[Closed] your opinion on.......howies clothing - rip off?

jeans are good. marketing bad.

Just don't buy it then.............

spud
this is the chat forum....get it ...chat
...not the blindingly obvious forum...

[b]nothing[/b] is a rip off

if you buy it you chose to buy it, no one made you

if you didn't buy it you have money in you pocket

the only rip off is when something is not as described, not fit for purspose. is a bentley a rip off? or a rolex? or a ford focus?

is howies expensive compared to asda? yeah, but then it's not the same as asda

I'm not convinced it's not the same as Asda.

ive bought quite a few howies items over the years
i must say the quality comapred to other makes is poor, specifically ive had 3 t shirts go into holes, jeans come adrift at the stitching
a fleece zip break.
why do i keep buying them?
i like the style, and up to last week, they always replace without problems.
last week i sent a pair of cords back that had come undone at the pocket, causing it to rip, they sent them back to me with a very shabby repair, not what i expected for the prices they are charging.
i dont think i have ever bought anything at full price, always wait for the sales

im saying there t shirts for a pound.you get what you pay for, but anything over £20 is to much imho.
i get idave's point is about value for money really but £20 for a single colour t shirt?
the best is the "hand me down jacket" so called i belive because you willo wn it so long etc etc
plain ,black cotton coach jacket type thing.simple plain ,good all rounder.
but over £400! come on thats got to be based on the label and will be bought by...lets say..well off types who arnt worried about money
but frankly its not ACTUALLY worth £400 to any one with any common sense??
surely??

I don't think I've ever bought anything full price, just sales. And nothing other than the odd t-shirt for 3 or 4 years now.

I've always thought the quality is pretty good. Same goes for the styling, but some of the prices are very expensive.

I have a lovely Howies merino base layer and an ExtraMiler jacket both are brilliant, functional items. Expensive for what they were.

BUT I have to say that their designs are getting more trendy and less functional recently. Still expensive though...

I buy their stuff because I think it makes me look like a london cycle courier. It tells everybody in the pub that I ride bikes. And as a bonus, if I wear their clothes, girls that look like the female models in their catalogues will want to be my girlfriend.

I've had three of their classic T's. One came in holes after a year, one had the front image printed about 1 inch too far to the left so it looks stupid, but the third has been fine.

A shirt off them has been fine for a good few months now, but it makes me look like a postman. My fault that.

I have some Olive Drab jeans from them that are the slightly wrong shade of OD. To me they look a bit like I bought them from M&S, whereas I was aiming for a rugged action man type look.

They were excellent when I returned some stuff that didn't fit.

I really want some of their Merino, but it's willy shrivelingly expensive.

The girl who answers the phone sounds hot. I really hope she is.

yesterday I found 2x Howies jeans in my size in TKMAXX for £25 each.

Im a happy bunny.

Although I own 3 Howies jeans (2x tkmaxx £25, 1x secondhand £25) and 3 Howies merino tops (all in the sales at £25 each I think) and a howies sweatshirt (£30 in the sale) Ive never bought a full price howies bit of kit.

I paid £180 for that lot over the last few years, but the list price would have been closer to £500. Good clothes (but nothing utterly remarkable) but too steep IMO.

I have found Howies quality poor, waterproofing a joke and longevity dismal. I would never buy again (didn't the first time really, they were gifts!)

You get what you pay for.

Organic Clothing cost more.

Their Merino is turned into clothing in NZ where it costs considerably more to make clothes than China. Plus by not shipping the raw material halfway across the globe, it's inevitably better for the environment.... just more expensive for you to buy.

Great clothes, well constructed, but not my style. I'm more Carhartt... myself..

The girl who answers the phone sounds hot. I really hope she is.

I've got a few Howies items, mostly in sales or via my sister who gets 25% off their clothes

One jacket in particar has been through hell and back on the bike with me without the slightest complaint, the rest has been perfect, especially the merino T shirt I got for £20. Is certainly better value than anything with a designer name on it IMO.

But as has already been said, if you don't like it for some reason just don't buy it. Why complain on here? I don't like Ben Sherman or YSL stuff but I don't feel the need to go on about it ad-infinitum.....

Looked at Rapha prices lately? Trendy 'courier' style clothes to make overpaid city-types think they look cool and cutting-edge. I've got quite a lot of Howies stuff, in fact I'm wearing a Syncros tee that was made by Howies, and I've got three pairs of their jeans, because I like the style and fit. Do none of you actually check out the prices of so-called fashion clothing? A pair of Howies jeans are around £85, it's not difficult to go into some generic high-street fashion shop and find some sort of 'designer label' jean with a bit of fancy stitching and holes ripped in for £170-190. That's bein ripped off. Now stop bitching. It's a free market - buy or don't buy, see if I care.

I think their clothes are very 'uncool' and a bit expensive.

i have quite a bit of their stuff
their base layers work and are good but expensive
their tee shirts are expensive but the sizing is woefully hit and miss
on the whole the other gear (jeans, tops etc) is ok but again expensive

i have had a few quality issues which howies have sorted without any problems

i quite like some of their stuff and the new gear looks interesting but again expensive

Just re-read my 1st post, and can see that, if read with a sarcastic intonation, might look like I don't like their clothes and projected image.

I should clarify that this is not the case. That was all typed with a straight face. I love the stuff. I Love their catalogues. I want to spend about 3 hundreds pounds online right now, but instead I will buy things in dribs and drabs to eak out the nice feelings it gives me.

What I dislike more than Howies is circular arguements on the same subject

The Howies ethos is great and I really love their history. Their catalogues are the best.

I'll just pop into TKChavvs now and again in hope of finding more Howies gear I can afford.

I've had loads of stuff from howies (often from their sales)...long way home jacket, shorts, sweats, ts, jeans, the lot! Never had any problems at all with quality. Great stuff imo and prefer to support someone like howies than the other brands...

.

The Howies ethos is great and I really love their history. Their catalogues are the best.

Ethos is great but what about their parent company Timberland? Are you saying catalogues are the only reason for buying their overpriced gear? Tell a great story and then sell lots of gear even though IMO its not any better than less expensive clothing.

I'll continue to stay away from buying the stuff thanks.

For the price of a cheapo Howies T-shirt, I could buy a replacement carbon brake lever ... easy decision ... bike wins every time.

Don't have any Howies products cos I would rather 'waste' money on bike stuff and the odd CD 🙄

Really like howies and have found the quality really good in every purchase - just wait for the sale.

Thought somebody might have said this already - oh, they have, several times.

Hora - the circle goes on 😉

Their basic 'howies' teeshirts (at least the ones i own) shrink. I want to like them tho 🙄

Their Merino is turned into clothing in NZ where it costs considerably more to make clothes than China.

The merino stuff is made in Fiji.

Plus by not shipping the raw material halfway across the globe, it's inevitably better for the environment.... just more expensive for you to buy.

The wool is transported from New Zealand to China to be turned in to yarn. It's then transported to Fiji to be turned into clothing. It's then transported back to New Zealand before being send to Cardigan Bay.

Which isn't great. But, they've said as much themselves after they found out just how far it was travelling and they're looking into either getting the whole lot done in NZ, of moving all production to China.

I got three of their T shirts in the sale more than three years ago and they were still my best T shirts until I recently spilt oil down the front of two of them.

I got a pair of their trousers at about the same time. They were still looking god enough to wear to work until a month or so ago, when the knee finally wore through, despite near constant wear for a couple of years.

My merino base layer has been great, though it did gain a couple of holes after I washed it with some velcro (but anything woollen would do that) on their equally great board shorts.

I bought a jacket in their summer sale this year that seems brilliantly made, but I'll see how it survives before raving about it.

Bought both my kids a hoodie each. That'll be a test of how hard-wearing their stuff is!

All the above were bought in the sale, or on 2 for 1 offers, but I've reached a point where I'd be willing to pay full price for [i]some[/i] items. Once you realise how long they last, their trousers seem good value (though I'll not be paying over £200 for their hemp jeans), but I'd struggle to buy a merino jumper for £120.

Is certainly better value than anything with a designer name on it IMO.

It's just designer stuff, like any other designer stuff. The market sector for it is a bit different at the moment, that's all.

Timberland used to have a more outdoors oriented image 20 years ago - even offered a lifetime warranty on footwear for a while - and maybe trying to recapture some of that now it's no longer cool on the street.

Northface and more recently Animal both made the jump from niche/outdoors stuff to mainstream.

It's not a rip off..good quality, lasts for ages and I buy from them all the time.

I'm wearing a Syncros tee that was made by Howies

Do they actually [i]make[/i] anything at all? I thought the most they did was put ink on t-shirts.

so as an overview of posts so far, howies is bit to expensive and some have had indifferent quality.this was my whole point in the beginning.
it not the price so much as what you get for it.i dont like the idea of marketing bods thinking, ok all the people will love this so lets ad a few technical features(merino wool etc) some good pics in the brochures and then whack the price right up and people will then presume its the best available cos its so expensive. its then bought by...people like me who want performance from there goods and skint them selves to get it(but dont) or x5 drivers (que whole new rant)who fritter away loads of cash cos it makes them look like rugged outdoors types...

just to add, i dont mind spending loads of money..for some thing that performs or lasts. im also with cinnamon girl and her comment!!

it lasts and is repairable, common sense is to wait for the sales - look at cost per year compared to the alternatives and it's not so bad

sizing can be problematic, better suited to tall skinny trendy types, not average height manual working people - for a t to go around my shoulders comfortably, it goes halfway to my knees - maybe I'm an abnormal size, but a lot of other t's fit well

I like their jeans as they fit/suit me.

I have 'bought' other stuff in their sales but ended up returning it as I didn't like it.

Had a couple of t's as well. Not seen one I wanted for years now.

I think its mostly a bit of marketing hype myself (which is what these kinda people are apt to do as its their job to sell their stuff).

A rip off? Well not for me as I wouldn't be stumping up £200 for jeans or £400 for jacket whatever...

I like(ish) Howies clothes but had their rain jacket from a few years back and it died (zips), got a refund. Bought a NBL t-shirt a few years ago and it's by far the worst merino t-shirt of the 5 that I own . I've got 3 pairs of their strides which just don't fit me despite being a normalish size (34L), the jeans were too tight, too short and just cut "weird" while two pairs of their other trousers (bought in sale) one just felt odd and the other was laughably massive and also felt weird. I'm well pleased with a polo shirt of theirs I got though.

I'd like it if they produced the same ethically sound t shirts but without a logo or anything and charged £10 for them. Then I'd be happy to buy them as I'd be getting a well made, 'green' t shirt for not much money and I wouldn't have to sport the howies logo.

Alternatively, 2 t shirts for £5 from Matalan is top value.

Grown men wearing logo t-shirts make me 😆

strange comments about logos - almost all their gear is close to un-branded. you might find 'howies' on a button but that's about it - occasionally a small embroidered logo. I think their merino stuff is near the top end quality wise - as a few have said, if you like it and can wait for the sales...

I'm just fascinated that there is a Cardigan bay. I can picture it right now.

we love reading all the posts on here about howies. regarding faulty products we have a simple policy, send it back and we'll take a look at it and do what we can to remedy the situation. We pride ourselves on good customer relations. Our customer service number is 01239 614122.

Guybrush, we have sample sales and sales all year round if you register for a catalgue with us we can email you when we have specials and your willy wont have to shrivel.
Regarding comments about price odanny, our organic tees are £25. And the HMD jacket is made in the UK using organic scottish tweed from the isle of mull for the liner and ventile (waterproof cotton) for the shell. It's an amazing £400 jacket made by hand and is sold out. a taiwanese frame on a mass produced bike can retail for as low as £99.00 and hand made euro frame up to £1800. both frames may last as long as the other but the manufacturing processes, material costs and labour will vary. you have to make choices and we made a choice to make the jacket. Not everyones cup of tea but someones. howies customers are a varied bunch, we like that and we try our hardest to make stuff for all of them. have a good christmas out there and keep your eye on the blog if you want to keep up to date with what's going on.

keep on posting and letting us have feedback

OK, stop sending me so many emails reminding me to buy your stuff, you sound *a bit* desperate.

I'm a howies customer.
Their logo on a t-shirt is enough to get anyone laid.
FACT.

I got

BFJ jacket, merino v neck, merino polo, 2X plain t shirts and a hat for £125 at the sample sale

Pretty pleased with that. Wouldn't pay RRP though

Super-slick branding, but then from retired ad execs, so it should be. If mugs will pay £140 for a hat and scarf, then who can blame Howies for charging it?

Most of the stuff Ive bought or Mrs B has bought have got holes in. Not with in weeks but in less than a year. Why not send it back? Well its a year old so hows that going to stand up as a complaint? Though I have T shirts that are decades old.
Yes their stuff is right on and in principle its a good thing to buy it, but to me it seems there is a hefy 'right on tax' on the price.
Without getting too northern I think they are taking the piss

Isn't most the clobber made in China, Portugal and Turkey? Jeans are good if a little odd in sizing; everything else has gone downhill in the last 2 years.

I used to think it was pretty cool stuff, in fact I think they were once voted the coolest brand of the year or something similar.

However, I once saw a chubby guy in his 50's, wearing a leather jacket and a Howies T, oh he must of though he was so 'cool', 'hip' and 'down' with it...

However, I once saw a chubby guy in his 50's, wearing a leather jacket and a Howies T, oh he must of though he was so 'cool', 'hip' and 'down' with it...

do you propose a set of scales and an entrance exam for all prospective purchasers?

i like some of their stuff. i have jeans n tshirts n merino

i`d never buy full price. and the ethos branding is a bit iffy.

@ Stoner, no I don't. If my dad walked in wearing a Howies T I'd tell him take it off! 😉

I used to be a massive fan, but in the last two years or so prices have massively gone up and quality has gone down, hence now they are just another overpriced fashion brand and offer nothing different from your YSL's and Ben Shermans.

I've got a few Howies things and though they are on the expensive side, I'm not sure it's fair to single them out for that- I don't think their jeans are [i]that[/i] much more expensive than, say, a pair of Levis. The stuff I have is on course to last a good while and since I don't buy many clothes I suppose to a certain extent I subscribe to the "buy better, buy less" thing.

It's also a bit too simple to say "Aha! But how can you be all ethical when your stuff isn't made by craftsmen in Wales from locally-sourced materials?" Inevitably ethics have to be balanced with reality- at least they're trying.

That said, the relationship between the ticket price and the extra costs involved in using organic stuff etc. could maybe be a bit clearer. And I'd have to say that in the last couple of catalogues very little has appealed to me.

hey tim! how come all your adds with bikes in never have the cyclist in a helmet? (in your catalogue... just out of interest)

Possibly because it is a fashion clothing catalogue and not a leaflet produced by the Department For Nagging and Bothersome Tedium. Anyone who makes their decision not to wear a cycle helmet based on the fact that a Howies jeans model doesn't is beyond worrying about. 🙂

hey tracknicko! I ride my bike while wearing Howies jeans and no helmet!

I bought my first ever full price Howies stuff recently. A pair of ethnic peace trousers, sorry jeans. Worth every penny.

I get frustrated about the blokes v. girls range.... Lots of cool outdoorsy ruggedy stuff for the guys and flowery skirts for the girls. I want outdoorsy ruggedy stuff too 🙁

I have bought some howies stuff over the years, first piece was a H logo t shirt from bike 99 i think which i still have, got an outback jacket and a base layer. jacket is good but stitching issues. I also had some of the merino boxers that fell apart after litle use , need to get the Gf to send them back actually. For the last three years they have not offered any technical or innotive clothes, just jeans , t shirts and jumpers etc. There seams very little creativity in this department and I believe this has caused the move towards the fashion market. Everybody says that they would ever buy howies at full price, which I think best demonstrates that it is over priced. In summary I was once a loyal howies customer , I no longer buy their stuff.

Howies have had their 'niche' day and now they're just another overpriced label

Make some nice gear... Think they need to go back a little as to what made them different and it wasnt just save the whales.

Their jeans are really nice except they are not made for me, my large thighs mean that even with a waist 3" to big they are tight round the top of my legs and arse! Not Howies fault I know but if other makes fit seems strange that they are miles off.

Oh and 18mths and STILL leaking dye so cannot wash them with anything else which kind of makes a mockery of the whole eco thing?

Oh and yes cost does seem a little prohibitive at least at the moment... Surely with the financial clout (spelling) of Timberland behind price should come down even with fairtrade stickers all over them.

you realise the MASSIVE irony of what you are saying there big dummy?

do you?

Too expensive... simple

Who care where its made, I Don't 😯

they should do a "value" range like Tescos.

No tracknicko, not really. Why don't you tell me all about it? 🙂

Wear Howies if you want to look like a child!!! 😈

But the expensive range is nothing special!

As for the casual clothing, it looks like stuff from Top Man. 🙄

maybe ill leave you to it dummy. have a little think eh?

Can't be arsed, sorry. I bet it's jolly clever though. 🙂

actually their base layers are really very good! Much better than the Nike one I have and the karrimor one.

I have bought the odd merino top. Lots of money but its good. The fashion items like jeans i can leave to people with more money than sense. Their catalogues are ace though, if I could buy a catalogue without having to buy an item of seperate clothing i might well consider it.
All round a very clever marketing company. Nothing matters now though cos they are owned by Timberland

Used to like there stuff, haven't seen much recently that I've liked, academic really though as they are now so expensive I can't afford them anyway.

Trousers are too long. They need to do a short in more than just one pair. IF ANYONE IS LISTENING TIM.

And I have normal length legs..

Nothing matters now though cos they are owned by Timberland

Timberland are planet rapists of the first order, busy trying to buy themselves a green veneer.

Howies have gone the same way as TNF, sold out, still make the odd good bit of kit, mostly labelwhoredom and overpriced dross now IMO.

I've had a fair amount of their kit and casual clothing for the past 10-11 years, mixed bag really, some great, some shoddy.

Went to the Howies sample sale - 3 T-Shirts for £25 🙂

3 times in the last month I've called howies about a business matter and no one has answered the phone 🙄

but to me it seems there is a hefy 'right on tax' on the price.

What bollocks. We just expect everything to be cheap since manaacturing got shipped to Asia where the lack of environmental and social regulation means people are paid pennies to do what a UK workforce legally requires a minimum wage for. Sure its expensive, but as Tim's post says it is also justified. Make your choice, but there's no need to keep harping on about it.

Timberland are planet rapists of the first order, busy trying to buy themselves a green veneer.

I did some work with suppliers of Timberland store outfitters and they had a genuinely sustainable approach to their procurement and construction. A lot better than other greenwashers.

Timberland are planet rapists of the first order, busy trying to buy themselves a green veneer.

Howies have gone the same way as TNF, sold out, still make the odd good bit of kit, mostly labelwhoredom and overpriced dross now IMO.

Are they all that bad?

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/06/timberland_sets.php

Obviously that article is no more gospel than anything else on the internet but there seem to be worse people Howies could've "sold out" too.

Erm, only buy wool jumpers & jeans from them now. Reason being is soo much of their stuff shrinks in the wash - & not just a bit. Jeans seem to loose 2" on the leg on 1st wash. A fair selection shirts & t-shirts that have also shrank.

Wife reckons it's the cheapness of the cotton.