but that was 18 months ago? do they still use that line on any current marketing material?

how much?

A bit late now that ctk has posted a video of an actual Hebtroco belt being made (and surprisingly enough it wasn’t being made by the young lady featured on the website 😯 )

After this thread NO

Its a remarkable change in business focus, in a fairly short period, but yes they are absolutely free to do as they please with their branding and their ethos/ethics just as we are free to comment on the change of heart.

Not after this thread NO

But this thread is 18 months old too?

Why don’t they just buy shorties and be done with it?

I’m confused as to what Shorties couldn’t do.

Make enough? 176 pairs a week must be enough?

Cut the trousers the right shape? Really? That would suggest they weren’t up to the job in the 1st place.

But this thread is 18 months old too?

true enough my mistake it was the entirely deleted one that was deleted for fear that one of STW mates would sue them due to the nature of the libellous comments on it.
Sorry for my mistake.

Anyway we both seem to agree they made a big deal of hebden and they recently changed the website and there was some threads on here questioning them.

If I am guilty of post hoc ergo propter hoc here then i apologise

It wasn’t changed because of the posts on here at all though.

Drac – accepted; we all make mistakes – and I make more than my fair share.

Cheers Frank.

I am sure Brants marketing expertise will ,though it will be no easy task, convince all other doubters as to the entirely unrelated nature of these events.

I am sure Brants marketing expertise will ,though it will be no easy task, convince all other doubters as to the entirely unrelated nature of these events.

I’m not sure they are even bothered enough to try ?

His name has been mentioned way more than three times… and he’s still not here 😆

It wasn’t changed because of the posts on here at all though.

I think we can all accept that. What does seem to be met with deafening silence from anyone who might know (and I think there is a fair chance that at least one of the key people is aware of the thread contents even if they’re not constantly watching its tortuous progress) is what did prompt the change and when.

At risk of repeating myself, I’d be very interested to know whether the “saviours of trouser town” stuff was changed

1) As soon as they decided to buy in trousers from elsewhere

or

2) some time later than that, perhaps when it became public knowledge…

As others have said, it’s their business, if they want to change direction, USP, strategy that’s their right. But if they were still trading on the previous shtick when it was no longer true, that’s really not cricket..

So, one more time – does anyone know when the marketing message changed relative to the timing of the change in trouser procurement?

I think we can all accept that.

You’d think wouldn’t you.

The “open letter” from Shorties (15th June) suggests that the marketing imagery etc. was still being used after the purchasing decision had gone against them. That’s not the same claim as “every pair of trousers we sell is being made in Hebden Bridge” though it’s not difficult to see why folk might read it like that.

It was a surprise therefore when in March of this year it became apparent you were selling trousers not made by us. Having supplied in excess of 2500 units it could not have been a quality issue.
Of course you run your company as you see fit and we have no complaint in regard to settlement of account during that time.
However as self professed saviours of all things local it is somewhat disappointing and does indeed make your company name somewhat of a misnomer.
Having help you get up and running you indicated your company has legs , it sure looks like you have learned how to use them !
Consequently as your trousers are no longer made in Hebden Bridge my workforce and I ask that you remove all video , photographic and verbal promotional material involving Shorties Uk Ltd premises and staff from your web site , facebook page and indeed any other promotional material.

So do Shorties sell direct to the public? If not then surely they should see the market opportunity.

I believe they now have. However, it’s quite possible they lack the marketing nous of Brant and Ed that would make it a success.

So, one more time – does anyone know when the marketing message changed relative to the timing of the change in trouser procurement?

Honestly, read that back to yourself in a quiet moment. 🙂

They’ll be calling for them to publish all telephone transcripts and tax returns next and aiming for the impeachment of Brant within 12 months.

So do Shorties sell direct to the public? If not then surely they should see the market opportunity.

I believe they now have. However, it’s quite possible they lack the marketing nous of Brant and Ed that would make it a success.[/quote]

They should team up, sounds like they would do really well working together.

At risk of repeating myself, I’d be very interested to know whether the “saviours of trouser town” stuff was changed

Why?

From what I gather they were still putting business into the Hebden factory right up to the point where a) they had the QC issues with the new pattern and b) they made the Facebook post.

So, one more time – does anyone know when the marketing message changed relative to the timing of the change in trouser procurement?

It doesn’t matter when it changed relative to the procurement. It only matters how and when it changed/changes in regards to selling those procured items to the pubic.

They’ll be calling for them to publish all telephone transcripts and tax returns next and aiming for the impeachment of Brant within 12 months.

No, just asking whether they were saying either explicitly, or strongly implying, that they were in the business of selling trousers exclusively manufactured in Hebden Bridge when they knew that it was either no longer true, or in the process of becoming untrue.

The open letter suggests March at the latest (it “became apparent” in March which suggests it might have actually started earlier) – but that might or might not be right, we only have the open letter from a clearly pissed off former partner. In that context though, it would be good to know when the website text (not the factory videos, photos etc.) changed…

Have they run over your dog or something?

It doesn’t matter when it changed relative to the procurement. It only matters how and when it changed/changes in regards to selling those procured items to the pubic.

I disagree. If they were promoting their wares as “Made in Hebden Bridge” and stating or strongly suggesting that they were exclusively so, then imho they were not being honest if they’d placed orders elsewhere, for two reasons:

1) I might have bought into the message and asked the missus to get me a pair for Christmas. The missus is good, but I doubt she’d feel the need to do due diligence in November when she placed the order.

2) I might have bought a pair now, and got a pair made in Hebden, but the driver could well have been, in part, that I was contributing to the ongoing and future development and revitalisation of the Hebden Bridge trouser making industry, if that is what they were claiming to be doing – i.e. the expectation that not only the supplier has been paid for my trousers, but that the HTC profit from that sale was going to go back into the Hebden Bridge trouser making industry (since that is what they had been claiming, up until… well we don’t seem to be sure on up until when, do we?).

Shorties new company to sell direct, registered 9th March.

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/10662320

johndoh » So do Shorties sell direct to the public? If not then surely they should see the market opportunity.

I believe they now have. However, it’s quite possible they lack the marketing nous of Brant and Ed that would make it a success.

Indeed, the second result of googling “Shorties trousers” is the website for the Hebden Trouser Company. I wonder why that is?

http://www.facebook.com/hebtroco/videos/480882672252096/

*disclosure – Brant bought me a pint once.

Not for me it isn’t

Ah – stealth edit…..

and another stealth edit, I’d left the ‘s’ off the end 🙂

Today, there’s just one factory remaining. With six members of staff, working a three day week, producing 176 trousers a week. Amazing staff making incredible trousers. Yes, trousers can be incredible. They are the highest specification trousers around, made for some of the most exclusive brands and most prominent public figures in the world.

So, the new trousers are not of the same standard as the old then? Are they cheaper?

It’s all going a bit On-One. 😯 I would say Ragley but they got better after the first few batches. 😆

So do Shorties have a website that I can buy some of their true Hebdon Bridge trousers from? 😆 I’d like to help save trouser town!
Hopefully they can both continue to be successful.

English Fine Cottons is working with an up-and-coming menswear label, to make the perfect fabric for their trousers here in the UK.

While we’ve been busy re-establishing cotton spinning in a region once dubbed Cottonopolis, the founders of HebTroCo have been keeping the industry alive in Hebden Bridge, which used to be known as Trousertown.

I’m sure the second sentence has FTFY potential.
The story

So the guy making trousers had set up a competitor company as far back as march …..

Shorties new company to sell direct, registered 9th March.

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/10662320

From the shock of ‘betrayal’ to fully-registered ‘new idea’ and title in days. Followed shortly afterwards by an undeniably damaging facebook message which comes out of the blue to the firm originally using the #trousertown marketing.

Where does the term ‘stitch-up’ actually come from again?

Incredible displays of bitterness here.

So the guy making trousers had set up a competitor company as far back as march …..

Well he registersed another company in March yes.

Quick browse of the website suggests no jeans and steep (even by hipster standard) prices.

I’ll be off to TKMaxx until they scale up a bit.

Seems like it’s speculation when it’s not what you want to hear, but it’s okay to make assumptions when it backs up your argument :roll:.

So do Shorties have a website that I can buy some of their true Hebdon Bridge trousers from?

This might be them.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/angel9262/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=