What's your IH secret pleasure that nobody knows??

[indigostiff]

I'll start. I have four -- 4 -- of the old pale riders. I don't really know why. Most of them I bought used on ebay / grailed. Now they're tuning in somewhat handy when I need to get them professionally cleaned, which takes a good four months to turn.

But, nobody knows - nor will they know!

Pictured, #1 after its cleaning in NJ, ready to ship back to me. They are able to keep the patina while getting rid of the scum - which is just where I like it.

[Mizmazzle]

@indigostiff shirt looks fantastic!!

[Matt]

Dark Arts.

[WhiskeySandwich]

I find that just having and wearing IH is my secret pleasure lol. It’s like the anti-brand brand. I don’t want to gatekeep but I dont talk about the brand because I don’t want people to know I wear 400$ clothing items. Not only to not be pretentious but because people just don’t get it. I could rant about it lol

[sabergirl]

Yeah, I feel like Iron Heart IS the secret guilty pleasure. Like everything about it.

[WhiskeySandwich]

It’s funny how lots of people buy brands for the sake of the brand image and recognition, and they’ll pay premium prices for “premium mediocre” quality. It seems they just miss the value in between. They get marginally better craftsmanship but at the exorbitant cost of a label. With IH I’ve always gotten the feeling that it’s the opposite. You pay the premium for the quality product and service, at the highest level. Quality over quantity is what drives this brands loyalty for me.

I guess my secret pleasure is documenting my fade journies too lol

[Fadez]

My secret is the tech jackets. I absolutely love them. I think IH does waterproofing really thoughtfully. The ones that aren’t fully waterproof are warm AF too. I really want Primaloft Gold pants like the IHJ-28 / 79 / 127 jackets I think. That would be epic. Also the technobrane and eVent Primaloft pants would be a dope addition to the jackets. I realize it doesn’t sell as well and also v expensive compared to other outdoor brands… but just like everyone says the quality of craftsmanship is what keeps me coming back. Honorable mention - IH 10oz chambrays.

[Daniel San]

@WhiskeySandwich
that’s exactly what I absolutely don’t understand.
RRL for example, sure some stuff looks cool . but paying 1000€ or even more for a cardigan made in China is ridiculous.
since knowing Iron Heart I am very picky with clothing in general. 95% of my clothes is made in Japan , the Rest from Europe ( Italy, France, Germany) and a few pieces from US makers.

[chrisjohnnick]

I have a lot, but the ones that jump out first are:

This UHF I have where the lines match up perfectly on the back collar, yoke, and back panel:

How the panels on all IH shirts are always perfectly mirrored. Most notably on UHF pockets:

And how the lines are pattern matched perfectly on seams:

[Giles]

@WhiskeySandwich said in What's your IH secret pleasure that nobody knows??:

They get marginally better craftsmanship but at the exorbitant cost of a label.

When you buy a designer brand, what percentage of the price you pay is made up of full page/full colour ads in all the glossy mags, etc etc etc....?

Or the cost of being the official time-keeper at Wimbledon etc etc etc. Which is why I love Grand Seiko because they spend fuck all on advertising, but make magnificent products....

Grand Seiko to me is the horological equivalent of Iron Heart.....And it's Japanese, which is even better.....

[WhiskeySandwich]

@Giles yes, and when it comes down to it, the proof is in the pudding. I couldn’t care less about recognition, but the best is the best because it’s the best, not because I was told so by someone who makes a profit telling me so. …I sure would like a GS…lol

[Giles]

I am pretty sure that no one will ever recognise, let alone comment on my GS, and that to me is is perfect. In 8 or so years of pretty constant wear, only one person has commented on my 50 fathoms, again that is one of the reasons I love it.

[indigostiff]

@Daniel-San While I agree IH has better materials / stitching than RRL, some of their styling / materials are just fire - like their roughout leather sueded pants or type 3 western shirts in roughout and regular leather. Plus, their hand tooled line is just to die for...

[Buckeye]

4, -FOUR- pale riders?!!

[Sir_Cuffs-a-Lot]

hallelujah

[Oaktavia]

Golly Wally

[A Former User]

Mine would be the A2. It’s lower key than the N1. Warm enough for most cool days, but not too warm. Just slip it on and go. Leave it open, or zip it up. No fuss, no muss. Good pockets. Roomy and easy to wear. Practical enough that if something happened to it I wouldn’t be too put out.

[five-pocket]

@chrisjohnnick
The back of my buffalo UHF not quite like yours

[jordanscollected]

1. My IH Silver Bangle. I don't have Iron heart for every situation (yet), but I always wear my bangle so I can say to myself that I'm always wearing Iron Heart.

2. My sneaky Iron Heart work Xmas gift. Every year for Xmas our boss takes us to the mall and we get to shop for ourselves for a couple hours. Many times over the years I have pre-bought something Iron Heart and snuck it into the final shopping reveal we do at dinner after the shopping trip. I have no regrets on this. My boss is rather lax about the shopping, and says if people want to leave the mall and go to a store nearby they can, I just choose to expand that a bit.

3. I'm sure many of us feel this way, but it's a secret pleasure for me seeing people that try and dress high end (loosely in the IH adjacent category), and I know they spent pretty high dollar on their flannel or workwear shirt from Dick's or Scheel's, but it's obvious that it's subpar material and doesn't fit them well. I sound like a Judgy Judgerson here, that's why it's a secret pleasure.

[Danimal506]

@jordanscollected my wife told me I need to take a break from buying clothes. But the bangle is jewelry! So it doesn’t count right?! Hahah