Lawrence Jacket: Production Update No.4
On the 29th of April 2023, after 4 years, 3 months and 6 days of development, our first jacket went on sale.
It took just 34 hours, 24 minutes and 16 seconds to sell out.
Given that each jacket is hand crafted in limited numbers, the process of getting from order through to delivery isn’t always plain sailing. That said, it’s incredibly important to me that our customers are kept fully informed and up to date throughout production.
Rather than keep everything behind closed doors, what follows is the fourth full production update email that was sent out to our first customers.
First off, sorry this update is a little late. I'd committed to getting in touch every Tuesday but knowing that the quilting was scheduled in for yesterday, I wanted to wait so that I could include it in this weeks email.
The guys down at Harvey Quilting are really accommodating and are always happy for me to film whenever anything Barnfield is under production. So yesterday morning, I drove over to get some footage and to oversee the job which was already under way when I arrived.
Unfortunately, one of the key details that I'd requested didn't make it's way from one person to another.
Because cotton is woven, it has microscopic gaps between each thread. Over time, if the wool's quilted directly to the cotton, the fibres work their way through these holes which leaves the lining looking almost furry.
To stop this, the wool needs to be sandwiched between two layers of a breathable, non-woven membrane.
As I looked closer at the machine while it was doing it's thing, I noticed that only one layer had been included.
So what does this mean?
Because of the holes that are punched through the cotton and wool by the needles, it means I'm 25 metres of lining down.
Now, over the past 4 years if I've learnt anything, it's that shit happens.
When I ordered the printed lining, I over ordered by 10% to give me some wiggle room but I couldn't have predicted that I'd need an extra 50% contingency.
So what it means, is that I've had to place another order to replace the damaged cotton and wool and my fingers are tightly crossed that it doesn't get held up in customs for 3 weeks like last time.
You can see the wool fibres magnified in the green circle and the membrane on top of my thumb here.
Ok. But what does this mean for me?
In terms of you getting a beautifully made jacket, nothing changes.
The cotton and wool that need to be replaced have been ordered and as soon as I get them, the guys will prioritise the job to get it on to the machine immediately.
But in reality, it looks like this is going to push delivery back by 4 weeks.
Even with the initial customs delay, I was hoping to move things around and still stick to the original 12 week production time line.
After I'd gotten over my initial meltdown, yesterday was spent trying to figure out how I could approach things to soak up the impact of losing half the lining but I came up empty-handed.
The only thing I can do is to apologise and keep you fully up to date with progress.
I promise I'll be doing everything I can to get you your jacket as soon as possible.
Progress update
Delivered
Gabardine
Sleeve/pocket lining
Interfacing
Shoulder pads
Wool quilting
Hangtags
Care labels
Size labels
Custom printed lining (original order)
Wool (original order)
Ribbed cuffing
Buttons
Ordered
Custom printed lining (replacement order)
Wool (replacement order)
As always, I'm here if you have any questions or would like to catch up.
Don't be a stranger!
Mark Warman
Founder
