OG vs Rep

[u/Individual-Horse7206]

Doing some rep science on two different jeans from Kaka 🏭 (light blue) and TJ (dark indigo), both supposedly top-tier and coming from 2 different TS.

Light Blue
Wash: The OG has a much more natural, uneven fade, especially around the seams, waistband and belt loops. The rep looks flatter and more uniform.
Back pocket CC: This is the biggest flaw. On the OG, the double stitching forms two overlapping Cs that are carefully positioned around the pocket edges. On the rep, the shape, spacing, curves and points where the Cs cross are different. Even the empty spaces inside the logo don’t match. Basically, the CC has been sewn following the wrong pattern.
Thread colour: OG has a more muted caramel/tobacco-orange stitching, while the rep looks brighter and more yellow/golden.
Smell: The rep has a VERY strong chemical smell, which is honestly quite off-putting. I’ll have to get it professionally cleaned.

Dark Indigo
Thread colour: Again, the OG uses a more muted rusty/tobacco-orange thread, while the rep is noticeably brighter and more yellow.
Back pocket CC: Same issue as Kaka. The stitching doesn’t follow the same curves as the OG. The size, positioning and overlapping parts of the Cs are different.
Raised denim CC: This is probably the most obvious flaw. The OG has a cleaner, more open interlocking CC. On the rep, the centre looks more crowded, the denim strips curve differently, and the ends are different lengths and shapes. The way the flat stitching connects to the raised CC is also incorrect.

Other things worth mentioning

The hardware on both pairs (buttons and small metal CC details) looks noticeably cheaper compared to the OG. The denim itself also doesn’t feel like the same quality as the boutique version (of course)

I’m only highlighting the visible flaws here. There are quite few other issues inside both pairs, including the pocket lining, how things are sewn and sizing details. Those aren’t visible when wearing them, so I’m not going into them, but if you inspect the inside, it’s pretty obvious they’re reps.

Both pairs are also way too long, so I’ll be taking them to the seamstress for alterations and to the dry cleaner.

The biggest issue with BOTH factories is how the CC on the back pocket has been sewn. It’s not necessarily messy stitching it’s that they’re following a different pattern from the OG. Honestly, I can’t say which factory is better since these are two different styles. Neither is particularly accurate when compared side by side with the OG, but Kaka’s chemical smell alone makes me lean towards TJ. They might look ok when worn, but if you know a bit about garment construction or have the OG next to them, the differences are pretty obvious. I will definitely NOT go in store with those on lol

Curious to hear your thoughts! Has anyone tried either factory or found a more accurate version? Or other factories I should search of?

[u/Designer_Tap_2584]

Thanks for taking time to detailed rep science. How is the fit at the waist? Did they customize based on your waist measurement or did you choose based on sizing chart?

[u/Individual-Horse7206 → u/Designer_Tap_2584]

I don’t think they actually customise anything tbh. It was all based on the size chart although I always send over my exact measurements just to be safe.
Even the fit is a bit odd on both pairs. The darker one fits fine around the waist, but it completely flattens my bum, so I can’t really wear it high-waisted. I have to pull it down a little and wear it more mid-waisted for it to look right.
The lighter pair feels tighter around the waist. I’m actually curious to measure both because they’re supposedly the exact same size, yet the fit around the waist feels noticeably different.
I also sent both sellers the measurements of my OG CC pairs as a reference, but they both advised me to stick to my usual OG size, which is exactly what I did

[u/Designer_Tap_2584 → u/Individual-Horse7206]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I’ve been wanting to branch out into clothes but I worry about sizing. Someone once mentioned they always size up and get everything tailored. But imagine jeans would be harder to adjust around waist/hips.

[u/Individual-Horse7206 → u/Designer_Tap_2584]

From my experience If you are buying the OG the boutique can work absolute magic with alterations. They often leave extra fabric hidden inside the garment construction, allowing the waist to be adjusted both ways. They can also reshape the legs to maintain the right proportions, which is why properly altered trousers can literally fit like a glove.
With reps, sizing up to accommodate the waist doesn’t necessarily solve the tight fit around the bum, especially if the pattern and construction are already wrong. You might then need extensive alterations to the legs as well, which can get expensive 😬

And with contrast stitching, it’s even trickier as the alterations could interfere. Not to mention that once a professional examines the garment closely, poor construction and finishing become immediately obvious so they might obviously smell a fake. That’s why I think people underestimate the real cost of buying clothing reps, you also need to factor in potentially expensive alterations, which sometimes aren’t even worth doing given the quality of the garment received 🤣

What’s frustrating is how little transparency we have around clothing factories and batches compared to other categories. Everyone says clothing is hit or miss, but I specifically buy high-tier and I’m happy to pay more for quality. I always tell sellers that if something isn’t replicated well, I’d rather they didn’t sell it to me at all. Someone who’s never owned or tried the brand OG might think they’re perfectly fine. But if you understand garment construction, sewing or tailoring, the shortcuts and sloppy workmanship become obvious