There are not many small companies that design and manufacture denim. Doing this in the context of the outdoor industry, for dirtbags like us, has been even harder, but it is also the secret to our success.
Like any new and different idea, many are repelled, and a few really get it and are drawn to it. That’s why you’re here; something about Ripton's mission, voice, or values has struck a cord with you. You’ve seen value, identity, or quality in what we're doing. We think our pricing is very fair, and we’ve built a business model with relatively slim margins compared to the big players. This allows us to use fabrics that are 5-10x more expensive and interesting than the high-volume brands in the denim space.
And you may have noticed that we have been discounting Ripton less and less. As we constantly improve our product while keeping prices the same, we're offer more value, and we find our products selling out faster and faster. With the modest difference between what it costs to manufacture a pair of jeans and what the MSRP is, goes to pay our warehouse rent, our staff's salaries, and it allows us to design and build new and innovative products.
So, over the next week of sales, we will offer you increased value and decreased margin for Ripton product. The degree to which we do this, naturally limits the buyers ability to return or exchange the product they buy, as both returns and exchanges are expensive and time consuming to our small emerging organization. The greater the discount, the less optionality you have in our system. This can be a bad trade-off if you don’t know your size.
The hardest part for us lately has been keeping Ripton in stock for our growing customer base, especially while offering multiple inseams. Basically, we guess what we think people will want, and we often guess wrong. Therefore buying closer to a product drop, or earlier within a sale period increases your likelihood of getting what you’re looking for in your size.
Remember that when you wear a piece of Ripton Performance Denim, you cast your vote for a more wild, playful, approachable world, a world where we can all ride bikes and ski powder together, there are no velvet ropes, there’s no VIP section, no luxury categories, a day is measured by its realness, its truth. And in this world, we are all accountable to each other, and everyone plays a role in getting our neighbor, friend, or coworker out there, into the thick of life on the trail, the slopes, the crag, because the adventure is what counts. A simple, well-built piece of performance denim, is often the best tool for the job.
Thanks for your continued support of Ripton. We wouldn’t be here without you.
— Elliot Wilkinson-Ray, Ripton Founder and Jortbag-in-Chief
