Jaedon Manufacturing

07/09/2026

Can you rob Peter to dress Paul?

This happened:

You’ve kitted Peter out.

New jacket, shirts, trousers, wet-weather gear. The lot. And because he’s representing your company, you’ve permanently embroidered his name and your company logo across everything.

Three months later, Peter disappears.

Paul starts on Monday.

The clothing is still perfectly good. It may have years of working life left in it, but it says “Peter” all over it.

Should you repurpose it?

The planet says... yes please.

We’re increasingly talking to customers about branding and de-branding before the garments are even made. Does every logo need to be permanent? Does every garment need a person’s name? Could badges be removable, or branding positioned so it can be changed later?

Sometimes permanent identification is necessary, particularly in emergency response and operational roles. But sometimes it’s simply what we’ve always done.

We’ve just reworked a batch of wet-weather jackets for an emergency response organisation where the branding had become obsolete long before the jackets had. Rather than replacing them, the customer chose to have them reworked — and we’ve now been instructed to send them straight back out to operational locations for use. WIN.

Some of these jackets date back to 2015 and are still considered serviceable enough to be put straight back to work.

Because of the nature of the organisation’s work, donating these garments into the second-hand clothing cycle wasn’t an option. Without a practical way to de-brand and repurpose them, perfectly serviceable garments could instead have become waste.

That’s why de-branding can be a sustainability decision.

And perhaps the bigger lesson is to think about it before you need it.

Sometimes circularity starts before you’ve sewn the first logo on. https://www.jaedon.co.nz/news/when-the-branding-expires-before-the-garment-does/

31/08/2026

We’ve started analysing our historical repair records; Our sample covers repair records from 2018–2026, representing hundreds of garments.

But repair has another value that we’re only just beginning to properly measure.

The repair room tells us where garments are failing, and that means we can go further upstream again.

A recent example is our work with Carters. In May, three nail-gun vests manufactured in April 2024 came back to our factory with rips and tears after approximately two years in service.
A month later, another six nail-gun vests came through our repair; Again, all six were repaired. But this time our factory team raised that they were seeing a pattern in how this particular fabric was performing.

We could keep repairing the vests, or we could learn from what the repairs were telling us.

We went back and recommended changing the fabric in the next production run to a more durable option. It would cost slightly more at the outset, but purchase price isn’t the only cost of a garment that fails prematurely. There is also collection, administration, freight, repair, return freight and inconvenience, before you even consider replacement.

Carters value quality/durability.

Customers play a crucial role in facilitating improving long term outcomes.

Now, measure efficacy:

Does the redesigned vest come back less often? Our repair records will tell us.

Design and make it to last.
When something fails, repair it.
Record the repairs and look for patterns.
Feed those failures back into design and manufacturing.
Keep the garment working for as long as reasonably possible.
Only then deal with end of life.
Recycling does matter, but it isn’t the full picture of sustainability.

21/07/2026

The PVC apron everyone wants to wear everywhere! Available at Farm stockists. For large orders- you can customise them with your business logo or custom design https://www.jaedon.co.nz/shedline/ Email us for more info: [email protected]

19/07/2026

We’re all guilty of falling for a shortcut, but maybe the thing we really want isn’t the shortcuts… maybe the struggle involved in making things is where it’s at?

02/07/2026

Thanks to Tracy at Inter-weave and Seven Sharp for this awesome story! https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1EPpBheAYp/?mibextid=wwXIfr.

30/06/2026

29/06/2026

Especially for Mandarin speakers: part of the Chainsaw chaps process. Yoyo, our specialist ‘cutter’ was not sure what Chainsaw chaps are called, hence the English sneaking in. Feel free to correct us, if you know. https://www.jaedon.co.nz/workwear/forestry/chainsaw-chaps/chainsaw-chaps/

25/06/2026

Unlike boots or gloves, chainsaw chaps are a product where the value only reveals itself at the moment of failure. Which is the worst possible time to discover you guessed wrong.
You don’t know if you’re paying less and getting less protection, or paying more for no real reason (branding and marketing). You can’t assess chaps by holding them, flexing them, or looking at the stitching. The most important elements are enclosed inside.
Our sewists count the layers of scrim as a pair of chaps is built. They sign off on their work. That visibility matters. Knowing what’s inside, how it’s assembled, and how it’s supposed to perform gives buyers something solid to stand on when making a safety decision.
The same goes for testing. Certified chainsaw testing and external audits don’t exist to make a brand look good. They exist so the person wearing the chaps doesn’t have to guess. They provide independent confirmation that, under testing conditions, the saw does not cut through the protective panels.
When safety gear only proves its value in a worst case moment, the person choosing it deserves more than marketing cues. They deserve clarity, verification, and confidence in the decision they’re making.

22/06/2026

💡 Still Curious: What does a switching suit turn you into- and can you switch back?

I was recently advised to write with the assumption that people already know a bit about the subject matter.

Which is sound advice because we have serious expertise in the industry- but immediately reminded me of my early days in the electricity industry, sitting in a meeting about switching suits and quietly imagining Clark Kent stepping into a phone booth and “switching” into his alter ego.

The truth is, every industry has its own language. Once you’re immersed in it, terms like switching suits, arc flash hoods, and isolation procedures seem completely normal.

But for many people, the power network is largely invisible. Electricity arrives at the flick of a switch, while the substations, power lines, specialised equipment, and skilled people working behind the scenes go largely unnoticed.

That’s why I write for the curious. The people who ask questions. *Switching suits: in the electrical industry, these are specialized arc flash protective suits worn by workers when operating, isolating, or switching high voltage and low voltage electrical equipment. If you want to know more you can always email me! [email protected]

17/06/2026

We do a lot of product development!

It’s either adapting or customising something that requires improvement, making something completely new as new safety challenges emerge, or creating specialised products for people who need garments tailored to their bodies.

The process usually follows a similar path, but the back-and-forth collaboration can result in a quick turnaround or, at times, be extensive and very time-consuming, with plenty of testing and refinement along the way.

We often create samples in less expensive fabrics so people can draw on them and mark changes. This is called a mock-up or toile.

We thought we’d make a series of short, no-frills but insightful clips to show some of the types of problems we’re solving for people. Our first glimpse is a switching coat. We currently have three different versions in various stages of development for three different companies because, as it turns out, people are different!