Full disclosure, it seems a lot of my wardrobe has come from Duluth Trading Company. When I first moved to Alaska I needed cold weather clothing, Phoenix and Anchorage are not exactly similar climates.

Duluth Trading Company has a store in Anchorage and I bought a lot of stuff there. It was basic, decent quality heavy material stuff that held up well. Seems like they've abandoned that basic formula. Now there's all kinds of styles and it all seems to be lower quality and lighter materials.

Why is it so many retailers forget the basic formula that made them successful?

Happens with many smaller/niche clothing brands when they become popular. Especially outdoor clothing and workwear. They go from being a high quality technical brand to being a lower quality mass-produced "fashion" brand, coasting on their former good name.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
Happens with many smaller/niche clothing brands when they become popular. Especially outdoor clothing and workwear. They go from being a high quality technical brand to being a lower quality mass-produced "fashion" brand, coasting on their former good name.

Filson is a prime example of this. when duluth opened here in VA I went and looked. It is exactly that. Gap, in plaid.

Wrangler, cargo pants and button shirts have gone to shit too!

I knew Duluth was doomed when they started to advertise on TV.

DTC is advertising a new flannel shirt.

If the material gets any thinner, it will only have one side.

No way that will keep you anywhere near warm.

And BTW they seem to have pretty much eliminated the White Color tee shirts. I really like their Long Tail with a chest pocket in white.
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quote:

Originally posted by OKCGene:


If the material gets any thinner, it will only have one side.

The local hamburger chain did that too. But then McDonald's has built a business in thin.

Back to the shirts, Woolrich used to make good, thick chamois shirts. I've still got some and wear them when it gets cold.

(I don't have and have never bought any DTC products.)

I think they went downhill when they got rid of the licking moose commercial. That always cracked me up.


DTC moose commercial

Complete Crap is what they have become!!!
It’s unfortunate I have been buying their stuff for years.
Their stuff absolutely falls apart within a year anymore.

All my old stuff is still going strong.

Oddly enough, or maybe not, quality went down the crapper when they changed their guarantee.

I havent ordered from them for a while.
Anyone have any companies to replace them?

I have had about $250 worth of their bucknaked bullpen underwear.

I noticed the material getting thinner and thinner but the price stays the same.

They built a company on a quality product at a premium price with a great warranty. They removed the quality and the warranty but kept the premium price.

Unfortunately I have yet to find a pair of underwear as comfortable.

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
Complete Crap is what they have become!!!
It’s unfortunate I have been buying their stuff for years.
Their stuff absolutely falls apart within a year anymore.

All my old stuff is still going strong.

Oddly enough, or maybe not, quality went down the crapper when they changed their guarantee.

Ding ding! I pretty much stopped buying them when their “No BS” guarantee got ditched for a normal BS one. All of my pants and undees came from them. No more. They also stopped offering the heavy fire hose pants in the style and size I wanted.

Yep. Their firehouse pants used to be damned near indestructible and were my go-to for anything around the farm and one of the less-pocketed designs was a staple of my casual winter wardrobe.

Last couple of years I tried new pairs, they didn’t last a year before wearing out.

Their Armachillo boxer briefs are still my favorite, though.

-Rob

I have returned a few items to DTC recently which is a first for me.

quote:

Originally posted by gpbst3:
Unfortunately I have yet to find a pair of underwear as comfortable.

Plus one....they are (were?) the best.

Most of my wardrobe is DT. I ditched them a year or so ago after they sent me a survey with a free shipping on any order coupon if I took the survey. Spent ten minutes of my life taking the survey when a window pops up and says you are not the kind of customer we are looking to survey or something like that. Pissed me right off so I quit buying from them. Reading this thread I’m glad I did.

The old stuff I have is wearing like a boss. Been filling in with Carhart, Columbia, Huk and some other brands. Once my DT cargo pants wear out I’ll try a pair of Triple Aught.

I really did like DT’s Alaskan Hardgear line has that gone down the crapper too?

 
Their "original" fire hose stuff (pants and outer shirts) seem to be the same toughness to me. Problem is they have come out with so many variations that include "fire hose" in the description (fire hose flex, e.g.). I do like the flex ones for casual wear, but for working (in the yard for me, since I'm retired), I always go with the original fire hose material. You just have to search a little harder to find them among all the similarly named variations.
 
I have 3 sets (3 pair each) of the original fire hose pants, each in 34", 36", and 38", that have followed my waistline over the years. Once at 38", I am now back to 36". Glad I kept them all.

I have never bought anything from them, but not for lack of trying.

Almost every one of the pants styles that I would like to try have a maximum inseam length of 34", which would hit me just above the ankles.

I still like their jackpine hiker shoes a ton.

Sad to hear their other stuffs gone to shit though.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
I have never bought anything from them, but not for lack of trying.

Almost every one of the pants styles that I would like to try have a maximum inseam length of 34", which would hit me just above the ankles.

Queuing up flamingo jokes… Well, it’s good you live in an area that you can wear shorts all year round.