When anyone asks what I do, I tell them I own a business called Ripstop by the Roll. Before the blank stare can set in, I follow that up by saying that we're kinda like a Home Depot for people who want to sew up their own Outdoor Gear - tents, tarps, hammocks... you name it.
They inevitably ask how we ever got into something like that, and then I tell them because we couldn't find the right materials for the gear we were making ourselves. It was either use something that wasn't quite right, or put in the time (and money, don't forget the money) to innovate and build the right material for the job.
I mention that story because in our five years, the mission hasn't changed. We serve two purposes at RBTR - outfitting the DIYer and fueling vendors with fabrics, materials, and capabilities that push the limit and ultimately make your gear better. We don't make stuff, we help others make stuff better.
Are we perfect? Hell no. But we are darn proud of what we do and very thankful for how fortunate we've been to do it.
We know that many of you LOVE the ROBIC Hybrid fabrics, especially the 1.2 and 1.7 oz, for their unique attributes of width, feel, durability, strength, and stretch. When it comes to pushing the envelope on fabrics and materials, the ROBIC line is one we've been extremely proud to bring you.
With that being said, the reason for this post is that it's become necessary to put a temporary HOLD on the sales of our ROBIC fabrics.
As I stated previously in this rather odd post back in August, we are currently working hand in hand with the ROBIC yarn manufacturer Hyosung as partners to ensure all the yarn used in our ROBIC fabrics is approved by Hyosung to hold the ROBIC brand name. We respect the science, time, and effort that Hyosung put into creating their ROBIC yarn, so we want to always make sure we're using ROBIC approved yarn to weave our fabrics. We've been working with Hyosung on fixing this issue since it was first discovered about two months ago.
This halt of sales is self-imposed by us (RBTR) and NOT at the request of Hyosung. Rather, the reason for the halt of sales is mainly to allow time to fully assess some new knowledge regarding the involvement of a third party competitor. Based on what we've been able to gather, it's our opinion that this competitor is now attempting to exploit an otherwise straightforward issue between licensee (RBTR) and licensor (Hyosung) for personal profit. This third party has not contacted us directly on the matter, else we would have and still would happily engage with them on the topic. Given this new involvement and the nature of the issue, we feel it's now best to pause the ROBIC sales, define facts, then continue on.
For clarity's sake, this is a brand name issue only and in no way affects the quality/performance of the ROBIC fabrics we offer or you currently hang in. Once the naming issue is resolved, one of two things will happen:
1) We will continue selling ROBIC brand fabrics exactly as we are now.
2) We will move some of the ROBIC brand fabrics to our high-end MTN series line (at least for a bit).
Regardless of which one it winds up being, the hammock fabrics (1.2 oz and 1.7 oz Hybrid) will be the exact same ones you've come to know, love, and give 59/60 five star reviews (60/60 if you count the customer who confused meters and yards).
As I'm typing this I'm realizing how weird and convoluted this might sound, but I just felt it was time to speak out and take action. To that end, I'm more than happy to answer any questions that you may have here.
I do apologize for the temporary inconvenience and hope to have a quick resolution to this mess. As always, our entire team appreciates your support! We will update this thread as soon as possible.
THANK YOU
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