PHOTO ESSAY: Factory Visit for Outerwear & Insulation

by Marc Dietz June 08, 2018 0 Comments

We have already placed our bulk order for fabrics and are now just fine-tuning a few design elements, dialing in exact colors, and testing details on our latest samples as we get into the pre-production phase of launching our first line of winter youth gear. Take a look here at a few photos documenting our recent trip to work directly with one of our factories.

Fabric color selection decision

We hit the lightroom for detailed final color matching of our navy and light blue colorway and blue Shred Tail camo print.

Closeup of SHRED DOG hardshell collar

Fine-tuning the chest-front zipper, collar, and removable hood interface for the Duke and Xena hardshell jackets (colors here are prototype only, not final colors).

Is that a rubberized "gasket" we see to keep snow out of the hardshell sleeve?? More to come on this innovative feature!

SHRED DOG manufacturing process

Pressure testing our seam-sealing. Most brands cut costs by only doing critical (partial) seam-sealing and we are doing full seam-sealing... so we need to make sure it will hold up and not leak moisture.

martindale test machine

Kids are tough on gear... whether it's getting down in the dirt or just rubbing a sleeve against a concrete wall "because it sounds cool." Abrasion testing is key to make sure SHRED DOG gear holds up to whatever your kids have to dish out. The Martindale test applies pressure and rubs fabric swatches against a rough surface to simulate wear and gauge the durability of the fabric.

Closeup of cut and sew process for kids hardshell winter jacket

As another abrasion-related test, this machine tests for color fastness by rubbing dyed fabrics against a white fabric to see if the colors transfer (called "dry crocking").

Piece of black cloth with the SHRED DOG logo

As just one of many tests conducted for waterproofness and durability, this machine applies water pressure against the fabric until the fabric punctures and leaks... and we are very pleased to report that the fabric we chose to provide maximum waterproofing handled the test with flying colors. Exceeded the machine-rated performance we were looking for!

This machine stretches two pieces of fabric that were bonded together until the bonding fails. Again, kids are tough on gear (and so are washing machines) so we are engineering SHRED DOG to be durable not only for the kid you buy it for but also to last through multiple rounds of hand-me-downs.