MOHSIN SAJID: BRANDING IRONS

Friday 2 September 2011

BRANDING IRONS

I alway said if i made a leather patch, i would like it branded with a real branding iron. - no compromise. This way i could use my our leathers, resulting in the ultimate branded patch. I always wanted a real one, just like our friends at Lee, and modern counterparts like: Mark Westmoreland.

Top image (C) Lee Jeans, Bottom image (C) Mark Westmoreland / OKI-NI Ltd

Theres nothing more satisfying or super dangerous as branding something... and in my personal opinion, all jeans should be branded in some way, its the heritage, and apart of the DNA of a the jean...

To my surprise there are many ways to get this process done, Cheap and Super Expen$ive.

There are alot of sellers on ebay, selling branding iron sets, each letter and number, so you could just buy the letters /numbers you want, off you go... plus lots of BBQ sets, which you can have personalised messages, ( ment for steaks but very easily just use it for denim patches)... quite funny and practical.

Source: Ebay

I just wanted my logo - in metal, So i could do it my self. I looked into a number of options, Denim label manufactures, like: Landes, Okinawa - which i have used a number of times, but all have high minimums, and not so good for a super small runs... To get an old school branding iron made, it was possible, found a few local craftsmen, who were willing... would set me back about 300-500GBP, as it would be either be made by hand, or done with computer cutting tool... Then you have the hassle of heating the iron up, making sure you don't get hurt in the process... I needed something safe, with out the hassle of setting up a BBQ or sitting next to the gas stove.

Then i came across: http://www.brandingirons.com/ check out the video it sold me:

Super simple, would be under statement, Spoke with the sales rep Mark a number of times on email, sent him over my Illustrator ai design, in 2 sizes, ( mens and womens) agreed price, paid via Visa - simple ! i had my branding iron 3 weeks later via DHL...