An Open Letter to Modern Arms

by Yanne Root | January 29, 2017 | 1 Comment

Dear Jason,

I don't fucking get you...and this is a good thing.

I'm on my second time through this pretty cool book on being creative (like as an artist or a writer) called "Steal Like an Artist" by Austin Kleon. There's a cool section in there where the author recommends writing fan letters to people you admire.

I'm not just one of these assholes that reads something and doesn't try to execute or implement it into my life...gotta switch up the game if you want different results, right? So in that spirit, here are a few words about you, your company, and why I admire it. And perhaps I should start by saying that behind every good man there is a great woman (or another man if you're into that kind of thing). In this case, that woman is Lydia...so this letter is to her too, because I know she carries your ass, as does my woman with mine.

There's much to admire about the way you guys run your shit. Your political opinions on 2A and matters of liberty are pretty spot on with ours. Moreover, you have the ability to express those opinions in a concise, professional, and respectful way that doesn't alienate anybody (unlike us for example). I've always been impressed with your ability to do that...whereas whenever I try to write something thoughtful I'll take 2 hours to write something and then just delete it because I know there's a shitload of holes in any of my arguments. Your shit's always airtight.When Violent Little got into the patch game there were already quite a few established players, Modern Arms being one of them. We were the new kid on the block. I didn't really know who you were or what your company did aside from making patches, but I would see you all over the place as the morale patch Facebook groups, such as Morale Patch Black Market, started to pick up steam. Not that we deserved it at the time (or now for that matter), but for reasons still mysterious to us, you took a liking to what we were doing at Violent Little and we became pretty decent "internet friends" over the past few years. I mean...we were even kind of invited to your wedding.

But most importantly, it's all about the patches. You've got THE most loyal fanbase in the game today, as far as we can tell. This doesn't happen by accident. I thought we had a pretty damn loyal fanbase (and we fucking love our crazy fanbase), but the Modern Arms customers border on insanity, if not certifiable already. This was evidenced by the fact that we sold over 100 patches in less than 2 minutes I think it was, on that special collab we did with you. Faaaaack. I mean, we can move some patches on a drop and we frequently sell out very quickly, but not like this. This was a whole different level.

To this day I still don't understand what the big fucking deal is with Modern Arms or how you've built this legion of Berserkers...but I do recognize that it is a big fucking deal, so let's examine the possible reasons for this phenomenon a little closer, shall we?

Concept and Art: The thinking behind the concepts that MA comes out with is definitely mysterious to me, which is why Violent Little does what we do and MA does what you do. We have two very different styles of playing in the same sandbox. And even though most of your concepts are lost on me, like the Ronins because samurais aren't really my thing, A LOT and A LOT of other people get it and will do whatever it takes to get their hands on them. That's what matters. And that's the ABSOLUTE beauty of the whole patch game. I don't have to get it, but I 100% recognize the uniqueness of what Modern Arms makes. It would be boring if all the companies were like ours. I'll put it this way...there are a lot more companies out there that look like Violent Little than companies that look like Modern Arms. The beauty lies in our differences and uniqueness...and Modern Arms is beautifully different and talented. The stuff that I do get...like the Pirate Flags and the Liberty Quills -I'm fucking crazy for.

Build Quality: The quality of your patches is unmatched. And even though I've tried to get the name of your embroiderer multiple times, I respect that you've held steadfast in your fucking secrecy, which I appreciate. I usually sing like a canary. Their thread count, detail, and overall finish are the best I've ever seen...hands down.

Textures: MA's use of textures, grains, and patterns on their patches sets them apart big time. It adds a touch of class to each patch that just screams "EXTRA MILE". Nobody else is doing that. Or when they do try to do it...they fucking suck at it.

Presentation: Building a rabid fanbase is VERY HARD to do. It took us a long time and a lot of grinding to build our customer base, so when I see how crazy MA's base is, I tip my hat to you and give a nice little curtsy. And how do you build a loyal following? Well...you do what you and Lydia painstakingly do. You include an art card with the patch in a nice cellophane sleeve. You throw in a handwritten letter into every single order, of which you've personally inspected and trimmed each patch to make sure it passes your rigorous QC standards. We do that with all of our leather stuff because we produce them in house, but with all of our other stuff we usually just quickly inspect it as we're picking orders. I'm not going to lie, with the sheer volume of our operation, subpar product sometimes, yet very rarely, slips through the cracks (which we take care of immediately). Not so with MA...if it leaves your place, it's good to go and your customers know this!

All that said, I still don't fucking get it, but I admire it, respect it, and am thankful to know you. Thanks for giving us a wink and a smile at the very beginning...you were a big help and influence in building Violent Little and a great role model in the way that you comport yourself and your business. And that's my fan letter. You can pull your pants up now and pass the kleenex.

Sincerely,

Yanne

P. S. Remember that time that cry baby "artist", who shant be mentioned by name, picked an Instagram fight with me...and you came to our defense and squashed it immediately in one fell swoop. Well that was chill of you, especially since I was on shrooms at the time (I don't do that stuff anymore). I got your back, bro.

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1 Comment

Matt said:

Your emails/blogs are priceless and appreciated just as much as the patches MA puts out.

Plus the noble work you’ve done in the name of Creasy Bear shall never be forgotten

I’d be sad to see VLMS close down, but I couldnt respect more your choice to do so in an effort to keep things fresh.

January 31, 2017

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