derek guy Profile picture
Menswear writer. Editor at @putthison. Creator of @RLGoesHard. Bylines at The New York Times, The Financial Times, Politico, Esquire, and Mr. Porter
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Apr 21 21 tweets 12 min read
Rumors are going around that Pete Hegseth might be on his way out. I don’t know if that’s true, but just in case, I want to do a thread on his style. To me, Hegseth’s wardrobe reflects a common pitfall guys fall into when they first start caring about clothes. 🧵 Image When men start dressing with more intention, they often fall into the trap of cranking every knob to 11—volume, gain, treble, bass. The thinking is: more = better. But like in music, maxing out every setting doesn’t lead to clarity—it leads to noise. Image
Apr 20 25 tweets 18 min read
Someone asked me why there aren't any high-end Chinese clothing brands. They are many! In this thread, I'll name a few, as well as answer the question why you may not have heard of them. 🧵 Image This thread will cover a wide range of aesthetics and business sizes, so that there's something for everyone. The first is Zhu Chongyun, a chic womenswear label that combines traditional Chinese aesthetics with contemporary design. Image
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Apr 20 15 tweets 9 min read
I try to live by the rule that what may be obvious to one person may not be obvious to another, as people are getting into hobbies at different points. So for those who are just starting to build a better wardrobe, here's how to shop for clothes online. 🧵 Go to your closet and pull out your best fitting clothes—best button-up shirt, best sweater, best pair of tailored trousers, and best pair of jeans. Lay these flat on a hard surface and measure them with a flexible measuring tape (available online or local craft stores) Image
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Apr 16 17 tweets 13 min read
Not true. There are skilled craftspeople of every ethnic background (also hucksters who pose as real craftsman, but are not). Here are some artisans of Vietnamese and Filipino heritage. 🧵 Image I'll start with one I named in an earlier thread. Bellanie Salcedo is a Vietnamese-American and one-half of Chester Mox, based in the US. She trained for years under a former Hermès artisan, learning the skill of saddle stitching. Everything she makes is completely handmade. Image
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Apr 15 15 tweets 7 min read
The thing about the Chinese fashion manufacturing TikTok discourse is that people haven't seen what it takes to build a reputable business. Look at what independent craftspeople go through: years of training, selling to discerning buyers, building a reputation, and expansion. 🧵 Image
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This has nothing to do with French vs Asian hands. In my thread, I highlighted many Asian makers. But I've also seen fraudsters (of every ethnic background). People who start up companies, sell shoddy products to uneducated buyers, and then disappear.

Apr 14 26 tweets 16 min read
This video has made the rounds on nearly every social media platform—and like others in its genre, it's led people to reduce fashion production to overly simplistic narratives.

So let’s take a look at why this bag might not be quite the same as the one you’d find at Hermès. 🧵 Most people have a very functional relationship with their wardrobe. They choose garments for their utility—warmth, comfort, protection from the elements. In this context, quality is measured by durability and function: how long a piece lasts and how well it does its job. Image
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Apr 8 19 tweets 8 min read
How much do you think it costs to make a pair of Nike shoes in Asia?

I'll show you. 🧵 Image In 2014, Steve Bence served as Nike's Program Director in Footwear Sourcing and Manufacturing. He pulled back the curtain on manufacturing in an interview with Portland Business Journal. He said that, if a sneaker retails for $100, it generally costs them about $25 to manufacture Image
Apr 8 21 tweets 12 min read
"China makes crappy clothes anyway, so who cares?"

This is a very outdated view. Let me show you just one shop in Beijing, which I think makes clothes that surpasses Loro Piana, The Row, or whatever luxury ready-to-wear brand you can name. 🧵 Image Atelier BRIO Pechino started as a multi-brand store that held trunk shows with bespoke tailors and shoemakers from around the world. Over time, they've developed as their own tailoring house, which I think excels bc of the proprietor's high taste and their craftspeople's skills. Image
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Apr 6 25 tweets 10 min read
I support the US garment industry. I don't believe in making life harder for immigrants or erecting crazy high tariffs. So how can we reshore some of our US garment manufacturing without xenophobia or protectionism? Here's my view. 🧵 Image This thread starts with three ideas:

First, garment manufacturing has always been done by immigrants—first Germans in the late 19th century, then Jewish immigrants from East Europe, then Italian and Polish, and now East Asian, Latin, and Caribbean. Image
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Apr 6 18 tweets 7 min read
It's true there's a lot of automation in garment production—and there stands to be a lot more. Let me show you some of the technologies. And what this could mean for American labor. 🧵 I want to start with this video, even though I've posted it before and you may have seen it. It forms the basis for an idea in this thread.

Long ago, before the advent of ready-to-wear, tailors made things by hand, some using a pad stitch.

YT bernadettebanner
Apr 6 24 tweets 10 min read
This is a very misinformed view of clothing manufacturing.

Tariffs can drive up prices, shrink variety, and lower quality. Let me show you how. 🧵 People often equate Chinese manufacturing with low quality, cheap, sweatshop clothes. And they assume that US manufacturing is high quality, ethically made clothes. Thus, if tariffs brings back US manufacturing, we'll all be wearing higher-quality clothes. This view is wrong. Image
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Apr 3 16 tweets 8 min read
Let's look at how Trump's recent round of tariffs could impact your spending on clothing. 🧵 Image I should note this thread makes two assumptions. First, that tariff will be fully passed down to the consumer. This may or may not be true, but is likely true in the long run. Second, that the manufacturing info I found online reflects current sourcing.
Apr 2 21 tweets 11 min read
Any time I comment on these shoes, someone replies: "What am I supposed to wear? Those are so comfy!"

This is reasonable. But if you want to wear more traditional footwear, here are some suggestions on how to find a comfortable pair. 🧵 Image First, nothing is going to be as comfy as sneakers. Those are pillows built on marshmallow clouds. But it's also not true that traditional leather shoes have to be painful. For generations, men wore leather soles for sport and long walks. Image
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Mar 27 14 tweets 6 min read
I don't think this is exactly right. My guess is that a lot of AI art will be similar to what has happened in the clothing industry: technology speeds up production, benefitting consumers. Only enthusiasts will care if something is made by hand or not. Will give examples. 🧵 I should note this thread doesn't get into ethical issues about copying another person's work. I'm only talking about how I think it will impact the market.

As I've mentioned before, tailoring is about creating shape. For a jacket, a lot of this is done through pad stitching. Image
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Mar 26 17 tweets 7 min read
Spring has started and soon you'll see a bunch of posts like this, extolling the virtues of linen. Once people learn about linen through short, simple blurbs, they think it possess magical properties. But the truth is more complicated.

Let me tell you about linen. 🧵 Image Clothing production is often opaque, especially for consumers. If you're lucky, a brand might tell you that they use Irish or Italian linen, such these J. Crew shirts that hit shelves every summer, carrying the Baird McNutt label (also, "McNutt" is objectively funny). Image
Mar 24 14 tweets 6 min read
Do you know why luxury brands put logos all over their clothes? I'll tell you. 🧵 The most obvs reason is that luxury and streetwear have been merging for the last 20 years. Cristóbal Balenciaga was known for these incredible dresses (pic 1). But in more recent history, creative director Demna Gvasalia, who just left the company, borrows from streetwear. Image
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Mar 22 19 tweets 8 min read
People who have followed me for a while may already know the answer to this. But I will explain again why steam is ruinous for tailoring, and how you can pack a suit. 🧵 Image To understand why steam is ruinous for tailoring, you have to first understand that suits and sport coats are not like other things in your wardrobe. They are built from many layers of haircloth, canvas, and padding, and then shaped through pad stitching and ironwork. Image
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Mar 12 21 tweets 11 min read
Meghan McCain's husband blocked me, so I can't retweet (also my mom got really excited once when I told her that Meghan McCain's husband tweeted about me). But this sort of attitude is why some people will never be stylish. Let's talk about Bernie Sanders's style. 🧵 Image When most people think of Bernie Sanders, they think of images like this: a grumpy looking man with uncombed silver hair wearing a suit that looks like it might be a size too large. He looks like a fledgling that has somehow climbed into dark worsted suit. Image
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Mar 10 23 tweets 9 min read
I'm not a historian, but I don't think the United States is based on European values. I think it's about American values. I will give my view on this video through the lens of ... [drum roll] ... menswear. 🧵 In 1893, a newly minted John Hopkins graduate named Frederick Jackson Turner presented "The Frontier in American History" to an audience at the Chicago World's Fair. He argued against the Germ Theory, an idea that political habits are innate racial characteristics. Image
Mar 8 19 tweets 8 min read
Technically true, but this comment skates by a more complicated issue: how much does it cost to make something in the United States?

Let's run through a clothing example. 🧵 Image Thomas buys t-shirts from Grunt Style, a veteran-owned company that sources blanks from abroad (also, thank you for your service 🫡). These t-shirts cost $30 for a one-color print (front + two sleeves).

The t-shirt is from Honduras. Image
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Mar 4 25 tweets 17 min read
🇨🇦 CANADIAN SHOPPING GUIDE 🇨🇦

Want to support Canadian companies? Here are some Canadian businesses that sell high quality menswear. Some also carry womenswear. 🧵 Image First, some caveats. What does it mean to "buy Canadian?" Does it mean buying things made in Canada? Or just from Canadian stores, which may carry imported goods? Something made in Canada will be more expensive, so price is a consideration. You decide what level is right for you. Image