IMPROVED CHINOS
This is the story of a pair of pants we’re proud of – and why we had to take a step back to make them even better.
After two production rounds with lots of praise and some very honest customer feedback, we had to go back to our manufacturer. When seams break, we take it personally.
Now, The Chinos are back – stronger than ever.
Written by Jorunn, Head of Design and Product Development
We love making clothes that last
And we love The Chinos. But as a small company with big ambitions for quality and durability, we do hit a few bumps in the road now and then.
The last two production runs received a lot of praise – but we also got some honest feedback that we took seriously. Several customers reported tearing around the pockets and seams coming apart in the crotch. That’s not good enough.
Before putting the pants into production, we tested them for over a year. We did thorough research, carefully selected materials and reinforcements, and partnered with a manufacturer we believed in. That’s why it’s extra frustrating when, despite all that effort, the result still isn’t up to standard.
WHAT WENT WRONG?
After reviewing all feedback and talking in depth with our manufacturer, we identified a few weak spots:
Fabric tearing at pocket attachment
– Most likely caused by the wrong type of needle, or by needles not being replaced often enough. A worn or bent needle can create tiny holes in the fabric, weakening it over time.
Seam at the bottom of the crotch coming undone
– Likely caused by low thread tension, needle wear, or the wrong needle for the fabric – resulting in seams that don’t hold properly.
Stitching around the fly coming loose
– Same cause: Weak stitching due to poor thread settings or lack of machine maintenance.
In short: We found some weak links in the production – especially around seam quality – and took action.
WHAT HAVE WE DONE?
💬 We documented every complaint, sent samples to the manufacturer, and maintained ongoing dialogue about how to fix the issues.
🪡 The manufacturer tightened their quality control and improved routines so that needles are now replaced more frequently, ensuring better stitch consistency.
🧵 For this production, we also replaced the pure cotton thread with a stronger, core-spun thread (polyester core with cotton outer) – a combination that adds strength while keeping the natural look and feel.
We’re crossing our fingers that these improvements are enough to fix the issues we’ve seen – and that the result is the same pair of pants you know and love, just tougher and ready for years of use.
THANK YOU
To everyone who spoke up – thank you. That’s how we improve.
We hope you’ll love the new and improved version of The Chinos as much as we do.
