The 30-Year Jacket: A "labour of love" for Tom Cridland

London – As between ‘fast-fashion’ and
‘slow-fashion’ and selling directly to consumers rages on, one British
fashion start-up continues to promote his vision of what fashion can be, in
the form of the 30-year collection. Last year saw Thomas Cridland launch
the and the after successfully raising
upwards of 80,000 pounds through crowdfunding on Kickstarter and
Indiegogo. Two classic wardrobe staples, which are so well made that they
are guraranteed to last 30 years, promoting quality over quantity within
the increasingly mass-market fashion industry.

Now Thomas and his partner Deborah Marx have launched the final installment
to the namely The 30-Year Jacket.
“I am very excited about the jacket launch,” said Cridland to
FashionUnited over the phone. “It is the sequel to the 30-Year Sweatshirt
and something we have spent the last 6 months working very hard on – we
poured our heart and soul into it.” The jacket, which was officially
launched this Saturday during an in-store event at Tom Cridland’s pop-up
store in Chelsea, London, is similar to its counterparts in the sense it is
a classic garment. Featuring a more contemporary cut, similar to the Tom
Cridland trousers, the jacket is available in 2 versions and six colours, a lighter
spring version and a heavier, thicker version for autumn, winter.

We have teamed up with #London-based #startup Noah to create a unique puzzle game. The fastest player wins a sweater, so come into our pop up to check it out! #tomcridland #noah @erikmarx

A photo posted by Tom Cridland (@tomcridlandmenswear) on Feb 27, 2016 at 8:24am PST

Tom Cridland launches the final installment of the 30-Year Collection:
The 30-Year Jacket

But just like the other components of the 30-Year collection, the 30-Year
jacket is so well made it will last 30 years of wear and tear. If something
does indeed happen to the garment in the intermediate time, customers can
send it back for free repairs through to 2046, a pledge not many fashion
companies are able to make. However, this fashion start-up is definitely not
your average high street retailer, as Cridland sent out tackle the
industry’s built-in obsolescence process with his collection of high
quality, sustainable yet affordable garments. With the 30-Year jacket
however, the designer sent out to create something a little “different”
from the sweatshirts and t-shirts, something a little more luxurious.
Inspired to make his own jacket when he found himself wearing his father’s
old jacket, the 30-Year Jacket is crafted from the finest Italian wool and
cotton fabrics and made in Portugal.

The 30-Jacket features 10 special details, such as the handstitched logo
which was designed by a graphic designer in California, making each item
unique. However, Cridland believes it that it is the jacket’s 30-Year
guarantee which truly makes the garment on of a kind. “We spent a long time
getting it right,” says Cridland, who admits with somewhat of a heavy heart
that the jacket will only be available in a limited number of 500 pieces.
“It was an extremely hard decision for us to make, but we are a small
company – it’s just to two of us, so with a heavy heart we decided to
limited the production to 500.” Although production of the jacket was
higher than that of the sweatshirt or t-shirt and incurred more costs,
Cridland refused to charge a higher markup as other high street retailers,
to make sure the jacket remained accessible.

“Some luxury retailers charge a markup of up to 50 percent of the normal
recommended retail price, but I wanted to make sure the jacket was
accessible to our customers.” With the heavier, thicker jacket (available
in Charcoal and Navy) retailing for 249 pounds and the thinner, lighter
version (available in electric blue, chilli red, camel and seville orange)
retailing for 199 pounds, Cridland notes that the jacket has been extremely
well received by some of the brand’s most loyal fans, adding all the jacket
samples, which were displayed in store, where ultimately sold as well. Some
customers were surprised that Cridland did not charge more for the jackets,
but the designer acknowledges that the jacket may not be something everyone
will be keen to pick up. “We do need to charge enough of a markup to make
sure we survive and continue growing, which is why I think e-commerce is
the perfect place for our brand. We use it as a platform to spread our
case.”

Which is why, although he held a special launch event for the jacket’s
premiere in-store, the jacket is exclusively for sale online. “I really
enjoyed the experience of having a store and being in-store, but at the end
of the day we are an e-commerce based company,” explains Cridland, who
launched his label with the intention to fill the gap in the market for
higher end, quality products without the premium price tag. “Look at
Harry’s and Warby Parker, who proved it is possible to be a great brand
online. Look at American Apparel, who produces sustainable and quality
clothes. At the end of the day I want to have a brand which is known for
its personality and not just another high street chain – although if the
store goes really well then we may open more. But we will see.”

Until then customers will have to fulfill all their Tom Cridland shopping
online, as the shop at King’s Road in Chelsea closes its door today. In the
meantime, the 30-Year Jacket is still available for pre-order until April
30, 2016 for delivery by June, 30 2016.