Kuiu Article

Hall256

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Exactly. As much as I like First Lite as a company at 6'4+ I'm not sure their gear is going to work. Does anyone know if they offer or are going to offer custom fitting in Dixon at the main store?
Have you tried First Lite's Tall/Long sizing? I'm 6'3 and almost discounted FL since my fist set of Kanabs stopped mid ankle, but ordered a new set in Large/tall and it fits my 34/35 inseam very well.

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LBFowler

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I'd bet money "tailoring" means hemming pants and little else, and custom fitting just means someone holds your hand picking a size. Technical clothing like this just does not lend itself to alterations, I wouldn't get your hopes up.
 

Jimbob

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I'd bet money "tailoring" means hemming pants and little else, and custom fitting just means someone holds your hand picking a size. Technical clothing like this just does not lend itself to alterations, I wouldn't get your hopes up.

I agree, I would be blown away if they actually made a set of custom clothes based on someones measurements.
 

Beendare

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I think some might be missing what is going on here....this all about business and making money.

I like the Kuiu stuff but this is all about Jason cashing out. Nothing wrong with that....American dream and all. As a businessman, I admire how Jason took what he learned from Sitka and applied it to Kuiu.

There are a pile of Venture Capital co's with millions sloshing around looking to invest. They see opportunity in Kuiu with the excellent brand it has become. Jason has spent a big part of his life and $$ building that company. This is a way for him to take a big chunk of dough off the table...and still retain control of Kuiu. I'm just guessing about the control part as with his Sitka venture he had partners and investors exerting enough pressure to sell....he didn't come out of that with the huge $$ he would have liked. The investors didn't get a huge payday but did OK.

I'm betting now he puts a huge chunk in his pocket [makes sense], He could have just sold the company....but this way he has his cake and eat it too. Its the exact opposite Patrick Smith has done with his Co by keeping it a Mom and Pop shop-- he built a brand but essentially carved out a good job for himself with no exit strategy.

Now these venture companies have a time horizon and will want a payback in 5-10 years....and not a little one. Look for Kuiu to expand into whatever it takes to go from a $50m co to a 300M co and then go public....or sell???

The big question is; How will it affect us? Typically, prices go up...and quality goes down....remains to be seen but it has happened with just about every one of these Companies from North Face forward. Personally, I like the direct to consumer sale model and the fact he has somewhat cheaper pricing for gear made from top quality fabrics.

The good news is; If Kuiu does try to milk the brand like above....there is always someone else that will come in to fill the void. Thats why its smart not to get all wrapped up in the hype around these brands...and sites like this can be a watchdog on that.
 

gbflyer

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I agree, I would be blown away if they actually made a set of custom clothes based on someones measurements.

I believe Simms offers this. I had a customer once who was pushing past #400 who had Simms custom breathable waders.
 

gbflyer

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Was that cheaper or more expensive than gastric bypass surgery?

LOL! Three of me could have fit in those bad boys. To be quite honest, the dude could have dropped 100# and not missed it, but he was not morbidly obese looking. He was just BIG!
 

Hall256

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... Was there only two of us to watch the video on the previous page?
Pssh...who has time to watch a video explaining how they will offer tailoring...i will just state that they will not offer tailoring.

Also, in the spirit of full disclosure I just now watched the video...totally blew past it earlier...LOL

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LBFowler

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Pssh...who has time to watch a video explaining how they will offer tailoring...i will just state that they will not offer tailoring.

Also, in the spirit of full disclosure I just now watched the video...totally blew past it earlier...LOL

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Actually the video kind of agreed with me, hemming pants and cuffs and minor waist adjustments, not true tailoring. I was commenting because it sounded like people were expecting true custom sizes rather then minor alterations.
 
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The custom tailoring is genius. There attack pants are a great pant but my only problem is that every inseam needs to be hemmed to 31". Good idea to eliminate a customer having to take it to a third party vendor for those that can buy local.


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Smart move. He is losing out on 30-40% of his possible customer base by not having retail space.
If you look into market segmentation in the online/retail space there are a lot of people that only buy if they can try it on/out.
I am one of those people and don't own any Kuiu gear because of that.

I called them a few weeks ago because I am doing research on sleeping bags...wondered if I bought a bag and slept in it twice if I could return it. I've borrowed Western mountaineering, NF, marmot, no one around here has a Kuiu bag...
The CSR said no dice...only if warranty. So I guess I am not going to purchase one of their bags.

Even if the stores are not profitable in the first couple years he should see an uptick in sales company wide. The extra people that are exposed to the brand and purchase because they try their friends gear out.
 

TheCougar

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I don't see how this could be a good business model with the decline in brick and mortar stores and the associated cost to the bottomline... I would rather see KUIU, FL, Kifaru, etc let small stores (bow shops, gun shops, etc) carry a small selection of their clothes so people can touch them and examine the product line, but still have to buy them online. Kuiu/FL/Kifaru/SG gets more customer exposure for free, the small shops get more customers in their door, and the customers get to examine and see the products first hand before buying. It is a win-win-win and the shops or the companies don't pay anything for the benefits. The customer gets to examine the gear first hand before buying it directly from the manufacturer. I know if my local shop carried any of the above gear, I would be in there all the time examining fabrics, construction, etc.
 
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Sounds like a good thing for backcountry hunters. More competition in the high-end hunting niche and more positive exposure in a community that already loves the mountains but doesn't necessarily know a lot about hunting.
 

EsteemGrinders

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I fully agree!! I personal have never tried any KUIU gear. If I can not try it on I am not buying it. First lite has done a good job of having stock at a couple of the small bow shops around here and now Kifaru has some shops stocking their packs as well. One of them happens to be an hour away from me. I think EXO would do well with having their packs in small shops as well.

I don't see how this could be a good business model with the decline in brick and mortar stores and the associated cost to the bottomline... I would rather see KUIU, FL, Kifaru, etc let small stores (bow shops, gun shops, etc) carry a small selection of their clothes so people can touch them and examine the product line, but still have to buy them online. Kuiu/FL/Kifaru/SG gets more customer exposure for free, the small shops get more customers in their door, and the customers get to examine and see the products first hand before buying. It is a win-win-win and the shops or the companies don't pay anything for the benefits. The customer gets to examine the gear first hand before buying it directly from the manufacturer. I know if my local shop carried any of the above gear, I would be in there all the time examining fabrics, construction, etc.
 

JWP58

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Actually the video kind of agreed with me, hemming pants and cuffs and minor waist adjustments, not true tailoring. I was commenting because it sounded like people were expecting true custom sizes rather then minor alterations.

Would it make you feel better if the term "alterations" was used? I doubt anyone needs to hunt in a bespoke kuiu suit for Christ sake.
 

LBFowler

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I doubt anyone needs to hunt in a bespoke kuiu suit for Christ sake.

That's what is often discussed when the word "tailoring" or "custom fitting" is used, there are plenty of guys with bigger thighs and arms or less then common proportions that would love a level of customization that isn't feasible with technical gear, especially when the factory is a few thousand miles away.
Just trying to keep people from getting their hopes up.
 
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