What brand of clothing should I send to my pen pal in Scotland?

December 22, 2008 6:38 PM

What brand of clothing should I send to my pen pal in Scotland?

We're exchanging not-quite-holiday gifts this year ... he's going to send me a t-shirt from there, and I'm going to send him a shirt from here.

What would be a good brand to send? Like, I wouldn't send Gap, 'cause they have it there ... but what about Abercrombie? Have a better idea?

He's 20somehting, if it matters.

Thank!

posted by kindachris to clothing, beauty, & fashion (28 comments total)

ZUBAZ
posted by citron at 6:44 PM on December 22, 2008

Threadless.
posted by Brockles at 6:46 PM on December 22, 2008

he, something that you can't get via the internet ;-)

I hope you realize that this is a global Forum, and the way you are writing it, could be done from almost any civilized country in the world. So if you are from Bavaria, why don't you find some Lederhosen ;-) (I guess not, as Abercrombie is only represented in the USA, Canada and the UK)

At least go for something local and certainly not something that you can find in any big city all over the world. As both Gap and Abercrombie are stores that you will find in the UK, I would probably look for something a bit more exotic ;-)
posted by KimG at 6:55 PM on December 22, 2008

Point taken, KimG.
posted by kindachris at 7:00 PM on December 22, 2008

I see you live in los angeles. I'd go down to fairfax blvd, check out supreme..there's a few stores down there that sell great stuff that you can only get in a few places in the world.

You could also check out the new space 15 twenty across the street from amobea. A bunch of new shops and art stuff... Alife has some super rad stuff, not sure the prices on them though.
posted by mattsweaters at 7:09 PM on December 22, 2008

Abercrombie would be amusing, given that it's a Scottish name, but no. If you're prepared to splash out, J.Crew doesn't have a British presence. Carhartt is also considered "designer streetwear" outside the US, and has expanded its lines way beyond what you'd find in an American workwear store.

Still, Threadless is cool, and local is better.
posted by holgate at 7:14 PM on December 22, 2008

G Star Raw
posted by mad bomber what bombs at midnight at 8:06 PM on December 22, 2008

FUBU?
posted by Netzapper at 8:13 PM on December 22, 2008

G Star is quite common in the UK. I'd go with Threadless.
posted by k8t at 8:16 PM on December 22, 2008

I met a teenage English rock band who were visiting the US and were dying to go to Abercrombie & Fitch. I thought it was weird because in America, it seems to be most popular as a status symbol for fratty high schoolers. They do have it where they live, but it's way expensive there (even compared to how expensive it is here). These were teenage boys, though, so it may be a lot different for a Scottish 20-something.
posted by fructose at 10:06 PM on December 22, 2008

Life is Good.
posted by Xhris at 11:12 PM on December 22, 2008

Depends on his style. If he's a brand sort of guy, you're kinda stuck with that. The brands are different here, so it's probably a bit confusing for you to figure out. Ask him if he likes Ben Sherman. If yes, get thee to an Abercrombie. If no, then you'll be OK with some of the artier/handmade stuff. What does he think of Joy (if they have one where he is). If yes, then go nuts on the kitchy/colourful stuff.

What does he find interesting about where you live? Surely you know by now. If not, ask him. Not only will it be interesting to see your own culture reflected back at you, and you'll get to know him better, but hey presto, better present!

Really, though, I'm guessing that anything you send him that smacks of Los Angeles/Hollywood (golden age/rock age/modern), Mexican culture in So Cal, or the beach will probably suit him just fine.
posted by Grrlscout at 12:21 AM on December 23, 2008

Abercrombie and Fitch only has a store in London, as far as I'm aware.

I would second Threadless, or something very American like a vintage tee. Forever21, maybe?
posted by mippy at 1:56 AM on December 23, 2008

My 2p: the most requested thing I get from my English friends when I visit the states (besides shoes) is Abercrombie. They have one store here, in London, but it costs about double what it does in the states.
posted by triggerfinger at 2:02 AM on December 23, 2008

Threadless is actually pretty common here - I live in Scotland, I have a ton of stuff from there, and it seems like every time I go into campus, I see people in Threadless shirts.

And definitely not G-Star, we have a ton of that here.

Abercrombie is a good idea, though. Either that, or something that's unique to your area of the US.
posted by spockette at 2:34 AM on December 23, 2008

Go Abercrombie. She would want something that people know came from the US. All the other ones you can either get easily in the UK, or they're so obscure that it won't matter.
posted by ryanbryan at 2:35 AM on December 23, 2008

If you don't want to go for the Abercrombie, you could go Old Navy. That's not here either.
posted by Katemonkey at 3:50 AM on December 23, 2008

Writing from Scotland, there isn't a brand above I couldn't get hold of within the week (if we count threadless), except Joy, of whom I've never heard.

Why not see what bizarre thrift items you can get? I once ended up with a t-shirt from a strip club in Long Branch NJ with a picture of a cat in lingerie on it, and, though in retrospect extremely tasteless, it certainly opened up a couple of conversations.

Wait, did I say 'extremely tasteless'?

Damn, blew it again.
posted by aesop at 4:30 AM on December 23, 2008

Carhartt
posted by qsysopr at 5:36 AM on December 23, 2008

I'm from Scotland and I can get all that stuff. I see threadless, G-Star, Abercrombie, Hollister, American Eagle almost every day.

I would go for Abercrombie. There is no Abercrombie store in Scotland, and the prices on their UK website are hugely inflated.

A locally bought shirt might also be nice if you could find one. How about a sweatshirt from a local University?
posted by fire&wings at 5:39 AM on December 23, 2008

Read this Gladwell article for inspiration on the types of t-shirts available to you in L.A.

http://www.gladwell.com/2000/2000_04_24_a_tshirt.htm

My goal is to answer each Ask.Mefi today with a link from St. Gladwell.

Here is an instructable link to t-shirt stencils:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Another-T-Shirt-Stencil/

You are going to rock Scotland!

Also, if you get a shirt from a local University, choose something obscure, like a hair styling school or something.
posted by mecran01 at 6:11 AM on December 23, 2008

Gladwell article

Stenciling.

(sorry, it's early and I'm used to the standard phpbb auto-linking)
posted by mecran01 at 6:12 AM on December 23, 2008

Get a t-shirt or top produced by some kind of local organisation: sports teams, universities, clubs, etc. These are at least assured to be reasonably hard to get over here in Scotland. I had a friend in his early 20s who recently requested an LA Galaxy top on my last visit over there for example.
posted by rongorongo at 6:14 AM on December 23, 2008

Donate money to MoveOn.org and get an Obama t-shirt.
posted by TorontoSandy at 8:03 AM on December 23, 2008

Again, Carhartt are widely available in the UK.
posted by mippy at 8:14 AM on December 23, 2008

Again, Carhartt are widely available in the UK.

But it's a very different product line at about three times the price.
posted by holgate at 3:54 PM on December 23, 2008

Although it's true you can get Abercrombie, American Eagle etc here, the person would only have that stuff if they had been to America or ordered on the internet a lot. Threadless is also cool if they haven't heard of it.

What I would do though is send them a t-shirt from a local college or university if you have one. That's pretty individual.
posted by nunoidia at 10:17 AM on December 24, 2008

To follow up, I ended up getting him a Woot! shirt, something from Abercrombie, and something random from the local thrift store.

It went over well, I think. What I got from him was just as varied. Thanks for all your help!
posted by kindachris at 6:26 AM on January 22