Fix whats broken. Make whats missing: The Truewerk prodcut process
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Welcome industry overview
When your gear matters most it’s important to know the care and intention with which it was made. How are you supposed to trust your gear without knowing its story? Last post we introduced our values, how we show up in the world, and how everything we do and every decision we make is deeply rooted in our values and beliefs. How we make our products is no different, our process is backed by the same unyielding commitment to supporting the trades. I value how we show up and how our gear serves our community
How the Industry Works
To understand why our products look different, perform different and are in-fact different it is important for me to first explain how the apparel industry and many other industries typically bring products to market.The process begins with a buyer, a representative from a big-box store who forecasts demand for the coming year based on sales data. Using this data, they identify opportunities for brands to capitalize on trends, primarily buying more of what’s already selling. The buyer then communicates this to the brand, offering to purchase more of "X" if the brand can supply it. The brand turns to a sourcing agent, who finds factories to produce the product—usually focusing on the lowest price, often at the expense of quality. The brand then slaps their logo on the finished product and sends it to shelves, with each player in the chain taking a cut of the profits. This creates a process that rarely results in innovation or products that push boundaries.
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Time in the Field
The TRUEWERK PROCESS
At TRUEWERK, we don’t follow this process. There are no buyers, no sourcing agents, and no middlemen. Our products emerge from necessity—born from a real-world understanding of the problems our customers face. To solve these problems, you need to experience them firsthand.
Time in the Field
If you're familiar with our story, you know I started TRUEWERK because I was dissatisfied with the workwear market. Working on construction sites in Colorado, I was cold, wet, and my gear couldn’t withstand the tough conditions. Gaining insights directly from the job site is a cornerstone of TRUEWERK’s product development. To design gear for arborists, I spent time working in the canopy and competed in climbing competitions. To understand the challenges faced by heavy equipment mechanics, I bought and worked on an old diesel dump truck, earning my CDL. While working with Rope Access Technicians I became a certified SPRAT level 1 Rope Access Technician. While I don’t claim to be able to make a living as an arborist, a diesel mechanic, or a rope access technician, I can spend enough time in the field to understand the problems these trades face. To design a solution, you must experience the problem yourself.
Competing in the Rocky Mountain Chapter ISA Tree Climbing Competition - this is the rope ascent event probably the first year after foot-locking was made optional (I'm glad I learned how to footlock reasonable well). I'd never really climbed a tree as an adult before starting TRUEWERK. When some of our earliest users proved to be arb guys, I was fortunate to learn from greats like Keith Stoner and Deacon Maloney who showed my the ropes enough to hold my own in the comps and more importantly be able to spend days on the jobsite understanding what problems we could address for professional arborists.
Changing the starter motor on the my 1994 CAT 426 Backhoe with the Perkins Diesel engine. The need for better coveralls became apparent on many days with this old machine, and his buddy "Dottie" the 1995 L8000 Dump truck that was retired from the Colorado Department of Transportation...or CDOT...hence 'Dottie".
Driving Dottie -- with that smile on my face. Something about driving this big old truck made me smile in a way that I don't see in many other photos! I had to get my Class A CLD to drive this machine with the backhoe trailered to it. Learning to drive (and park) these big trucks was one of the great learning joys of my life. 8.3L Cummins (with the same P-pump as my 12V!) Airbrakes, Manual 15 speed Eaton Transmission...get your engine and transmission speeds lined up or she'll let you know, esp on the downshift!
Here I am setting the gable end truss (the last truss) - it was sunny about 20min before this picture was taken. Over 2 days I set all the trusses in this photo by myself. I was able to use the backhoe with a boom on it for the gable ends, but the rest had to be hoisted up through a serious of ramps and winches that I rigged up for the job. Setting this last truss in the snow was not easy as the framing was pretty slippery at this point. but got done! I formed quite a few opinions about footwear for framing doing this work. I know for a lot of resi framers the helmet might look a little out of place. Trust me, I had plenty of hazards stacked against me doing this work alone and hours from a hospital. The helmet just made me feel a tiny bit better!
Scrap of Keep?
Purpose is to show a product that has gone through the whole Bullets Before Cannonballs process.
Could be cool to have notes on customer feedback that contributed to the evolution of the Woobie Hoody.
Tell Someone Who Cares (and Can Help)
From the outset, our goal is to create gear that solves problems. To do this, we challenge conventions and, when necessary, break away from industry norms. That’s why we build direct partnerships with the best factories and manufacturers. These partners share our values, passion for product excellence, and commitment to serving the trades. Great design is rooted in empathy—it’s a solution built on a true understanding of the problem.
I visit our factory partners with a problem identified on the job site and a prototype of what a solution might be from our in-house design team. Together, we collaborate to create a product that leverages their expertise and capabilities, ultimately solving the problem. Like the bonds formed within a crew after completing a project, we’ve built a true partnership with our manufacturing team. These are people I trust, they are invested in what we’re creating and share the same motivation as my team to deliver you remarkable products.
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Bullets Before Cannonballs
Bullets Before Cannonballs
Designers and product people often talk about iteration—the continuous refinement of a product, where each version improves on the last. Companies usually gather feedback through focus groups or brand ambassadors, where the “testers” get the product for free; it is my experience that this results in biased, unhelpful input. When someone spends their hard-earned money on your product, their feedback is genuine and invaluable.
Internally, we have a phrase: "Bullets before Cannonballs." This phrase defines our product design philosophy. Simply put, we fire bullets before we fire a cannonball. We want to ensure we’re hitting the mark before going big. Think of it like sighting in a rifle—you make adjustments with each shot to get closer to the bullseye. A necessary effort, so you know that when you are in the field and your best matters most you’ll be able to hit your target exactly where intended.
Bullet 1: “Get on Paper”
The first release of our product is a small-scale run intended for those who want to be part of our product journey. While our goal is to bring you something better than anything on the market, we know it can always be improved based on your feedback. If you buy a bullet from us, we’ll protect your investment. If it doesn’t work for you, we’ll refund your purchase, but we also want to know where we can improve. We closely listen to your feedback, and our factory and team are ready to incorporate those insights into Bullet 2.
Bullet 2: “One Click Up, Two Clicks Left”
Our second small-scale release, incorporating your feedback from Bullet 1. With this new iteration, we refine the design even further, making necessary adjustments. This allows us to fine-tune the product and hit the bullseye.The benefit of small-scale runs is agility. It lets us quickly implement your feedback and calibrate the product, ensuring that when we launch the cannonball, we’re hitting exactly where we want to. "One click up, two clicks left."
Cannonball: “Bullseye”
Our cannonball is the full-scale launch of a TRUEWERK product. After going through the cycle of Bullets before Cannonballs, you can trust that it’s a piece of gear that’s been meticulously crafted and validated by your peers. When you purchase a cannonball—like the Woobie Hoody or the T-line Werkpants or the B1 Sun Hoody—you’re getting a product that has been tested and refined to be a truly remarkable solution.
Woobie Hoody Bullets Before Cannonballs Evolution
Woobie Hoody Bullet 1
Woobie Hoody Bullet 2
Woobie Hoody Cannonball
The Journey to Remarkable
With every product, our goal is to create something remarkable. It’s not just about solving a problem—it’s about solving it the best way possible. If that means embracing new fabric technology and manufacturing methods, we’ll do it. If it means improving on tried-and-true workwear, we’ll do that too. When tradition needs to evolve to meet the needs of our customers, we embrace innovation. We don’t do something new just for the sake of it—we do it because it’s the best way to solve a problem.
That’s why we go to the job site to immerse ourselves in the trades, to understand what you need from your gear. That’s why we partner with the best factories and invite collaboration to create exceptional products. That’s why we fire bullets before cannonballs—ensuring we’re not just close but spot-on. Our brand is defined by the people who wear it. Through your participation in our story, we’re building both remarkable products and a remarkable community.
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BC2 Introduction
The BC2 Werkpant
Our BC2 (boot cut) Werkpant is a new bullet for us. This is a product that stemmed from the influences of Park County Colorado where I have my cabin; this isn't a resort community like Vail or Aspen where people play cowboy dress up but a working agricultural community. At nearly 10,000 feet above sea level, the elements demand gear that performs at a high level. We’ve used the fabric from our S2 Werkbib, which has proven reliable in every situation, and combined it with a boot-cut style pant. The BC2 is designed for those who wear pull-on western boots, combining traditional five-pocket denim features with modern fabrics and technologies designed for the job site.
I invite you to be part of our process and try a bullet. If it doesn’t work for you, we’ll protect your investment and refund your purchase. But tell us where we can improve—what worked, what didn’t. It’s through this process and your involvement that we create products that truly make a difference for tradesmen.
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BC2 Overview
Working branding day at Eagle Rock Ranch with two of my best friends and greatest heroes - John McGowan on the rope and Elton Randle on the hind legs (Sorry E, we didn't get your full head here!).
Branding Day, ERR. BC2 + Western Cloud shirt. If you've been to other brandings you might notice the traditional roping approach Dave uses vs. pens and shoots. This method allows the calves and mama's to stay together for all but a few minutes during that second-worst day in cattle's lives. The result of this an many efforts (including heating the irons over a wood fire vs. a propane fire to avoid the sound from the propane 'jet engine') result in a peaceful setting with almost no moooing and concern from the animals -- resulting in better beef and better way of life for man and animal. I've lived my entire life in Colorado, much of it in and around ranching and farming communities - working closely, hands on, with these men and women helps us understand what works and what problems need to be addressed in modern farm and ranch wear. And it ties me more closely to the patience and steady hands that grow what can't be built.