LBM 1911 at Haberdash

As we get ready for the opening of our new LBM 1911 shop at the River North store, we decided it was time for some more LBM 1911 love here on our blog. After all, this is the first shop-in-shop here in the United States, and Haberdash will be the first to carry LBM 1911 suits. Louis Costa, Managing Director for Lubiam USA, took some time to talk to us about the blazers, suits, and the intensive garment dyeing process that makes LBM 1911 so amazing. Click here to jump to details on tonight’s launch event and to get your $100 LBM 1911 Gift Card.

The Art of Garment Dyeing “Not many companies out there are doing garment-dyed clothing. It’s a very long, detail-oriented process. The garment is sewn in white fabric, then thrown into a vat of boiling water in a particular color. The fabrics will stretch differently, react differently to the heat—but the final product has a great fit. It’s very casual, relaxed, but still has that Italian sport coat romance to it.” “It’s not a product that happens overnight; we were playing with it over 6 years until we could make sure it was consistent and came out looking perfect every time. The first year, we started with dying 100% cashmere jackets—which was just a mess. There were dye marks (areas where the fabric was folded and dye didn’t reach, creating white lines), the sleeves came out too long. The product was still very much in its infancy as we figured out how the fabrics reacted to the process. “This was during a time in the U.S. when no one was interested in anything dyed; there was nothing on the horizon but three-button, pleated suits. A couple of seasons ago the look peaked in Italy, and now it’s just starting to reach the market here. There’s a big learning curve there—to be able to see where the market is going and be ahead of it. It took us 6 years to perfect the product.”

The Thread Just another example of the painstaking details that go into each jacket: “When we dye the jacket, we’re dying a white garment. But the threads are polyester, which won’t pick up the color during the dying process. So if we’re dying a green jacket, we have to start with a white jacket that’s been sewn with green polyester thread.”

The Fabric “It’s not just a soft jacket. It’s the dying and the washing that sets it apart. It really softens up the fabric, so you don’t feel like you’re wearing a jacket. It feels more like a sweater. We also add softeners during the washing process.”

The Fit “The jackets have a very slim, modern fit that the younger generation is more open to. Young guys who don’t want to look like their fathers, who want something more casual, but still dressed up.”

The Color “If you look closely on the edges of the garment, you can see where the dye doesn’t take perfectly everywhere. It gives it a very vintage, color-worn effect, like a jacket that’s been beat up and washed enough that the color starts to fade, which makes the pattern of these pop out even more.”

The LBM 1911 Suit

We are also very excited to be carrying the first-ever LBM 1911 suits here at Haberdash—fitted, made to measure, comfortable. “It’s going to be a softly tailored suit, not lined or canvased. You can roll it up into a ball, throw it into your suitcase, and then leave it hanging in a hot shower wherever you land. It’s such a luxurious fabric that it’ll just iron out itself. It’s very casual, but still a slim-fitting garment and a more modern fit—very Italian. Italian men like to show off their bodies, and the younger generation here understands that. There’s definitely a generational gap; the older generation is just used to shoulder pads and pleated pants.”

Which brings us to another part of the garment that takes a lot of time: the shoulders. “There are no shoulder pads, so the jacket has to be sewn correctly to fit a shoulder. With shoulder pads, you can hide inconsistencies, but when there’s nothing in there, the jacket needs to fit perfectly.”

where	Haberdash River North 607 N. State St., Chicago, IL 60654 312.624.8551	LBM 1911 Weekend Promotion Present the gift card below for $100 off of each LBM 1911 jacket, suit or coat purchased. Gift Card must be printed to be redeemed and is non-transferable. Click Here to Download Thursday 11/10-Sunday 11/13 only.
when	Thursday, November 10, 6-9 pm
details	Join us as we celebrate the launch of our exclusive new LBM 1911 shop, offering one night only made-to-measure suits and complimentary Italian hors d’oeuvres and refreshments. The LBM 1911 Shop features a number of exclusive-to-Haberdash finds, including jackets, coats and suiting.