I was asked a question the other day that had never been brought up before and I thought I would share some answers with you. I had a customer ask me about the tags in our shirts. They brought up that the one in their shirt had fallen broken up while they were washing it and they was also wondering about the numbers that had been on the tags because they noticed that all three of their shirts had the same number.
I was intrigued by the fact that they had actually noticed the numbers and I realized that we've never fully explained why we manufacture our tags the way we do. Some people might find this interesting another people might find this to be the most boring thing they have ever read but I just thought I should shed some light on these questions.
First of all the reason the tags break up in the wash is that we wanted to create a tag that was somewhat unique. We noticed that most of us here at Skitch found tags in the backs of shirts to be annoying and would often cut them out. Most of the time it’s a material choice that is the problem. A lot of brands choose something that is far to stiff and scratchy, so ours are printed on lightweight linen that will not irritate the neck. I know what a lot of people are thinking, 'why wouldn't you just silkscreen the sizing onto the inside of the shirt?' Well the reason we chose not to do this was because of bleed and breathability. Although it is very possible to print on the inside of a shirt without it bleeding through to the outside, we opted to stay away from that because you do run a risk of ruining a few shirts and also because then the size is permanently printed creating a stiff spot across the back of the neck that doesn't breath. Our tags are designed to break up in the was so after a few spins though the machine the tag no longer exists and the back of your neck is both not irritated and cool. We're aware that this is not rocket science, just something to separate us from the millions of brands out there and besides, who needs to know the size of their shirt after they've purchased it from the store?
The 'numbers' question was quite interesting for me because it was a small detail that we included when we first started Skitch almost two years ago that no one had asked us about until now. On all the tags is the number 183-8. We have always included this on every one of our products and its something that we will continue to do. It's like a second trademark. The number 183-8 corresponds to the city of Vancouver bylaws. The bylaw filled under 183-8 reads, "A cycle operated on a highway must be equipped with a brake that will enable the person operating the cycle to make the cycle brake on dry, level and clean pavement." This bylaw has gotten us out of trouble a few times. As long as you can make that back tire skid, then you're all good.
If any of you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask us at skitchclothing@gmail.com.
