The Best DIY Jean Jacket Ever Made June 16 2015
About a month ago we received a large order of stock for pins and patches that was being sent to Hong Kong. Having worked in the design and manufacture industry for years, I'm always a bit weary of any big quantities of product being sent to Asia. Sometimes this can mean a factory is going to knock off all the items and sell them overseas where no one in the United States is likely to find out about it.
So I did a little research and contacted the customer directly. Turns out the big order came from Tony Spackman—one of the Design Directors over at high-end label Givenchy. Was it for inspiration? Research? Turns out it was just for fun! He planned to use all the pins and patches for a custom jacket he was working on for himself.
Needless to say, I was very curious what the end result was going to look like and told him to send me a shot when he was done making it. Well, a few days ago he posted his jacket for all the world to see—and it's awesome! I should have expected that someone with this kind of design pedigree wouldn't just attach them all straight on. He managed to take a classic, retro look and modernize it.
Tony's “Golden Blackout” jacket has been DIY-ed with patches painted matte black, allowing the 3D thread to stand out. He also took apart pins for accents, and placed mostly gold pins on the lapels. The style of the jacket has been elevated to something high-end worthy of any runway. I thought it might inspire some of you with your creations and the product you can buy from us!
Thank you to Tony for allowing me to share his work (as well as the mention of the shop), and props to all the awesome brands and designs that are a part of Strange Ways.
Alex Dakoulas
Founder & Creative Director