business.

Hardly saving Trouser Toon though is it. They've just become yet another boutique clothing manufacturer.

Quite. There's nothing wrong with that but the the spiel about saving trouser town is starting to look a little less than sincere.

I don't think I've ever seen Mark so active on a thread. 😕

.

I like the look of those boots, I'd need to try a pair on first though.
Again, I think it's jealousy on here, 2 blokes making a go of a new business, loving what they're doing. Penned in 9-5ers stuck in a rut don't like it, start getting on their high horses because they're trapped in a vicious circle and want anyone who dares to buck the norm fail. Jealous.

I don't think I've ever seen Mark so active on a thread.

Cougar and Drac, too.

Still, you look after your mates, don't you?

the spiel about saving trouser town is starting to look a little less than sincere.

Bucking the norm?

You mean not having your tongue rammed firmly...

I haven't really followed this since they launched with great fanfare and virtue signalling (#prayforhebdenbridge) but for those that formed their decision to spend money on them based upon this I can see why they would be miffed.

Not the first time I've seen someone launch an enterprise off the back of something elses coattails then change the narrative minitrue style when it no longer fits and I don't expect it will be the last.

Again, I think it's jealousy on here, 2 blokes making a go of a new business, loving what they're doing. Penned in 9-5ers stuck in a rut don't like it, start getting on their high horses because they're trapped in a vicious circle and want anyone who dares to buck the norm fail. Jealous.

Speaking purely for myself, it's not that at all.

It's the idea of getting a business started by using someone else's knowledge and skill, and a backstory of "saving trouser town"
Then as soon as the business is off the ground, dumping both.

If that's how it went down, I'm not jealous.

I thought it was great when they launched and it was such a success. I wasn't jealous then either.

I don't think I've ever seen Mark so active on a thread.

Should probably mention HebTroCo in the long unstickied forum update thread.

So.
2 local blokes come up with a marketing strategy for a local manufacturing firm.
Business takes off but local manufacturer cannot meet demand created by said blokes.
So blokes look for other firm to help meet this new demand.
Original firm see's their arse with this,f@~$ them off and go into direct competition with original blokes.
STW wrings hands.
Anything I've missed?