Keeping Your Feet Dry

Originally I bought these shoes from Xtra Tuf as something easy to slip into when taking the dog out for a walk, but as the wet Seattle winter has progressed they have become my everyday shoe.  Mine are the 5” neoprene Xtra Tuf II’s and warm, comfortable and totally waterproof.  They look cool too.

These Xtra Tufs are a male alternative to the fashionable, yet surprisingly practical, knee high Wellington boots that all the gals are now wearing.

The Seattle Look

On one of her visits to my then new home of Seattle my Midwestern mother commented “the girls here are so pretty, so natural, so happy.”  Twenty years later I still agree with her, and this is why I was so shocked on Saturday night.  My wife and I had gone to a movie over at Lincoln Square in Seattle’s eastern neighbor of Bellevue, and the entire mall was jammed full of chicks that appeared to be taking their design queues from reality television.  When did Bellevue become Jersey Shore?  The place was so tacky I could hear my shoes sticking to the floor.

Luckily, on Sunday, I found myself eating lunch at Homegrown in Seattle’s Queen Anne district, and lo and behold I was back into the arms of my beloved Seattle: Blundstones, baggy jeans, down jackets, knit beanies, that’s what I’m talking about.  The Seattle look is natural, clean, cool.  Sandwiched between snow and salt, we have a natural beauty here, a beauty that is reflected in our style.

This natural, comfortable with oneself style is what I attempt to emulate at Greenlite HeavyIndustries.  Good honest clothing, meant to be worn.  Made here, by us, for you.

Flawless Stainless Steel

Saw this sweet stainless steel Pegoretti going out of my local bike shop - Veloce Velo - yesterday.

This is a no-holds barred, no expense saved work of art complete with electronic shifting.  A stainless steel Pigoretti with electronic shifting, now that would be something to ride.

Jackets in a Row

My Ventile Jackets are now ready for sale.  I originally called these D-Niro Jackets in reference to the inspiration I received from the jacket Robert DeNiro wore in the Deer Hunter, but now I think I'll rename them to Peg Jacket.  For the past four months my prototype has hung on the peg by my back door, it's what I reach for when I go outside.  All other coats have been relegated to the closet.

So far this winter the Peg Jacket has been my exclusive piece of outwear.  Biking, skiing, hiking, walking the dog, running erands, this is my coat.  One piece that does it all, this is what I am bringing to the market.

Sales Rush

Up until last week I think that I can safely say that I’ve never sold anything to anyone, except maybe a few low dollar ebay and craigslist transactions.  As it stands today I’ve sold four pairs of my G1 pants: two at Veloce Velo and two at Huband Bespoke.  I have to say it’s quite a rush.

I know that the numbers are small, but dang it sure does feel good to think that a few people have enough belief in what I’m doing to reach into their pockets and pull out their wallets.  That, to me, is a big compliment.

It’s one thing to sell something that someone else had developed; it’s another thing entirely to sell something that you developed, that you brought to the market.  I feel a sense of pride in knowing that had I not started Greenlite Heavy Industries and had I not persisted in my efforts to make an awesome, American made urban cycling pant neither the G1 nor the 3Quarter pant would be on the market.  They simply wouldn’t exist.  Pride in creation.

Bringing you own stuff, your own dreams, to market is angst writ large.  It is nothing but stress, self-doubt and constant worry.  Did I make the right decision?  Should I have done it this way?  Should I have done it that way?  Should I have even done it at all?  The little victory of a sale erases all that angst.  I’m on the right track here.  Yes it’s going to take time, but I’m on the path that leads me to where I want to go.

Be On Good Terms

I cruised through the Worn to be Wild exhibition at the Experience Music Project here in Seattle; it’s an exploration into the history of the American leather jacket.  The jackets that had been customized by their owners were what I liked best.  I prefer clothing that reflects the personality and passions of the owner.  Whether they were WWII A-2 bomber jackets, biker cuts or punk rocker wear these jackets were more than simple outerwear, they were a leather canvas on which the owner displayed his/her thoughts, associations and accomplishments.

I especially liked this rocker jacket from the 90’s Seattle punk/grunge scene:

 

Go placidly
Amid the
Noise and
Haste
And remember what peace
There may be in silence
As far as possible
Without surrender be
On good terms with
All persons

Heart and Soul

When I told my family and friends that I was going to start up an American made clothing line they either smiled and remained silent, or simply came out and told me that my idea was “crazy,” “naïve” or, in one case, “stupid.”  Convention says that in order to make a profit in the clothing industry you need to import large production runs from overseas factories.  “You make your money on the volume,” they say.  I view this as a race to the bottom.  It’s making money by squeezing another thirty cents per garment out nameless workers.  I’m not into that.  Instead I’m into putting my heart into clothing that has soul.

Consider the guy in his small Portland one-man hand built bike factory.  He’s putting his heart into his work, it’s not a paycheck for him; it’s a way of life.  Can you argue that his frame will somehow perform better than what rolls off the line at a Taiwanese factory?  In most cases I’d say no.  But that hand built frame has something that the factory bike does not have, and that something is soul.

Soul is real.

While driving to Park City last August I listened to Keith Richards’ autobiography – it was good, I didn’t like him badmouthing everyone save Charlie Watts, but it was good – and somewhere towards the end he compared the Fats Domino version of Ain’t That a Shame to the version recorded by Pat Boone.  Pat Boone, Richards notes, is arguably the better singer, and his production quality is far superior, but his recording falls flat; it’s too commercial, too ready for prime time, it just didn’t have soul.

This is what I’m talking about.