141–150 of 179 posts
I'd say we really need an phone application and or web browser extension to find out if a product is owned by Private Equity or Big Business. Something like isitbigbeer.com but for clothing, toys, food, and drink. Companies like Kroger are buying up their competition while not changing the name to make it look like they still compete.
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>I acknowledge not everyone has the privilege to spend $99 on a pair of jeans, but if you find yourself able, I think it's worthy to support American manufacturing. I feel like I'm in a parallel universe. What year is it? Base Levis are more than that... We're also on a site filled with well off tech workers. $99 jeans aren't exactly a luxury. https://www.levi.com/US/en_US/clothing/men/501-original-mens...
The contrast of your two perspectives kind of illustrates the information void (of quality vs price) in the article. At Walmart it's common to get jeans (including Levi jeans) for < $20. But how long will they last? I honestly don't know, and even more I don't know how to definitely pay more for better quality.
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Author here. Good catch... you're right. The wool is still woven in Pendleton and Washougal, but finished product sourcing is a mix and some blankets are now assembled offshore. Will update the Ledger entry and the essay today.
Please address the criticisms that this is AI written slop here https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47850659 . Why are you writing this and what's your goal? Are you actually checking every fact in the articles? I think you'd do well to cite a lot more of your sources, especially given the AI concerns. Cite legal filings, public records, reddit comments, whatever. Verifiability would help.
On the AI question: I use LLMs throughout the process. Research assistance (pulling threads together, checking claims against sources, summarizing industry reports), and editing passes. The reporting, arguments, and editorial judgment are mine. Every factual claim gets verified before it goes out. That's the standard I hold it to, and when I miss (like the DC Shoes paragraph refulgentis flagged), I fix it.
Speaking of which, I have updated that section with three sources: https://www.worseonpurpose.com/p/your-favorite-brands-got-wo...
On sourcing more broadly: you're right that the earlier essays need more inline citations. My first essay (backpack) especially is thin. I will go through to retrofit with sources asap.
Goal is what I said upthread: to create a public record of who owns what, and what ownership has done to the product. I hate that it has become impossible to track how quality has been eroded across industries. I hope Worse on Purpose can be an antidote to that trend.
Palantir is my day job. It is completely unrelated to this work.
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Brooks has their "factory outlet" crap that is also what you're likely to see at "overstock" stores like Nordstrom Rack (or TJ Max, though I'm not sure they get Brooks-branded stuff; NR does). That entire market is basically one big decentralized fraud operation, they took a model that used to involve selling brands' real goods that had, for whatever reason, not sold well or had minor quality defects, at steep discou…
> the government is captured by rich crime-loving assholes It’s funny how fast average joe complains when a lack of economic growth slows down their 401k’s though… Edit: Apparently I’m surrounded by non-standard Joe
I'm glad they had the "Brands That Still Make Their Own Stuff" list, that was my first thought. What other brands are still decent?
Arcteryx, despite being owned by a larger corporation, is still high quality. Their hardshell jackets are the gold standard. I've also had success with Mountain Hardware, Outdoor Research (jackets and pants). (I do search and rescue, so a lot of focus on outdoor stuff. It is also really hard on gear so anything cheaply made gets destroyed pretty quickly.)
So it's what type of company owns it -- is it a PE play to extract maximum value for shareholders, or a lasting company building value for consumers?
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Same here.. i bulk buy tons of AG (American Giant) t-shirts (Premium Slub Crew Tee is awesome) and tons of their jeans too.
Interesting. Hadn't heard of American Giant. I buy AG Jeans and Robert Barakett shirts, and this is my usual outfit. However, AG Jeans ( https://www.agjeans.com/ ) is distinct from American Giant jeans ( https://www.american-giant.com/collections/mens-bottoms ). I also struggle to identify quality brands. Generally just shop at Nordstorm.
Funny baader-meinhof moment for me reading this. My wife recently bought me some Brooks Brothers polo shirts that essentially dissolved the first time they were washed. I had never seen a shirt that was such poor quality. We were both flabbergasted, and the employees apparently gave her a bit of a hard time when she tried to return them. I suppose I now know why. What this company is doing is taking advantage of, and…
Brooks has their "factory outlet" crap that is also what you're likely to see at "overstock" stores like Nordstrom Rack (or TJ Max, though I'm not sure they get Brooks-branded stuff; NR does). That entire market is basically one big decentralized fraud operation, they took a model that used to involve selling brands' real goods that had, for whatever reason, not sold well or had minor quality defects, at steep discou…
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+1 on Origin. 100% of their good are built from American-grown/made materials, built by American hands. It's wayyyy more expensive than most common brands ($99 for a pair of jeans), but if you compare them to "luxury" brands like Lululemon, it's comparable and wasn't manufactured using slave labor. Personally, I love using Origin for everything I can afford to use them for. I acknowledge not everyone has the privileg…
>I acknowledge not everyone has the privilege to spend $99 on a pair of jeans, but if you find yourself able, I think it's worthy to support American manufacturing. I feel like I'm in a parallel universe. What year is it? Base Levis are more than that... We're also on a site filled with well off tech workers. $99 jeans aren't exactly a luxury. https://www.levi.com/US/en_US/clothing/men/501-original-mens...
0: https://www.levi.com/US/en_US/clothing/men/jeans/straight/50...
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> Just but either professional (as in practitioners of a trade us it) or military products — those tend to be much better than “consumers” products. They cost more but they will last a lifetime. Eh, I'm not sure that's such good advice. IIRC, I remember stumbling across tacticool "military grade" USB thumb drives, for instance. I doubt those are any better than your typical name-brand drive. "Professional" seems to b…
The impression I've gotten from ex-military folks is that regarding "military grade" as a marker of quality is a habit they find particularly funny.
That said, "military grade" means fuck all, as does a one-off testing/prototype deal. The only time I would take military use as a sign of quality is when it's verifiably combat tested and approved by the soldiers on the ground, and now that I've been out for 15 years it can be hard to tell the difference.