Gustin Cody Thompson Question and Answer CLOSED

[Winterland]

Welcome all. Post your questions here.
1. Please follow all rules or else.
2. Question only posts no comments on questions/answers
3. Please limit questions to three and put them all in one post and one post per person.
4. Read the other questions and if answered, the answers to make sure your question hasn't already been discussed.
5. We want this to keep to a question and answer format not an overall discussion.
6. Have fun.

Cody is home sick today so post your questions and Cody will respond when he can. We will close the thread to questions around 3pm Central if we feel there are enough. We don't want Cody to have to write a novel.

[wisdom]

1. What is Gustin's mission statement and what are your core values?
- There is general agreement that there is an old Gustin and a new Gustin.. I'm wondering if both incarnations are consistent with an underlying set of values and a mission statement.

2. Good retail wholesale profit margins are around 20%.. does Gustin try to hit a specific target margin, or try to maximize profit margin?
- There has been significant inflation in price since Gustin launched, and I'm wondering what is driving this.

[stinky]

Hi Cody:
I'm wondering what steps you have taken to the accuracy of pattern alignment on your plaid shirts, specifically:

1: Making sure the plaid is square in all areas (especially the placket and yoke).

2: Ensuring there is a continuous (or as continuous as possible) plaid pattern across the front of the shirt so that the placket blends in with the rest of the shirt.

3: Aligning the plaid properly on the side seams under the arms.

These are all details that are inherent in shirts within the price range for quality you post on your site ("Button downs that are made in the USA using our quality of material and construction are typically priced at $175 to $300").

I really want to pull the trigger on some of the beautiful shirt fabrics you post, but when a good chunk of the example pictures have misaligned/crooked patterns, I reluctant to do so until a QC process is in place to resolve this issue.

Thanks!

[Deleted]

1. Will Gustin non-indigo denim see a return to contrast stitching like was used in the early days? Seems like all non-indigo moved to tonal and stayed that way. Perhaps alternating contrast/tonal stitching?


2. How do you see Gustin evolving over the next year? Do you see the existing 'community' page being shuttered over that period of time?


3. How have the QC incidents changed over time (if any) from when Gustin committed to putting additional QC checks in place?

Thanks!

[Mattbert]

1. Does the Tall fit in shirts still feature the "slightly less dramatic side scoops" as on the prototype blue oxford that a few of us backed?

2. Has anyone there been able to document improvement in the sew shop's performance following the discussions Gustin had with them back in, what was it, late July/early August?

3. Communication from the executive team (such as it is) at Gustin has dramatically tapered off as the product line and, presumably, revenues have grown. Is this a function of a particularly busy period in the company's short history and therefore a temporary state of affairs, or should we be learning to live with fewer opportunities for direct interaction with the team as time goes on?

Thanks for doing this, Cody. 

[dimd75]

1. What's the status on the availability of the "carbonxcoffee" denim?
2. Will there be more work shirts?
3. When can we expect an athletic fit for shirt/work shirts?
Thanks.

[quick]

Hi Cody!

I just want to start off by saying if it were not for specifically your customer support, I probably would not be a repeat G customer.

1. What releases were/are you most excited about?

2. Why does the stock store go in and out of functionality? We can live with big drops on Tuesdays and Thursdays but stock store updates daily, in our size, with no wait time, is where its at.

3. Make your favorite outfit out of G's present and past offerings.

[Winterland]

Hi Cody. Thanks for doing this

1. Will there ever be a Gustin retail store?
2. Will you release any overdye denim such as indigo with a black overdye?
3. Is the Gustin forum not working at times as we hear feedback of people not being able to see it?

[oldpaul]

Cody -- To echo what others have said -- I hope you feel better, it's great of you to do this. I have just (2) questions:

1.) Are you considering upsizing the shirts in the Chest and maybe Waist area. I love many of the fabrics you have and could see myself ordering many more short, but I have both a Large and XL shirts in in both cases, the chest is tighter than I find comfortable for everyday wear. And it looks like the new TL sizes don't address this either. I must like a little roomier shirt than your "normal" customer.

2.) Have you considered offering "in-house" hemming. I know there are companies around that offer it, but having it in-house and just a pick on the order sheet would make it much more convenient. I'm willing to pay extra for it -- but I would like the simplicity of getting a pair of pants ready to wear.

That said -- I love the variety of products, but like others, I just wish the turn-around was a little shorter between funding and receiving the product.

[Rake]

1. Will Gustin please let us change the shirts we have ordered from classic to slim? The size change option disappeared from all of my orders today when the new slim option was introduced.

[Winterland]

Going great all. Beautiful. We updated a couple rules.

Welcome all. Post your questions here.
1. Please follow all rules or else.
2. Question only posts no comments on questions/answers. We do have the like button though.
3. Please limit questions to three and put them all in one post and one post per person.
4. Read the other questions and if answered, the answers to make sure your question hasn't already been discussed.
5. We want this to keep to a question and answer format not an overall discussion.
6. Have fun.

Cody is home sick today so post your questions and Cody will respond when he can. We will close the thread to questions around 3pm Central if we feel there are enough. We don't want Cody to have to write a novel.

[gaseousclay]

1. Will Gustin start offering regular stock items, like waxed truckers or best selling selvedge jeans? I'm talking specifically about items that have had multiple successful and ongoing campaigns.

2. Does Gustin have any plans on doing any collaborations for new product, such as a Gustin x Alden boots, Gustin x Viberg boots, etc?

3. What existing companies have inspired Gustin's product line?

[brentkuz]

1. Do you see Gustin ever shifting to an in house sew shop offering slightly more customizable options. IE: inseam length, hardware, tonal or contrasting stitching?

2. It appears the price point has shifted slightly higher and higher recently. Do you see Gustin to be able to find more fabric for $80-90 releases?

3. Do you think Gustin will ever release which mill a particular fabric is from? I remember seeing the white oak tag on IG.

[Dirty_Denim]

Hi Cody,

1) We have all seen & read the article where it is stated Gustin is run by 4 or 5 people. With some of the QC issues is that still something you can pride your self on when there are things slipping through the cracks?

2) Considering denim generates over 6 billion dollars yearly & has all types of customers, Since your KS campaign have you seen your demographic grow past the typical selvage knowledgeable consumer & if so what affect will that have on the brands direction?

[Old26]

Cody - hope you're feeling better when you come on in. Thanks for taking the time to chat with us here.

• What plans do you have, if any, to make larger sizes in shirts, jackets, CPO's, etc?
• What challenges are there with adding new sizes to the lineup?
• With some items such as the heavier denims ~23+, Gustin recommends sizing up. Why does the shop not make patterns to adjust for this as opposed to adding confusion to the buyer?
• How are decisions made at Gustin as to what gets made?
• Is Gustin working on matching product to season more aggressively?

Thanks again for taking the time to share here.
Scott

[DigDug]

What are some of the behind the scene thoughts/feelings that the Gustin guys and gals have? Such as with - Lawless, the community, the denim community, KickStarter reputation, .... or something else that comes up that we wouldn't be aware of.

Thanks for your time,

[wdw]

1. Why can't shipping be combined in say any month or 4 week period? Individual packages cost the customer more, particularly those overseas, who also get hit for sales tax, duty and handling charges on each package.

[Subsound]

There is evidence of systemic sizing issues, with jeans routinely being received measuring 1.5" below the specified measurements. What steps are being taken to resolve this issue?

[Derek G]

Hi Cody!..hope all is well and you get to feeling better soon!
I wanted to ask some fun questions
1. How many pairs of G's do You, Steven, Josh and Sarah personally own, and what are their favorite?
2.Which pair of all G offerings,would you consider to have the best "sick fadez" (as we like to call them) potential.
3.Love the recent offerings of blackxred and blackxgreen...if these offerings are successful, are there plans for more colors?
I know we're limited to 3 questions, but...
4. Mr.GreenJeans wants to ask you if He'll ever get some green jeans? Like kelly green lol your probably too young to know who Mr. GreenJeans is

[Winterland]

Thanks everyone for your participation.

[Winterland]

Cody has updated us and is back to work and working on getting the answers to your questions. He apologizes for the delay.

[codythompson]

Oct 23, 2014 10:16:49 GMT -6 wisdom said:

1. What is Gustin's mission statement and what are your core values?
- There is general agreement that there is an old Gustin and a new Gustin.. I'm wondering if both incarnations are consistent with an underlying set of values and a mission statement.

2. Good retail wholesale profit margins are around 20%.. does Gustin try to hit a specific target margin, or try to maximize profit margin?
- There has been significant inflation in price since Gustin launched, and I'm wondering what is driving this.

We’ve always had a very simple philosophy: we make what we want to wear and offer the best value by changing the way an old industry works. We haven’t altered this approach and have no plans to do so.

Our customers have asked us to find unique material and our prices have to reflect the cost of those materials or we don’t have a sustainable business. We still offer $80 selvedge denim from some amazing mills from the USA and Japan. We also offer silk denim for 150 that you would need to pay 650 for elsewhere. Our model lets you decide whether the value is there by either buying or not.

[codythompson]

Oct 23, 2014 10:21:13 GMT -6 @david said:

1. Will Gustin non-indigo denim see a return to contrast stitching like was used in the early days? Seems like all non-indigo moved to tonal and stayed that way. Perhaps alternating contrast/tonal stitching?


2. How do you see Gustin evolving over the next year? Do you see the existing 'community' page being shuttered over that period of time?


3. How have the QC incidents changed over time (if any) from when Gustin committed to putting additional QC checks in place?

Thanks!

"1. We sew styles up how we think they look best, but we'll keep your insterest in more contrast in mind as we go forward.

2. Everything flows from the simple premiss of making what we want to wear. As for for the community page, we've started to realize we have been re-inventing the wheel and that's hard to do as a small company. There are other forums we focus on, such as Reddit and Style Forum, that are looking like better long term alternatives for us so we what we love doing, which is creating great clothing.

3. I'm probably in the the absolute best position to take the pulse of our customer base as a whole. I hear your comment, but sometimes comments like yours frustrate me. Frankly, our quality level is really good. If it wasn't, we wouldn't even be here. I try to stay focused on the facts in my job and I know how the business is doing and what the vast majority of our customers are saying. I feel good with where we're at and that the whole team is always watching it."

[codythompson]

Oct 23, 2014 10:26:53 GMT -6 quick said:

Hi Cody!

I just want to start off by saying if it were not for specifically your customer support, I probably would not be a repeat G customer.

1. What releases were/are you most excited about?

2. Why does the stock store go in and out of functionality? We can live with big drops on Tuesdays and Thursdays but stock store updates daily, in our size, with no wait time, is where its at.

3. Make your favorite outfit out of G's present and past offerings.

First off, thank you. Happy to help.

1. The messenger bag sample was an item I tried to steal from the office before anyone noticed. I still want one badly. Also, the CPO jacket is right up my alley. Can't wait to have one of my own.

2. We're still figuring out the best way to use the stock store, and are playing around with a few different ideas for it.

3. This was actually easier than I thought it would be. It would go something like this: 1. Previously mentioned stolen messenger bag sample. 2. My favorite pair of #1 Heavys I've been breaking in for almost a year. 3. Cobalt Check Flannel. 4. Heather Grey Wool CPO. 5. Brown Heavyweight Belt 6. Saddle Tan Simple Wallet

[codythompson]

Oct 23, 2014 10:37:21 GMT -6 Winterland said:

Hi Cody. Thanks for doing this

1. Will there ever be a Gustin retail store?
2. Will you release any overdye denim such as indigo with a black overdye?
3. Is the Gustin forum not working at times as we hear feedback of people not being able to see it?

"1. No plans for a retail store at this time. We like the efficiency of online and that helps us offer the best value.

2. I'm sure we'll try our hand at some overdyes but nothing definitive planned yet.

3. I'm still on the Gustin community board regularly, and Josh and Stephen are interacting on Style Forum and Reddit with customers all the time. I'm always shocked they spend as much time on it as they do given everything else they have on their plates. Check out those forums and post to them. I'm sure they'll get back to you."