Fight Club Tyler Durden T-shirts?

AJRand said:

By order numbers, his first order number was 1.

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I never even saw a pre-order count, but even if so, that can easily be changed through admin functions. He hasn't sold that many.

I doubt he has even had 500 unique visitors to his site.

500 is alot
of
people

thequackdealer said:

Okay. I'm just going to say it. Obviously you keep defending this because you are the guy buying peoples items and selling them for more on eBay. Either that or your evil twin brother is conducting a eBay page with you in all the photos. The problem with this is the people who make these items put a lot of work into it, and usually try to sell them at the most reasonable price that they can. I would be very surprised if this guy is able to get these shirts made for under 50 dollars a pop. So he is making max 100$ profit. You are buying his items, and selling them for double what you paid. All you did is enter your credit card info, and wait for it to arrive at your house. He designed the whole thing, and worked with a factory to produce it. HE DID ALL THE WORK. As far as him raising the prices. It's bound to happen, if he sees you selling his stuff for double what he's getting then he will most definitely raise the prices. What you are doing isn't illegal, but I think it's pretty shallow. If it makes you feel good about yourself then great, but I hold myself to a higher standard. If you weren't doing this merely for personal gain I would understand. ie: unloading a collection. But you clearly have made a mini business out of doing this. People will get wise, and buy from the creators eventually. I just don't understand why you don't put all this energy you have into creating something on your own, rather than riding on peoples coat tails.

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I am not defending anything I am just pointing out the fact you are spreading a lot of misinformation. Even in this post you spread a lot of misinformation and try to pass off your opinion as fact.

I would be very surprised if this guy is able to get these shirts made for under 50 dollars a pop. So he is making max 100$ profit.

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No one has even a clue what the Black Sugar's profit margin is. All we know is he had the tank tops made in India. You are making simply a guess and not even an educated guess at that. Your guess is as good as mine which I could say I think the shirts cost him 5$ to make. (I haven't even got a clue though) Or a person could guess that he had some kind of contract and his brother works in the company and did it all for free so long as they get 5% of the gross.

It's bound to happen, if he sees you selling his stuff for double what he's getting then he will most definitely raise the prices.

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Once again, more misinformation and a guess. I haven't seen a single seller ever raise their prices due to resellers. Oliver Peoples knows their sunglasses go for much more on Ebay and they do not raise prices. I know MaxCady has had his older stuff resold (IE like the track pants from 2011 or 2012) and his prices are still low.

What you are doing isn't illegal, but I think it's pretty shallow. If it makes you feel good about yourself then great, but I hold myself to a higher standard. If you weren't doing this merely for personal gain I would understand. ie: unloading a collection. But you clearly have made a mini business out of doing this.

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Once again, yet another guess and spreading misinformation. My Fight Club collection is pretty extensive. I own 5 JALS, I have a lot of pairs of the original 1998 523's, and typically when a new product comes out I buy them in bulk to try out the various sizes. IE I may get a Small, Medium, and a large to all try the fit. Then typically the size I like I order multiples of to keep in storage in case my active clothing article got damaged somehow. (Due to the fact I cosplay)

And yes I do sell on ebay and typically I am cleaning out my collections because I want to downsize or I feel I want to replace it with something else. Sometimes when I sell items I try raising the price due to the fact I usually offer free shipping and ebay takes a 10% cut of the final sale plus shipping as I want to break even or possibly make a small profit.

Soulinertia said:

I never even saw a pre-order count, but even if so, that can easily be changed through admin functions. He hasn't sold that many.

I doubt he has even had 500 unique visitors to his site.

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It gives you an order number when you place an order. IE, Smirking Revenge placed an order a day before mine. He was like order 334 and then I placed my order a day later and I was like 346. I then placed a second order a few hours later and I was order 362 or something like that.

My assumption is for every order placed the order count increased by 1. The way to tell would be to place two consecutive orders and see if it increased by 1.

The other thing a person could do would be to simply ask how big was his first run of the shirts? Did he have 100? 500? 1000?

Lol like I said. Fight club is dead. I'd definitely raise the price if I were them.

:facepalm
This is like talking to a wall. I don't think what you are doing is right. That's all. The way you go about business is very shady. You use "rare" or "unique" in your listings to deceive ignorant customers. Here is an excerpt from your black sugar listing: "This is one ultra rare item that you do not want to miss!!" Oh yeah it's really "ultra rare" not like you can go and buy one from the original creator for half the price right this second or anything. Here's another example from your Kiss Clothing Motocross shirt listing: "Now is your chance to own this rare treasure" Again this is a 76$ shirt that you have listed for 199$. If that's your markup for shipping then you must be lining the box with lead bricks!!! Again this isn't rare it's a mass produced shirt that you can buy from the original creator for less than half your price. You can keep trying to make me out to be the bad guy, but I'm just trying to warn people about the likes of you that try to take advantage of the dim-witted. And who the **** cares how many orders BlackSugarTank has gotten? I hope guys like him and soul get 1,000 orders a month. They did the work. You did not. They're the ones who should be reaping all the gains.

Does anyone know the truth behind a lot of Tyler's wardrobe in the film? I've done a lot of research and there seems to be conflicting stories (which is common in the film industry lol).

I hear a lot of people and some crew members talk about how most of it was found at thrift stores. And several auction sites that have sold screen worn pieces have stated that certain pieces, like the track pants, were a one of a kind thrift store find and that there were no duplicates. Michael Kaplan said this in old interviews as well back in 1999.

However in the DVD commentary, during the mobster scene, Kaplan says that he designed the Sock it to Me shirt and was up all night before they shot that scene, silk screening a bunch of the shirts because of the blood they would need a ton of them.

Also in recent interviews with Kaplan, when he is asked about Tyler's wardrobe, Kaplan has stated that he wanted it to look like everything came from a thrift store. But because they needed so many duplicates, everything was designed and built for the film. And that it was simply made to look like it came from a thrift store.

So we're things like the toucan shirt, track pants, maple leaf shirt, black sugar tank, etc actually thrift store finds? Or was it all original designs for the film?

A lot of the clothes are actual finds. I have most of them myself and know others who have some of the other real vintage pieces. Kaplan might have designed and made a couple of pieces, but a majority of them are real or are real with his own modifications. He also had to have a few extra replicas of the original vintage pieces made for the film.

Iamjwpc said:

A lot of the clothes are actual finds. I have most of them myself and know others who have some of the other real vintage pieces. Kaplan might have designed and made a couple of pieces, but a majority of them are real or are real with his own modifications. He also had to have a few extra replicas of the original vintage pieces made for the film.

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Yeah, its very probable that both are the case. Kaplan probably combed thrift stores, and made duplicates of what we see in the film.

Iamjwpc You still making the bee healthy shirt? Let me know.

Here is a breakdown on a few of the items:

Ski vest - real brand/found
abstract pink shirt - unknown
animal print shirt - unknown
bee healthy - real brand/found
black sugar - real brand/found
black zip polo - real brand/found
toulouse shirt (dancing girls) - unknown
orange net tank - unknown - most likely custom vintage
golf jacket - real brand/found
gray rib knit shirt - true vintage/found
hustler mesh shirt - real brand/found - possible mod for long sleeves
Indy 500 - true vintage
lady face shirt - unknown - most likely a Kaplan original
leaf shirt - real brand/vintage find
motocross shirt - true vintage/found
mushroom/leaf hoodie - vintage find/multiples replicated
newspaper pants - real brand/found
NYDolls shirt - vintage find
robe - real brand/found
sock it to me - true vintage find/multiples replicated
sports tank - true vintage find
star shirt - unknown
red target shirt - unknown
toucan shirt - unknown/most likely a vintage find
red pants - vintage
track pants - real brand/found
postal pants - vintage
golf pants - real brand/vintage find
camo pants - found
fur coat - Kaplan original
mayhem jacket - Kaplan re-creation from existing vintage
red leather jacket - Kaplan re-creation from existing vintage - multiples made

Awesome soul :thumbsup

Thank you for that breakdown Soul!! Amazing info! So do we know the brand of any of the items (aside from the obvious ones)? Like the track pants, maple leaf shirt of that mushroom/leaf hoodie?

The brands are all secrets that collectors usually keep because they're always trying to seek out stuff for their collection

Danman said:

The brands are all secrets that collectors usually keep because they're always trying to seek out stuff for their collection

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Because one is never enough!

NateR119 said:

Thank you for that breakdown Soul!! Amazing info! So do we know the brand of any of the items (aside from the obvious ones)? Like the track pants, maple leaf shirt of that mushroom/leaf hoodie?

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No idea on the original hoodie maker. I know the pattern is a vintage print, so that material in the correct colors is out there somewhere. And I've seen similarly built hoodie jackets, but it's possible they just made these from scratch. I can't remember how many they said they made, somewhere between 8 & 13 iirc for multiple fat spillage takes. A member here owns one of the originals from the studio.

This is the closest I've come to making one:


I found a light jacket with very similar colors. I added the white hood and zipper. I also have some fabric samples to build one entirely from scratch with the correct leaf/mushroom pattern.

As for the track pants. It's a brand from the 90's that no longer exists. I've been searching for years and have found 2 similar pairs from the same company, but not this exact model. Not as important now that we have some very good replicas out there.

I'm pretty sure the original maple leaf shirt manf. has been mentioned before in this thread. I've seen about 5 in the last 10 years that have been picked up by various members of the FC community. I've yet to snag one myself, but I'm constantly on the look out. I have a shirt made from the same vintage material that I've modified, but it is not the same maker as the one from the movie.

I haven't really posted anything from my collection in a while and it's mainly been due to the reoccurring fact that some people have accused collectors of being non contributing hoarders, who only post in the thread to gloat and keep the information from others so they can buy vintage pieces for cheap and re sell them for an arm and a leg. I just want to state my case before I post anything else, so that if people are going to say anything more, at least they know the reasoning behind my actions/posts or lack thereof and are able to make more well informed opinions(in agreement or disagreement) based on ALL of the facts. This post is only pertaining to my personal experiences, but I'm sure other collectors can also relate. I hope you guys actually give this a minute and read it through. So, even though I wasn't ever mentioned specifically, I'm pretty sure that I am one of the collectors that other members are referring to when they are talking about the people who charge high prices, hoard and gloat, etc., etc. First off I am a HUGE Fight Club fan and collector, not someone who is just trying to make money by selling Fight Club clothing. I have no interest in trying to make a bundle of money from selling Fight Club stuff. I am collecting this stuff because I love it. When it comes to selling FC replicas, I feel my prices are fair. I am not a big clothing manufacturer who makes bulk orders for cheap. I do very small custom orders(which is more expensive for me to do) and there is little to no profit. My profit covers the gas it takes me to drive around to a few different places to get materials and have the shirt made. Also, a small amount ($10) for my efforts. My bee healthy replica for example, costs $20 for a single shirt and $25 for the print. I scanned my original vintage image, I drove across two cities to get to the printers, had the image printed, drove home, meticulously cut out the print exactly how it is on my original bee healthy shirt, drove all the way back to the printers, had them put in on the shirt then drove back two cities to ship it out. I don't have a lot of free time either. I have an original piece of clothing, exactly like the one in the movie and I am trying to offer it to other interested fans, at a reasonable price. When it comes to hoarding information, maybe I do a little bit, but thats because I am a collector and it would be foolish for me to release all of the information that I know of, so that its accessible to anyone who comes across this site. By doing so, I would be creating a tremendous amount of competition for myself and re-sellers will exploit the situation. It's a simple case of supply and demand. Most of the clothes used for the costume are between 30 and 60 years old! For example, let's say I found some original vintage shirt for $20, it's a piece that no one else has seen before and I post it in the thread. Then someone from here goes looking and finds it, on let's say, eBay, but just buys it to sell it back at a really high price to make a huge profit. ThEN, someone else(not from therpf, maybe just an eBay member), who has had the same vintage shirt since the 70's, goes on eBay, searches for the item they are about to sell, to see how much they can get for their shirt, and sees that the piece they have, is listed for $1000. What do you think they are going to charge? $20? C'mon. This has already happened with a few of the pieces. Eventually everyone with that certain item who is looking to sell, Fight Club fan or not, is going to know that the going rate is going to be $$$+ and there's no chance of getting one for any less than that(if at all), until way after interest has died down. But if it were kept off of the main thread and in PM's where lurkers looking for a profit can't see, then we reduce the risk of this happening. People talk of replicas being way too expensive, how much do you think people will expect to sell an original vintage piece for? That will just drive the prices up too high for someone like me to afford and still have enough to pay for living expenses. I cannot afford the competition. I've been lucky enough, with the help of my research, dedication and friends I've made in here, to find a lot of the original pieces and purchase them for a low price. BUT... I have also had to pay the collectors value(A LOT), for some of the others. Either from a competitive auction with members aware of the pieces value or directly from a fellow collector. I'm not rich. Far from it. But I am so invested at this point, that I do whatever I can to afford new FC pieces to bring me one step closer to finishing my collection. Also, yea, maybe I do want more than one of the same pieces. There are a few reasons for that. The first is that, most of the pieces I find are slightly off from the movie version. A lot of different companies used the same designs for their own lines with minor variations(colors, stitch, cut, etc.), so I am still searching for the same exact piece. Some examples for that are: the maple leaf shirt, the black sugar tank, the sock it to me sweater, the postal pants... Another reason is the size. Sometimes(most of the time), the pieces are too small. I would like to have an original vintage that fits. Also, having one to keep safe in a collection and another to wear without being scared of it getting destroyed and ruining my one and only. The last reason, is to trade. For example, if I have two of the same shirts and another member has a different shirt, but wants the shirt that I have and I don't have the shirt that he has, we could trade. Now I have a new shirt to add to my collection without having completely lost another. If I do get one that is exact/fits, am able to trade an extra for a different piece, have an extra to safely store, then I will most likely sell any other that I have at a reasonable amount, not an outrageous one. It seems like most people are just looking for replicas anyway. Keep in mind, mostly everything you see Brad wearing in the film, is a replica of an original. A copy of a copy of a copy. There are some members who have a valued collection though and want to collect the original pieces, not necessarily screen worn, but the same vintage brand. I am one of those members who is mainly looking for the original pieces. I want to collect everything from the film! I have spent countless hours in the past few years searching for any information regarding anything about Fight Club. I search for any new photo I haven't seen before, any new magazine, new article, anything to study and compare, that will help me identify something new from the film. I have spent well over $1000 on FC related magazines alone(pics coming soon), just trying to find new photos, higher resolution photos, photos that maybe show an inch more of a pattern of a piece of clothing, etc., anything that would give me more clues to help my search. I have spent hundreds and hundreds of hours scrolling through tens of thousands of listings/pages or more, looking for something or even just something similar as a clue to whatever it was I was looking for. Also exchanging information with other serious members in PM's or potentially having to make trades for very rare information. When it comes to hiding information, I'm not keeping things that are openly available to anyone, like sites that are selling large quantities of original pieces that were used in the movie or anything like that, because there is nothing like that. The chances of finding some of these pieces are once in a lifetime, if that. There is no secret source for more, no secrets to finding anything, it's just luck and dedication. I have put in sooo much work trying to complete my collection. I'm not keeping it all to myself either. Just because I'm not posting in the thread doesn't mean I'm not contributing. I've done a lot of work behind the scenes, working with Soulinertia helping to figure things out, find new info and get these replicas out to everyone. He has more of the means and resources to actually make the replicas, but we have worked out deals to where I have contributed either photos, information, or my actual original vintage clothing to help with the replicas. I don't like to ask for credit, but since there are people who have taken jabs, I feel like I should defend myself and other collectors. I have either lent pieces or given scans of my indy 500 shirt, soap sales tie, bee healthy shirt, my exact motocross shirt(same color w/ full print), hard to find shots of the lautrec shirt, ive posted clear shots of my sock it to me shirt, I would have given scans of my blacksugar tank, but another member already gave scans of his shirt. I even gave MAX CADY everything they needed(detailed photos with descriptions, which I will post soon) to make their second "more" screen accurate version of the track pants. There are more deals being worked out and there are more replicas to be unveiled from original pieces I have already lent to be copied. I've made a few replicas of my own. The NY Dolls shirt and Bee Healthy shirt. I plan on making more on my own as well, it's just not as easy for me to do at the moment. I can't even express to you how much this film means to me. I love everything about it. When it comes to the wardrobe, I'm not trying to be Tyler, I just appreciate it from an artistic standpoint. The colors, patterns, textures, cuts, stitching, etc.(every part of the film was created by some form of artist). It's obsessive and meticulous, but if it's not worn the same way, the look doesn't work. I've said it before in a previous post, I wish this wardrobe wasn't in FC. I wish I thought of everything, so I could wear it without it being recognized as a movie costume. But is it really a costume? What's the difference between the TD collection and a fashion designers collection? Its just a bunch of different clothes, not really costume pieces like a spacesuit or alien mask. And let's be real, this is a fan site. This isn't the front porch of the Paper Street house, where we are all standing waiting to become space monkeys. We are fans, artists and collectors, here to share our collections or work and appreciate others as well. Also, I highly recommend to anyone who hasn't done so already, to go back and read through every page in this thread! A LOT of the questions members have, have already been answered in previous posts. If you've read this, thanks for bearing with me. I just had to post this before posting anything else.

Worth the read!
Highly artistic prints on the photographic top shirts, they are very unique looking. In contrast there is the simpler printed dress shirts that where used as well, ex: the red long-sleeve dress shirt, and the snakeskin plaid(kind of unique and plain?) I just thought about that a bit...

Yes, much credit goes to Iamjwpc Most of my replicas wouldn't have been possible without him. He is THE master of finding most of these vintage pieces and I don't know of anyone more dedicated to FC than him.

I've never accused you of any shady practices iamjwp. I get what you guys do and totally agree the ways you guys go about it. Trust me, I know exactly what you mean.