chaosen

4 hours ago, WillKhitie said:

^ I think you're failing to see his point due to the scale of your perspective. Excuse the baseball analogy, but I feel like you may be looking at it in terms of innings/games vs. limeaide who may be looking at it in terms of seasons/years.  
 

Great, well thought-out post and I can definitely appreciate and agree with your perspective on several topics, especially the latter half (some excellent imagery there). You brought up some great examples on some of the trends that have fizzled out in recent years too; fashion is and has always been a cyclical and trend-dictated industry, and I completely agree that it is a fickle/sensitive market. That's why in previous posts, I was advocating the idea that price-inflating or price-gouging our sales posts (for Acronym goods) might have lasting, detrimental effects on the overall market. I just didn't think that the clothing industry should be compared with the luxury auto industry at all; the former is accessible and "affordable" to essentially anybody while the latter is almost strictly catered to the middle-upper class and wealthier - hence, the purchase decisions would be quite dissimilar, hobbyist/collector or not. Isn't it much more relevant to compare Acronym with Supreme, than with a high-end sports car? 

I suppose we'll just have to wait and see what happens with Acronym; I'm hoping not your worst case scenario. 

Edit: 
Deleted some paragraphs for brevity 
 

Just a heads-up: there's been an influx of fakes on several different sales platforms (Grailed, Yahoo Japan Auctions, eBay) lately. 

J1A-GT: http://page18.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/w170010663
J43-GT: http://page6.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/f206580745 and http://page9.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/k244295639 

We've seen the fake J1A-GT several times already, but I suspect with the recent hype, we might start to see lots more imitations (including different models; maybe even trousers and bags soon) being churned out in the near future. Might be a good idea to start a catalogue of what fakes are out there, including any discernible differences (lack of microgrid backer, wrong pull tabs etc.)

5 hours ago, limeaide said:

This reminds me of a similar situation within the Porsche community, another one of my interests. 

If anyone is familiar, this was happening with the 911R, a distilled down "pure" and "heritage" 991 (chassis code for the latest model year) that was fairly limited. Allocations were first given out to major players with Porsche, i.e. 918 owners and people with collections that are equivalent to the GDP of a small African nation. Once the cars started trickling in, people were asking insane amounts of money for a car that was 200k out the door from Stuttgart. Anywhere from 750k to 3 million from what I recall. Same goes for the GT3 and GT3RS. 

What happened? Nobody bought them. A few are now sitting at 600k. Still an outrageous markup, but on par with most limited Porsches. 

That's the key to this situation or temporary price spike. Not a lot of people can afford a limited edition Porsche. Not a lot of people can afford (or want to buy) an ACR piece. Acronym just happens to be right outside the comfort zone of many people's purchase ranges, in my opinion. 

Hype may drive up prices, but hype does not sustain prices.

 

This is an interesting example but I think you're over-generalizing and while the scenarios may seem comparable on paper, the ideas you bring up really don't apply here in the same way. 

You simply can't compare the purchasing power/habits of people looking to buy a high-end vehicle with the purchasing power/habits of people looking to buy luxury clothing. The reality is that both the product and their respective consumer bases are entirely different. Even if we ignore the obvious price discrepancies (i.e. $100K+ vs $1K+), the two markets just operate and are served in very different ways; involving very different customer decision-making. 

We live in a generation where the public is becoming increasingly fashion-conscious (byproduct of the internet, social media exposure, celebrity impact and so-forth). As a result, people are more willing to spend disposable income on fashion items. Even a student working a minimum-wage job might save up a month's income, or -- god forbid -- take out a credit card loan, to purchase that Acronym jacket or bag that he/she wants. The point is, for somebody who really wants something in the luxury clothing market, they can (and probably will) find a way to make ends meet. 

Regarding your idea that "Hype may drive up prices, but hype does not sustain prices" - again, the fashion industry is just a different animal. As mentioned in this thread already, just take a look at the resell value of Supreme goods, or even Yeezy's (or other coveted sneakers), over the last few years and you'll see that your comment doesn't hold true. 

38 minutes ago, CARLOOA said:

My snowflake sensibilities have been triggered.

Do you mean gouging? Are you suggesting there is exploitative pricing for items of conspicuous consumption? Like ethically dubious pricing strategies for veblen goods? I would ask you to stop and consider the ethics of price gouging in the context of conspicuous consumption: can you unethically price luxury goods? Anyway, I'm sorry if you actually meant "gauging" in the context of me trying to find a price for the 5TS. 

In any case, I'm not really intending to sell my 5TS for anything but that pie in the sky price; it was more meant as meta-humor that was coincidentally timed with that hypebeast article. I love my bag. I mean it'd be nice for some prices to come down so the upper-middle class can get some of this stuff but complaining about a price spike on Acronym is the most first-world problem ever. The price creep is ridiculous, I was trying to highlight that by putting my bag for $4.5k, I do apologize if sarcasm and satire isn't really evident on the internet.

I'm not complaining about the price spike, I'm just trying to demonstrate that there are lasting effects from posting these kinds of sales listings since it feeds the resell culture that's becoming more pervasive. We've gotten to this point only because people keep posting higher and higher prices. I just figured as a community here, we can try to avoid aggravating this problem since it doesn't help any of us that are actually into the brand for the long run (for the reasons I mentioned in my previous posts). You've been a helpful dude to the community all along, what does the $4.5K post really accomplish? It's potentially more damaging than you might expect, satire or not. I personally have nothing against you selling high, sell it privately or set the price lower and field offers instead? 

1 hour ago, Questlove said:

One good point a friend made to me as to why ACR may never reach the the exact same levels of hype we've seen Sup reach in the past few years is due to it's high barrier-to-entry for the common streetwear casual. The retail price points are well above-average for ACR products (not to mention the even higher price points for resold ACR), so it's much harder for a mass population of streetwear fanatics to "hop on board" so quickly. Unless you're making good money, you really have to save some dough and invest in an ACR piece.

Sup is much closer to the "fast-fashion" demographic of the common streetwear kid. Unless ACR changes its production and availability strategy and starts churning out large amounts of cheaper quality/cheaper product, I don't think the tables are going to turn anytime soon. 

1 hour ago, jbob24 said:

Agreed, the only reason it got out of hand in the first place is the fact you could scoop the lf1s and prestos for ~200 and get a quick turn around for at least double. Nobody is buying ANY proper acrnm jacket and flipping for double the same hour. 

I don't see a bargain tier of acrnm ever existing, ACG has enough proper acrnm DNA that I think it does a good job as a diffusion line already.  Cutting corners on ACRNM branded products is not on the table for them. 

I would be inclined to agree with you guys, but if you've been monitoring Grailed (or other sales platforms) at all, you'll see that the demand is very much real despite the price barrier you guys are mentioning. Acronym has amassed a cult status as of late, especially given so much social media exposure, and it clearly shows. A J47A-GT sold in a matter of minutes for $2,500 just the other day; each time an absurd sale like this occurs, it sets a new precedent for the market "value" of the item; which only fuels the hype/resell culture even further. The Supreme example might not be perfect but in my opinion it's highly relevant. 

In spite of any price barrier you guys might think exists, I'm virtually certain that when Acronym restocks 3A bags or any of the hyped goretex jackets (J1A, J28, J36, J47A), they're going to be bought up instantly (and a good portion will go to resellers). The demand is very real, and the reselling / price gauging (like @CARLOOA is inadvertently doing) is just making the situation much worse for all of us that are into Acronym for its intrinsic value rather than the hype. It might be a bubble, but given the short supply, prices are not coming down anytime soon; at least not for the hyped goods. 

Anyway, the trolls are out in full effect now and it seems there's no stopping them 

x

10 minutes ago, RemarkableArmor said:

I would love the WS version as I get the impression it doesn't suffer from the same issue.

I've had both versions and can confirm there's no zipper issues with the WS version. The WS uses gunmetal Vislon zippers. Great jacket, highly recommend it.

edit: if you're a medium, there's one available here albeit slightly pricey: http://page2.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/b243174426

3 hours ago, xc-mtb said:

Hello,

 

i am thinking of the J50 or J57-TS. Anyone with experience of this jackets?

I guess the J50 is stronger as a stand alone. Could use them for insulation with J32 or J43 as well.

regards

Matthias 

 

J50-S has Climashield insulation with an outer shell composed of rigid Stotz cotton that's water and wind resistant. It's very warm and substantial as a standalone jacket. In my experience, it's too bulky to layer under Goretex jackets; especially profile fitting pieces like the J32 and J43. I doubt you'll be able to comfortably wear the J50-S as an insulator for those particular jackets unless you've sized up on them. J50-WS (or J58-WS) would be better as an insulator, as that version has an outer shell composed of a softer 2L Gore Windstopper, which is lighter and compresses more than Stotz when layered underneath a shell. 

J57TS-SS has no Climashield insulation; rather it's lined with a fleece-like material. The outer shell is Schoeller softshell fabric that is thick, sturdy and has a very unique texture (slightly perforated; zoom into the detailed photos from stockists and you'll be able to see). It's quite warm by itself, but won't be as warm as the J50-S. It's also great as a standalone jacket, but can also be comfortably worn as insulation underneath a shell for milder temperatures. 

Both are good options and serve slightly different purposes. Hope this helps. 

12 minutes ago, Questlove said:

Anyone know how the GT-J29A's detachable sleeves work? Does it use snap buttons, zipper, velcro, etc.?

Thanks in advance.

Velcro straps that tighten/loosen the sleeves across the back. And as mentioned below, the sleeves are one-piece, separate from the jacket; they're not singular detachable sleeves. 

11 hours ago, dsxero said:

This DIY was planned awhile back not maybe 4 to 5 months, but didn't have the time to get on with it until now

Thank both Kamikaze for the challenging Idea, and Jbob for shipping me his precious J36GT for this experiment.

I will not disclose any sources

Enjoy All!

  Hide contents

J1a_C in 2 weeks maybe.... hope I got the time. Sorry JBob I am keeping this  J.K

 

Great craftsmanship here, very impressive stuff. Would love to see more original customizations in the future, maybe it's just me but I feel it is a bit of a disservice (to the original designer) to essentially recreate the expansion panel of the J43A-GT and add it onto other jackets? I can understand that you take on some of these projects as practice for your own cutting/sewing skills etc. but it would be cool to see some of your own designs (or ideas for customizing garments) come to life!

Either way, keep up the great work, looking forward to seeing how the J1A-C turns out. 
 

3 hours ago, piece keeper said:

Don't have a J46, but depends on what you want our of your coat.  WS is synthetic, "slippery", and shinier than S.  More prone to snags, will hold its color (much) longer.  S is natural (cotton), rugged, and more matte.  It's not as prone to snags, and will fade/patina.

WS also seems to be more lightweight than Stotz. The WS uses 2L Gore Windstopper as its shell fabric (very soft and smooth to the touch), whereas the Stotz is a heavier duty 100% cotton gabardine shell (stiffer and more rugged, as mentioned above). Both versions have Climashield insulation underneath the shell fabric. 

Personally I think the WS material is better suited for liners (i.e. J50 and J58), the fabric seems a little too delicate as an outermost layer. My vote goes towards the J46-S if you're intending to wear it in winter conditions, although the J46-WS is really comfortable to wear. 

7 hours ago, danii said:

this is acronym, so let's not talk about shit.

Have you seen this weird ACRONYM harness? (no I don't mean the overpriced "acronym" one on grailed)

WTF siderelease bucles?
WTF long pouch
WTF olive tec-sys

ANY INTEL? it's 35000¥ on JYA.

This harness originally came with the S-J8 trench coat. 

There are 2 fidlock buckles and 2 regular buckles; the pouches can attach to either (the pouches have a fidlock on one end, and a regular buckle on the other) depending on personal preference I guess. They both hang vertically from the harness.

This is from years ago, so I've always assumed the long pouch is for a keyboard (not sure what else it could be used for) whereas the small pouch is for a tablet/small laptop. I imagine the molle grids are also on the long pouch.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm not sure I trust myself to undertake an operation like that so I think I'm probably going to give up on this model which is a bummer really and send my second one back too. I've fiddled with it a fair bit and my brain can't even compute what the actual issue is. Even if I could resolve the issue there is just something which grates on me that I'm having to create a workaround on a jacket I just paid a grand for. I can put that cash towards something from SS17 I guess and now I know to take the zipper construction into account in future jackets.

Same problem with my J50-S. After inserting the pin through the two pull tabs, try holding the hem of the jacket (right next to the left-side zipper stop) and tug downwards to your left; the zipper should click into place (you can usually hear or feel the click). Not sure if it'll work for your jacket, but it works most of the time for me.

x

Looking to buy J46-WS or J53TS-GT in M or L, pay pal ready!

J53TS-GT

https://18montrose.com/collections/acronym-mens/products/acronym-j53ts-gt-3l-gortex-pro-tec-sys-interno-coat-in-black-65-acr18m1002101

J46-WS

https://shop.bdgastore.com/products/j46-ws

https://www.notre-shop.com/products/j4q-ws-jacket 

I don't think that guy is actually selling his jacket. Pretty sure he's just looking to trade.

Nope he's selling it... for $3K now haha 

this is normal. i've placed several orders with acrnm before and whenever a high value package (i believe the threshold is 1000 euros) is involved, it's always taken up to a week for "routine customs inspection/clearance" by the German government prior to actual shipment. relax, you'll get your package. 

why i

 

 

why isn't it a S???

Fyi Small is still in stock here: https://store.unionlosangeles.com/products/p24a-ds?variant=25101694601

WTS: P23TS-CH (FW16/17) in Black, Medium - brand new, full pack

$OLD

As with all "Profile" pieces, you should generally size up. I have the J50-WS and I take a medium, and it's still restrictive in the shoulders (5'9" / 150 lbs). I wear a small in most other "Straight" pieces like the J1A-GT. 

Edit: You should size for your shoulders, as I think that's the most confining aspect of the J50 pattern. If you have broad shoulders or any muscle mass, you will definitely need to size up 100%. I wouldn't worry about the midsection, but the length might be a concern. 

gone

ink has absolutely NO reason to jack up their prices like this except due to PURE EVIL GREED

Hong Kong has no import tax.

this kind of disrespectful retail should be boycotted

I visited Ink today to try on a few pieces. Their prices are marked up about 50% higher than most US-based retailers. 

That said, I'm not sure why you consider their pricing "disrespectful". Their physical storefront is in an area of Hong Kong that commands very high rent. Also, they are still a relatively small shop, and they need to make money as well; as you know, brick and mortar stores are having an increasingly hard time competing in retail. Besides, Ink's main clientele seems to be the rich Chinese from mainland... so if they're able to sell-through their inventory at their marked up prices, then more power to them. 

Overall, they're still supporting Acronym by making buys season after season. Their pricing doesn't impact you, just don't buy from them and let them be. There is no need for boycotting...

wts: 

e-v1 airvantage vest (black, medium) - IC 

ds-j12ts tech-sys bomber (black, small) - $550 

p10a-s (black, medium) - $600

ss-v4c suspensor-compatible vest (black, medium) - $old 

wtb: 

p23ts-s/ch (small)

j48-ss (medium)

Is there any consensus on whether not the liner is an October release? It sold out on the site, is that just because its in the second drop? 

Surprised that more people aren't carrying this.

It's going to be in the October release, it says right on the product page..