Disclaimer: the camera battery died at the very beginning of the visit, we were forced to take photos with an iPhone.
Our roadtrip therefore ended with a visit to the Filson factory , which I was eagerly awaiting, as I appreciate the refined and robust design of the products of this brand steeped in history.
If Filson was for a long time confined to an audience of hunters/fishermen/workers (we will come back to this), the brand has reached a very different audience with its famous line of ultra-solid luggage:
Several of these famous Filson bags have already lived well .
Yes, they have a rather extensive range of products...
The flagship actually looks like a hunter/fisherman's cottage, with even a VHS video recorder next to a fireplace for a nicely old-fashioned feel. There is, however, one particularity: you can see the factory from inside the store thanks to two windows, because Filson is very proud of its manufacturing .
The window inside the store which allows you to see the workers making the famous Filson luggage .
So it was Teresa, the production director, who guided us through the factory for an afternoon to explain in every detail how a bag is made. She is extremely passionate and committed to her role: she has been working for Filson for almost 25 years!
She first explained to us the history of the brand: in the middle of the gold rush, it was vital for these new adventurers to have clothes that were always dry because there was obviously no Wal-Mart in the area. corner to go buy new dry socks. Clinton C. Filson wanted to help these miners by selling them suitable clothing.
The brand has thus specialized in robust, waterproof, durable fabrics with foolproof reliability (oiled cotton, tin clothes (soaked in wax) , paraffin treatment). When the gold rush ended, Filson continued to sell his ultra-tough, waterproof clothing to fishermen, hunters and laborers. The brand's most emblematic models have not evolved much over the decades, a sign of an effective and proven design . Do not hesitate to read the “About” page of the site, it is very well done.
When Teresa is asked to explain the success of Filson bags with the world's fashionitas , her answer is in one word: quality . Quality of materials, quality of manufacturing, and that's it. She elaborates by saying that fashion enthusiasts are fed up with overpriced and relatively fragile designer bags (which rarely last more than a year) and want a product with a no-frills design, but above all durable.
What strikes you first, once you pass through the small door, is the very active side of the factory: no huge industrial machines, but on the contrary a multitude of small workstations where everything is done by hand. . Even the schedules are written by hand on a good old whiteboard (the production chain is very little digitized as I was to realize later).
The qualitative aspect is omnipresent in the factory . I also remember that Teresa never told us about the number of bags made per day, because that is not the most important thing for her.
So, how is a Filson bag made?
It all starts with a... computer! In fact, the patterns are designed digitally. In this photo, you can see that the pieces of fabric that will be used to make clothes and luggage appear in color.
The software that allows you to create material patterns to cut.
This is a step that may seem simple, but given that Filson uses quite expensive materials, the challenge is to optimize as much as possible the surface area of fabric that will be cut by the machine .
In fact, Teresa was proud to tell us that on a roll of fabric, approximately 85% of the surface area was used (with a record of 91% for certain pieces!). Casually, being able to measure the percentage of fabric used so effectively has a huge impact on controlling production costs ...
Then there is a machine that cuts the rolls of fabric. Here too, it is a very sophisticated tool capable of cutting to a fraction of a millimeter, and of adapting its cut according to the condition of the blade. To be able to handle these enormous rollers more effectively, the table on which they are placed is pierced with a multitude of holes in which air is blown against the fabric, just like in a game of table hockey.
The machine that cuts the fabric (packaged here in plastic film).
The white lines you see on the surface are simply the cutouts.
While the fabric is being cut, the leather elements so characteristic of Filson are prepared. The leathers arrive in large formats, with a special tanning which gives it a regular and soft appearance. The edges of the straps are then compressed to prevent them from becoming brittle and then dyed to match the color of the leather.
The huge piles of leather used for the straps...
Here, these are the reference pieces of leather for workers,
with all the sizes used, in case they forget
what this or that reference looks like.
What is this funny machine for?
Simply to have strappy edges
very clean by compressing the piece of leather...
And precisely, after this passage through the machine, the straps are perfectly straight.
Nice little detail: the sides of the straps are dyed to give a uniform finish.
The pad that is used to make the piece of leather that holds the strap!
It should be noted that leather scraps are systematically reused in order to limit waste as much as possible, particularly for small pieces of leather:
Nothing is lost at Filson!
They are then sewn onto the fabric. That’s when Teresa talks to us about design. Basically, the bags were designed to have the simplest manufacturing possible, which explains this refined design. It's a perfect textbook case where design is completely at the service of function and manufacturing , as Dieter Rams would have approved.
Since the leather is very strong, a special needle is used, with a diamond shape, which allows this particularly durable leather to be penetrated without any problems.
The diamond needle used to sew leather.
The thread used is also special, very resistant (you feel it immediately when you hold it in your hand). That's when Teresa gave us a little demonstration of their machine which is used to make... Filson suspenders! Even for this kind of simple accessory, there is a real concern for quality, since the leather piece is sewn twice for greater resistance.
The best gift in the world for your grandfather 🙂
Little by little the bag is taking shape...
Small funny point: the leather is of such quality that the number 1 problem for after-sales service consists of repairing leather straps chewed... by customers' dogs. Indeed, it's a treat for them: they prefer Filson leather to an ordinary bone...
Saliva penetrates the leather, and as it dries, it cracks! Teresa smilingly told us that even if this kind of return is repaired, it is not covered by the usual lifetime warranty. Notice to readers who go weasel hunting with a Filson rifle case...
For any other request, Filson replaces the bags without discussion, and even offers to exchange them when they are old.
The cardboard of YKK closures, treated against corrosion and sea water!
This is when the zipper is sewn... Filson works with YKK and is very happy with the quality of these zippers . In fact, the closures are made of metal (and not plastic, a guarantee of quality) with a special metal alloy which prevents rusting and which is very resistant.
She also told us a little tip against stubborn closures: just run soap over them and then, “ it slides off on its own ”.
Obviously, I couldn't help but ask what she thought of Riri closures, and her answer was very clear: Riri makes very high quality closures, but they are very expensive, and their delivery times were too long and did not fit with Filson's production cycle.
Anecdotally, YKK even trained Filson employees to shorten or lengthen the closures themselves depending on their needs . Indeed, it was too painful for YKK to constantly make small series with lengths that varied all the time (depending on the bags) so they rented YKK machines within their factory. Teresa insisted on the seriousness and flexibility of this zipper company.
That's when she told us about her HR policy. We remain very honored by so much transparency on his part , with zero corporate bullshit . In fact, if product quality remains an obsession for Filson, it is above all because the workers are paid "on quality" .
The goal is that they don't botch their work by going too quickly, like in a low-end clothing factory. Concretely, if a part from a batch does not pass quality control, the entire batch is refused (and it is resold to an outlet in Burlington, Canada). But Teresa insists that everyone can make mistakes, and that if a worker makes a seam that is not straight for example and he notices it, he just has to put the piece in a yellow basket, and the batch is not impacted .
This is how Filson motivates its workforce through its quality policy. Once again, I have only come across few brands that were so frank about this kind of internal processes, and I want to salute this intellectual honesty.
Here is the wall of all Filson bags produced.
If a worker has any doubts, he can come and see these bags which serve as a reference.
Some of these bags are over 10 years old and have a wonderful patina.
A 256 model from 1994!
The new Filson denim bag!
Obviously, the conquest of a female target
is an area that the brand seeks to explore.
Teresa's favorite bag, with very feminine lines,
even though Teresa thinks he's completely unisex...
Then the rivets are fixed. Unlike regular rivets, you need a special machine to place them, and it is impossible to do it manually with a hammer . Teresa also told us that she had difficulty making customers who wanted to replace their rivets understand that they could not do it at home.
So little by little, the bag comes together. It is also mounted upside down, turned over, simply because it is easier to sew the back pockets. The raw edges (= the edges where the fabric is cut in a rough manner) are then bound with a special machine. A seemingly innocuous operation, but which in fact requires great mastery of the rhythm of the machine and the movement to achieve very clean... and very straight finishes !
The operation where the loops are placed!
We are approaching the end of the production cycle with a step which, I swear, seems very simple but which is in fact VERY technical: turning the bag over to give it its final shape . Yes, I promise you it's far from easy... because I tried to do it very painfully while the worker laughed behind me. The canvas is so securely attached that the bag is very rigid and you literally have to use your entire body weight to even hope to turn it over.
Don't laugh, not many of you could do this worker's job.
And finally, the final step: quality control . Concretely, each part passes in front of a worker who will inspect it carefully, and very quickly, and cut the slightest thread that protrudes. And the bag is finally ready to go on sale.
A worker inspecting a jacket and checking all the details...
We then go up to the floor above which is reserved for making ready-to-wear clothing. These are fairly standard manufacturing processes for clothing, so I won't dwell on them any further. We are more interested in the after-sales service where we were able to see this incredible Filson parka, around ten years old, which the customer continues to wax and which proves indestructible:
Unfortunately, today outerwear
as durable and stylish over time become very rare...
Then, she presents this magnificent aged bag to us:
A bag that belonged to a sales manager and has traveled 2 million miles. Stronger than George Clooney in the film In The Air . And apart from the fabric which has frayed a little at the closures, it is in excellent condition!
Leather straps are VERY durable.
The rather nice and funny email accompanying the bag.
Note how the "D-rings" (the metal rings that connect the strap) are still holding together, no seams have come loose: good job!
There is also this funny vest worn by a painter for almost 10 years (do you know any clothes that can last that long?) which has aged very well, and which now looks like a piece from Martin Margiela :
Teresa then takes us into a small room to show us some exceptional archives:
These waxed pants ( tin pants ), worn by a worker who poured concrete for... 16 years! Wax and the wear of time have given a unique patina:
This jacket worn by a naturalist, which was sent to them with the first aid kit and compass still in the pockets:
And we then end this visit with a little shopping in the store (Geoffrey will tell you about it in more detail in the next wearwear article).
Well, I might as well warn you right away, although the ready-to-wear line is full of very nice workwear pieces, the sizing is "American style" : that is to say with an S which is between an M and a French L... That said, the footwear is quite impressive , in the same vein as the Red Wings and Wolwerine brands: difficult to wear in Paris (there are some slightly old-fashioned models), but absolutely essential if you have the used to experience very harsh winters.
And obviously, luggage storage remains a safe bet...
A HUGE thank you to the Filson team for their welcome and availability!
