MA(r)KING PROTOTYPESAdmin
04/13/2025(Sun)02:04:00 No.15069
In this thread, we will discuss the inception of the brand and go into depth into how the prototypes came about, what spawned them etc.. :) (WARNING; TLDR)
First is the "HORNBALL TRENCH" we found this jacket (plain) in a vintage store, it was about as stiff as wood and falling apart, but its shape and closure was interesting. It had no buttons and this clasp with a strap on the inside, it reminded me of something you would see in the movie cruising you would see some leather daddy wear. The jacket as is was not enough though, james and I wanted to add to it, and take the piece up a notch, make it harder... hornier maybe?
We started by adding lighter clips to the pocket with clamps.
James started perforating the jacket and hand studding the jacket with all the studs and spikes, quite a tedious process but it turned out phenomenal. As we were putting holes in this old wretched jacket it was falling apart, the leather was cracking and pieces were flaking off. If you go back to the first image of the thread, you will see a stitch going down the spine, it was hand stitched
On the final product, which we had developed and worked in italy, james and I went for bull leather, which is a heavier, thicker hide. We wanted the jacket to retain this extremely stiff shape, but still be able to have movement. We had the atelier re do all the hand done details, like the studding and the hand stitch down the spine, which turned out to be more complicated than we thought getting a sewing needle through that thick ass leather over and over again. To take it a step further we had also instructed that the atelier hand distressed the jacket as well, but not in a way that is gimmicky, but in a way that seemed real. We wanted the piece to look like it had lived a life before you purchase it, but once you own it, its time for you to give it a new life. Considering how complicated this piece was to make, we didn't end up producing this jacket at full scale and made less than 10, to ensure every single one of this jacket that got made got the love and attention it deserved.
NEXT WE HAVE THE "BIRDIE PERFECTO" which started with a cropped perfecto jacket we found a bail of a million leather jackets at a vintage warehouse. The cut of the jacket was just too perfect to pass up, but we had to sift through hundreds of dog shit leather jackets just to find this grail, which was worth all of the trouble :) for the original prototype we just ripped the satanic warmaster logo and screen printed patch just for the sake of getting the idea onto paper (in this case onto leather)
James then hand stitched the the patches onto the jacket using dental floss (which is typically the real crust punk way + stronger than most thread + smells good)
After both patches were sewn on, we then embellished the jacket by hand studding the jacket with different spikes and studs and using the rest of the lighter caps we had left on the shoulder snaps.
when we were developing the pieces, we really wanted to dial in the hardware, its such an essential part of the brand identity and everything is detail oriented, especially when making this jacket.
To go with the spirit of the lighter caps, we thought soda can tops would be fit (especially coz alot of people make necklaces out of them, or some punks put them on their hats too). Theres only been 2 of this jacket made, the time each jacket takes from distressing it, hand sewing all the patches and hand embellishing every piece was time consuming and expensive. As Marking Distance grows, we want to really dive into the world of high embellishing using italian haute couturiers, its fun to know that alot of the people that work on these pieces typically make dresses, suits and such.
The white crust pants were such a tedious process, but we always wanted to make a pair of crust pants. Crust pants are typically black, or are a black base, I personally have never seen a white pair. We couldnt do just WHITE though, it felt too clean and the base denim we found was a bone color, but james and I went leather shopping and our leather guy had these scrap hides of dirty leather that used to be white but with time and being stored incorrectly had turned into this skin line cream color. After acquiring those hides james started cutting the hides into rectangles and over the span of 3 months he started attaching each piece one by one hand sewing them using dental floss, all the little burn marks are from sealing the floss thread using fire to make sure each piece is secure.
The original Notre Dame shirt aka the "SCHOOL BOY" shirt was an old school uniform shirt we had found that been left in a rusted bin which is how it got to its color. Growing up in paris and hanging out at the Notre Dame cathedral and james growing up having to wear school uniforms, this piece felt like one of the first things that really represented both of us, our upbringing and shit.
We got the the Notre Dame cathedral drawing rendered and single needle embroidered in the garment district in NYC
for the production piece, the hardest part was figuring how to transfer over that rusted old feeling and color and we found that airbrushing while the shirt was folded in different ways would be the most effective way to materialize that idea onto production.
The flex set was truly a challenge to get produce, especially in europe in a safe way. The reason that its even called the FLEX set was because on the original prototype we used FLEX SEAL which is a product used for waterproofing, sealing and protect surfaces from all liquid and moisture etc...
Its extremely insulating, HOT, and probably not safe to wear (+flex seal is also not legal in europe for chemical reasons i think lol). After alot of tests and different trials and error, our italian manufacturer figured that liquid silicone would be the best and safest way to make the pants while keeping its look and retaining the shape that the flex seal gave the denim on the original prototype. Each pair is constructed in italy then sent to a separate factory where they hand paint each pair of denim, so no two pair are ever the same.
the original prototypes were done in james's staircase in NYC, where we coated the denim with two layers of flex seal, the first we would let dry for 24 hours and go back the next day and repaint them again ontop of the layer that dried to be able really change the material and feel of the denim.
lmfao, we didnt realize how toxic flex seal was btw, so we were in this staircase with no ventilation breathing in toxins and started getting mad light headed after a little while, when we went back for round two we wore masks and shit coz the first time we did this shit we left with headaches *__*
PEEP THE FIT OF THE JEANS THOUGH, they were soft and vintage when we found them and got them to retain this shape. This picture now brings me to the officer jacket. Vintage police jacket we found that had police patches and missing buttons. We wanted the jacket to feel anti authoritarian so we stripped the jacket of all of its badges.
We then replaced where the police badge used to go and put tongue and nipple piercings in where the holes were. hand stitched a black leather name patch where you're supposed to write your own name in white out, replaced the missing buttons with spikes and added our signature lighter clips caps on the collar.
In the same spirit of the officer jacket, we had found this boy scout button down shirt what came with a rope tied around the arm.
James had made a dye mixture that we let the shirt soak in a few days, then once taken out, we buried the shirt in soil which stained the fabric even more. Once that was done then we removed the patches on the arms which is how we got the discoloring on the sleeves. We then hand stitched another black leather name patch, added lighter caps and found these western collar tips at a random yard sale and attached them to make the shirt feel more like a sheriffs shirt. After all that was done, james then hand over waxed the whole shirt multiple times, which then changed not only the texture of the shirt, but the color.
Over time, our manufacturer started understanding our design language and how much hand done details, texture, and color means to us. James and I had also went to italy and walked them through the whole collection piece by piece and also explained the process in details for all the items.
They found ways to produce and make our vision with the upmost quality, while not compromising the look and feel of it, which was hard. Because some of the pieces like this one, the prototypes were buried in actual soil for weeks/months which is NOT viable way to produce clothes (or sanitary)
The logo hoodie was a vintage hoodie we found that was grey at first, then dyed blue by james and left in solution of vinegar, acid, and other things we dont want to tell you yet ;) for a few weeks which corroded the fabric and starting disintegrating it. Once taken out of the solution, we left in on the roof for a few months during the fall and let the sun, the rain and the weather wear it down.
Once the hoodie had been dyed, bathed in acid and sun faded we landed at this marvelous color which we than embroidered our logo pretty big right across the front in a tonal color. In a world of hoodie and t shirt brands, we didnt want to just make a hoodie with our logo on it. We didnt want it to be too in your face, but we did want it to represent who we are as a brand.
For production, it was so hard to find a fleece or a cotton that felt exactly like our prototype. The treatment it had went through had given such a specific weight and texture. We found that only way to nail it on the head was to mill our own cotton blend from scratch which as it was milled would leave little holes all over the fabric as it was being made, which is what had happened to the fabric from being soaked in the acid solution over weeks.
After that it was smooth sailing, this piece ended up being one of the most complicated things to make and actually the last thing that was done in production because of how long it took to make our own fabric.
Its all hand distressed and italy ofc.
we really started with a whole bunch of nothing and some good ideas (subjective)
>pic related
this a photo of all the stuff james and I have found / bought second hand to make our prototypes
(my old studio in LA)
If you made it this far,
you're a real fucking nerd, and i love you for that, and thank you for taking the time to read this.
More content and context to come.
