denim news // loom chatter

Naked and Famous x Big John x Rockin'Jelly Bean

noreply@blogger.com (Henry Wong) — Fri, 23 Aug 2013 16:57:00 +0000

Naked and Famous Denim is one of those denim brands I always bring up when friends and family who have never heard of raw selvage denim ask me what jeans to try. At full retail price a basic pair of Naked and Famous jeans can be purchased for $135 at easily accessible department stores, boutiques, and e-tailers.

What Naked and Famous does better than almost every other denim brand selling unwashed jeans is pack in a lot of value for a very low price. The fabric is interesting and the construction is solid. Garments are made Canada with Japanese fabric, often selvage and usually provides a novelty factor to talk excitedly about.

Their Fall collection features a collaboration with Japanese denim label Big John and the Japanese artist with a cult following Rockin'Jelly Bean, who designed the artwork for it. Retail price is expected to be $265 at Barneys New York, Tate + Yoko, and Blue Owl Workshop in September. This jean has been featured on other blogs earlier this year but I wanted to give a better idea of what you can expect.

14.5 oz sanforized Japanese selvage denim. Light and bright indigo shade reminiscent of some early Big John jeans from 1960's which featured a lighter indigo shade.

Example of early Big John jeans: M1002 PROT0 MODEL from Big John's website. On Big John's company history webpage this jean from 1967: "In parallel with sewing the Canton jeans of Oishi Trading, produced jeans of the BIG JOHN brand using the fabric imported from Cone Mills (U.S.A.) (M1002 PROTO MODEL)."

Artwork by Rockin'Jelly Bean.

The artist Rockin'Jelly Bean has a quirky persona much like the Naked and Famous brand.

Features labels from all three collaborators.

Big John buttons. Chain stitched waistband but not all around and tucked.

Single needle belt loops offer a cleaner look.

Hidden rivets at back pockets.

Selvage coin pocket.

Selvage detail at side seam and chain stitched chem.

Tender Update

noreply@blogger.com (Henry Wong) — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 19:35:00 +0000

We check in with Tender Co. Denim in NYC. Founder William Kroll is in town to show Tender's Fall line and we took the opportunity to catch up and geek out.

My first encounter with William was back in 2010 when he launched Tender Co. Denim centered around an unsanforized selvage denim jeans dip-dyed in plant indigo. To date it is still one of the most exciting and unique products available in men's denim. For the new season Tender continues to showcase William's love of natural, historically-relevant dyes.

He walked us through the Tender Type 132D jean, which is an update to the Type 132 jeans introduced with the first season. The "D" can be said to be said to represent modifications made to enable driving (or tractor operating) more comfortable as the back pockets have been moved lower and closer to the side seam. This change allows easier access to wallet and tools stored in the pocket while minimizing stress caused by sitting on objects in your back pocket.

William shows us the pair of Type 132 jeans he has been wearing for about a year and a half. He has attached the side pocket to it, testing its functionality and form before officiallly implementing it into the Type 132D. The denim fades beautifully and you will notice the new pocket is darker than the rest of the jean because it was added after the jeans have already been worn for some time.

On the final Type 132D the seat back pockets have been removed and the size and position of the new pockets fine-tuned. It is shown here in unwashed form without overdye.

Said pockets are calico lined with the same soft and durable fabric that lines the belt loops.

Riveted for lasting wear.

Selvage side seam. Double cuffed in William's preferred style.

Here are the 132D unwashed/undyed next to William's modified 132 natural indigo dip-dyed.

Other details include denim pocket bags with the selvage line at the bottom seam. When you reach into the front pockets you will touch the selvage.

This picture shows the selvage when the pocket bag has been pulled out, on a different pair of Tender jeans.

Other details include riveted snob's thumb pocket (not coin pocket) and removable brass button.

William is an adventurous product developer full of exciting ideas. Some other fun things he shared with us include a hefty, gorgeous brass whistle. Here it is shown alongside my brass Falling Whistles (with my own titanium ball chain and indigo yarn dyed braid). The Tender whistle feels significantly more solid and weighty and exhudes workmanship.

13 inch MacBook case made with selvage denim lined with moleskin padding.

We look forward to many more great things from William. Stay tuned to the Tender website and the discussion forum on Superfuture dedicated to it.

noreply@blogger.com (Henry Wong) — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 16:05:00 +0000

Gross but Safe

This is relevant. And reassuring. The Star reports that an Alberta student's science experiment indicates our strange habit of not washing our jeans is not a health hazard.

From thestar.com:

John Cotter
The Canadian Press

EDMONTON—A University of Alberta student has discovered through science that a current fashion trend is safe, but can be a little stinky.

Josh Le donned the same pair of skin-tight jeans for 15 months without washing them. The idea was to break in the raw denim so the fabric would hug the contours of his body, leaving distinct wear lines and creases.

Curious about the health risks of wearing such a grubby garment, Le asked his textile professor to test the jeans for bacteria before he washed them for the first time.

The results showed high counts of five different kinds of bacteria in the denim, but nothing that posed a health hazard.

“I was blown away. I thought there would be a lot more bacteria than was present,” Le said Wednesday. “It sort of shows that it is okay to not wash jeans.”

Raw or dry denim is not washed or treated with chemicals when it is manufactured. The dark indigo pants are as stiff as cardboard. It’s trendy to wear the tight jeans without washing them in the hope the indigo will wear away at stress points in the fabric. When the jeans are finally washed, they leave wear patterns that are as personal as a fingerprint.

Human Ecology professor Rachel McQueen said the highest recordings of bacteria were found in the crotch of the jeans at 10,000 units per square centimetre, with lower readings in the back and front of the pants.

But the colonies were normal skin bacteria and did not include dangerous E. coli.

“I didn’t see any evidence of those, but that could be very unique to Josh. I mean, he wore underwear, which can be helpful,” she said.

Le said some of his friends were disgusted by his jeans experiment, but others were very understanding.

He said his dingy denim even became a good way of meeting new people.

“Some people really liked it, but some people were completely grossed out by it,” he said. “I was able to meet a lot more people and have a lot of good conversations. It was like, ‘hey, nice jeans.’ ”

Despite his best efforts to keep his jeans clean, Le said he still managed to spill food on them. He also wore them on hot days. He figures he wore them well over 200 times during the experiment.

He acknowledged the denim did get pretty ripe. His solution was to toss them in his freezer whenever they got too smelly.

“There were times when it had a bad odour, like in the seventh month,” Le said. “That’s when I threw it in the freezer and magically when it came out it was odourless.”

McQueen said what was most surprising was a second test she did on the jeans after they were washed and Le wore them again for another 13 days. The results were about the same.

She said while the bacteria didn’t pose a risk for a healthy, strong young person, she recommends that people wash their jeans more often — at least once a month.

“I would suggest washing your jeans more frequently. But that is more for control over the odour,” she said.

“If people are just being lazy, perhaps odour could become a problem and they may lose friends rather than gain friends.”

Thestar.com Article

noreply@blogger.com (Henry Wong) — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 04:18:00 +0000

ROY at Self Edge

Friend and fellow (denim nut) Roy Slaper is now selling his self-made ROY jeans at Self Edge stores and online shop. Self-made is the term I am using to describe not the fact that the jeans make themselves but Roy himself makes every pair from fabric cutting, sewing, to pressing. It requires quite a bit of ingenuity to figure out how to set up his production process to be efficient enough for such an endeavor (producing enough jeans to support 3 stores, Self Edge online sales, and the upcoming ROY store in Oakland to be opened by appointment in 2011). It would be an understatement to say Roy knows what he is doing and has not sacrified quality. In fact from what I can see the quality has gone up as he puts more jeans under his belt.

Here is a quick look at the specifications:

-Fabric is White Oak Cone denim, pure indigo, no leg twist, high shrinkage
-RS01 model is slightly fuller cut, same the one he offered for a limited time through his website
-RN01 is a new model with a narrower leg and a lower rise
-New 11 oz twill pocketing cut on cross grain for balanced shrinkage effect resulting in bettering fit and comfort
-Shell stitched inside fly edge
-Price: $275

Big thanks to Roy for the bare-all pictures.

For anyone wondering if the product is worth the price I will put my name on the line here to say it is worth every penny.

ROY Website

noreply@blogger.com (Henry Wong) — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 00:58:00 +0000

Denim Made by Tender

One of the most honest and heartfelt jean I have seen this year is made by Tender Co. It is made from heavy unsanforized and unskewed Japanese selvage denim. It is sewn in England to respectable specifications and then dip dyed in plant indigo at a woad farm in Norfolk, England. Here it is.

People like William Kroll of Tender Co. inspire me and fuel my belief that there will always be excitement in denim. Kroll is an English designer who cut his teeth working in the denim industry, trained with tailors, picked up indigo dyeing in Okayama, Japan, and admits to maybe enjoying product development a bit more than design. This man loves the product, loves materials and I imagine him spending more time experimenting with possibilities and research than dreaming up fancy drawings. His line of jeans, jackets, vests, and tees immediately conjure a reverie of the dyeing heydays of England. If one considers the extensive use of woad and, later, indigo in Europe in general and Britain in particular the tradition is very rich. There has not been a comprehensive denim offering which draws upon the English heritage of woad and indigo dyeing and it will be exciting to see what Kroll does in this regard.

In the next few posts I will post an exploration of some of the details that make the Tender jeans special.

Tender Website

noreply@blogger.com (Henry Wong) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:04:00 +0000

Self Edge Los Angeles to Open

noreply@blogger.com (Henry Wong) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 03:17:00 +0000

A First Look at "Jeans of the Old West: A History"

With "Jeans of the Old West: A History" author Michael Allen Harris delivers one of the most important works of literature related to jeans. The book's subject—denim garments and their manufacturers in late-1800's San Francisco—is specific at the risk of being esoteric but provides important insights in such an engaging manner that everyone from designers and collectors to fashion students and casual consumers will find much relevance. Anyone particularly interested in the lost history of workwear before the turn of the 20th century will jump for joy poring over the ample pictures and deductive reasoning Harris presents about forgotten manufacturers and their patents to innovate how jeans are made stronger and better. Given the amount of history destroyed in the fires following the major 1906 San Francisco earthquake it is a wonder Harris was able to paint these vivid portraits of the Neustadter Brothers, A.B. Elfelt & Co., Greenebaum Brothers, Heynemann & Co., and other important figures and concerns. In fact this is the primary challenge Levi Strauss & Co. will always face in building their company archive—too many records and properties were destroyed in those fires.

It is no surprise that Harris traces the long series of overalls innovations with Levi Strauss & Co.'s riveted pants patent as a starting point. After all it seems that it was Jacob Davis's 1873 patent, filed using Levi Strauss money, that sparked the subsequent patents for overalls improvements which did not infringe on the Levi's patent by other tailors and manufacturers that are so much the focus of this book. To supplement the countless hours of research are pictures (I stopped counting after 250) of antique garments that testify to the patents' practicalities. The best way to describe their condition is in Harris' own words in the book's foreward. He writes, "Considering the limited production runs for some of these jeans, and the difficult conditions under which they were used, the fact that any examples remain is a testament to the quality of their design and construction." That is these garment-remains currently in the collections of Harris and other collectors like Hitoshi Yamada, Mike Hodis, and Brit Eaton, were once the trusted, hard-worked tools of laborers in mines, mills and fields.

Through the study of these artifacts new knowledge is brought to light that will certainly tickle those interested in vintage denim. For example hidden at the end of the book is a tidbit that explains why sometimes old jeans found near mines or mills have one or two legs cut off. "I have seen tar-soaked blue jean scraps wrapped around air pipes at old mills. I surmise that this is why some of the old, discarded jeans I have seen had their legs cut off." He provides pictures of such uses and you will see how naturally-suited a pant leg is for this job. And did you know in 1879 Levi Strauss & Co. offered waistoverall workpants in brown, mode and deadgrass colors? Sprinkled throughout are evidence that may dispell long-held beliefs in the collecting world. His cinchstrap theory used to date early Levi Strauss & Co. jeans alone is a breakthrough that will certainly be heavily discussed. Yet through all the deductions Harris keeps a modest and honest tone that is perfectly suited for the topic of old jeans and by this characteristic provides an engaging and enjoyable read.

And so for a job well done Michael Harris wins the praise of this blog and surely many other denimheads for delivering a book that does not disappoint despite much anticipation. You can purchase "Jeans of the Old West: A History" directly from the publisher Schiffer or on Amazon.com.

noreply@blogger.com (Henry Wong) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 05:37:00 +0000

A Shot of Inspiration

Are you feeling a bit low on creative energy? A friend just sent me this fantastic video about Raleigh Denim. Founders Sarah and Victor Lytvinenko are the sweetest and most passionate couple in the industry and their hard-working attitude and perseverance inspires all.

Their drive to minimize Raleigh Denim's carbon footprint and revitalize manufacturing in North Carolina has led them to work with the historic mill Cone Denim. Cone's White Oak mill in Greensboro, NC is prominently featured in the video with a rare glimpse at the legendary Draper X3 shuttle looms. These mid-century narrow looms are the only ones still producing selvage denim on the western hemisphere today. They are not only visually very different from Japanese Toyoda shuttle looms but are constructed differently as well.

A more special sighting still is the appearance of Ralph Tharpe, Senior Technical Design Director at Cone Denim. His knowledge of denim design and manufacturing is paralleled by few and his love and knowledge of American denim mills history should earn him a place as a living national treasure.

Raleigh Denim: Handcrafted in North Carolina from David Huppert on Vimeo.

noreply@blogger.com (Henry Wong) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 06:03:00 +0000

Show Off and Tell

The most anticipated book of the year for denim lovers and vintage collectors comes from Michael Harris of Deadgrass. "Jeans of the Old West: A History" is expected to shed light on a number of legendary but little known workwear brands in the late 1800's in San Francisco. From what I have heard so far the publication is slated to become the important ever written on American overalls history given how little even seasoned vintage collectors know about the rare, non-Levi's denim pieces featured in the book.

Harris has been collecting old denim for some years now and to show off the caliber of treasures he will present in his book he sends us some awe-inspiring pictures. First up is what's left of a jean with the pronouncement of "Spring Bottom," though difficult to see, on what appears to be heavy twill pocketing.

In Harris' own words:
"The pant is most of the left side and fragments of the one back pocket. First picture is the stamped pocket bag. The pocket bag at the top says 'celebrated copper riveted.' Below the last phrase it says 'overalls spring bottom pants.'"

I have not yet had the opportunity to thoroughly study vintage Levi's Spring Bottom Pants but Harris's piece does not resemble the Spring Bottoms I have examined before. The garment pattern, construction and seams do not resemble the typically dandyish, flare-legged, and tailored trousers. Perhaps the pocketing print is simply proclaiming that Levi Strauss & Co. makes both overalls AND Spring Bottom Pants? It is difficult to tell from the pictures of this very dirty and aged garment if the denim is run of the mill Spring Bottoms fabric of which the weft yarn is twisted with a goldish brown or other colored yarn. The next time I visit Los Angeles I will be sure to request examining this fantastic piece.

Jeans of the Old West has just been made available from its publisher Schiffer Books and I can't wait to get my copy.

UPDATED 7/22/10: After some deliberation both Harris and I agree these are in fact not Spring Bottom Pants. Corroborating material is expected to come my way but given that these pants have no spring at the bottom they are definitely not SBP's. We are speculating now these are No. 2's. More on that later, perhaps.

noreply@blogger.com (Henry Wong) — Wed, 26 May 2010 03:11:00 +0000

The Man Behind Amoskeag XX

I admire gutsy creatives like Kenji Kawasaki, the man behind the brand Amoskeag XX known for fantastic creations like the jean made from seamless, shuttle-loomed denim and the new "Millworker" jean. It takes bold character to quit one's day job to pursue a dream. In the case of Kawasaki a denim-loving outsider may even say he had a dream job at Design Works where he developed and sold some of the most breathtaking denim fabrics from Japanese mills.

Years of practicing his trade has prepared him well to found Amoskeag XX whose products have such layers of beauty both apparent and underlying that will satisfy hardcore and casual denim consumers alike. Take for example the light shade seamless jean I have been praising since 2008 when Kawasaki first introduced the brand. With its seamless lower legs the jean is at once familiar and wildly imaginative. Students of American mill history will remember the now defunct Amoskeag Manufacturing Company, the namesake of Kawasaki's brand, was once a producer of seamless feed and seed sacks, along with renown denim fabrics like the 3x1 right-hand-twill sold to Levi Strauss & Co., for its first denim waist overalls, now famous as "XX."

Poking around the Amoskeag XX shop in the Lower East Side of New York City one will find many treasures. Not for sale is a quilt of various denims developed by Kawasaki. The opportunity to study this piece is reason enough to make the trip but you will not be disappointed by the many jeans for sale on display accompanied by relics from the Amoskeag mill.

In an age when anyone with a production budget, spare time and a relationship with a decent sewing factory can squeeze out a denim label it is refreshing to meet a brand owner with extensive knowledge of the material that makes up most of the garment. A lot can be said about one who learned on the job in Japan where quality fabric and garment production is still abundant. In the case of Kawasaki he is knowledgeable in many aspects needed to make a jean that can be proudly displayed in a store.

I asked about the pair of "Millworker" Kawasaki has been wearing and he graciously showed me the warp yarns meticulously displayed in a clear package to show off the yarn counts and slubs that contribute to the attractive vertical shade streaks in the 12.5oz loom-state (unfinished) fabric.

For a breath of fresh air laden with the scent of history check out Amoskeag XX. Down the road we will feature a few of the products Kawasaki calls his own.

Amoskeag XX Website

Amoskeag XX
96 Orchard Street
New York, NY 10002-3150
(646) 237-7336

noreply@blogger.com (Henry Wong) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 22:01:00 +0000

King of Vintage: Heller's Cafe

If you can get your hands on it you should check out Rin Tanaka's new book, "King of Vintage. No. 1: Heller's Cafe." The star of the book is none other than Heller's Cafe, a highly-respected vintage collection, and its owner Larry McKaughan. More than 200 of the rare vintage pieces that Heller's Cafe sells or rents are featured and there is an entire section dedicated to denim from the 1880's to the 1950's. The caliber of the pieces are breathtaking (Levi Strauss overalls made with Stifel cloth, to name one) and with talks of a potential 2nd volume I hope they include more detail shots and even more denim.

When asked how the idea came about McKaughan says, "The project was a combination of Rin and me talking about a book on my company that would feature our pieces in a way that elevated them from what would normally be vintage clothing venue." There is an age-old belief that when you document something on paper (or other media) you immortalize it. I believe this is part of what McKaughan feels. After all many of these priceless pieces, in as good a condition as they are, can be rather fragile and sensitive. He notes, "We didn't really have any problems in the process of making the book. Unfortunately we did have one significant piece damaged in shipping for the exhibition [Inspiration LA]."

Their first printing of a limited 3000 copies to US and Japan has already sold out and they are almost through with the second printing. You can preview a number of pages on Rin Tanaka's website. A quick call to New York's J.Crew Men's Shop on 484 Broadway will tell you that as of today they still sell this book but are running low. Any lover of vintage would not want to miss out on owning this book even though Rin Tanaka will likely feature other vintage dealers.

A final word from McKaughan: "In general, this book turned out great. I think Rin captured the personality of my company. There are a lot of great collectors and dealers in this business and many would make great books but this book is a great representation of my passion, focus and my collection. I am very proud of it."

noreply@blogger.com (Henry Wong) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 17:12:00 +0000

Roy is Ready

Friend and fellow denim nut Roy Slaper just put up a website to sell his jeans, which he personally makes in Oakland, CA using bonafide materials and machines. My pair is on the way and I will put up a full review after careful inspection. The fact that perfectionist Roy decided he is ready to sell means the product will not disappoint.

Under the Studio portion of his website you will see some higher resolution images related to Reece button hole machine, Union Special, folders (check out this beautiful folder), etc. Roy is super friendly, always game to talk denim and is never one to keep anything a secret. Check out his jeans and ask him why he makes every pair by himself. Ask him how many sewing machines he has collected. And then ask him how he can deliver such well made products at such an increadible price. If you buy his jeans you will always be connected to its maker.

ROY Denim Website

noreply@blogger.com (Henry Wong) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:03:00 +0000

Wrangler Blue Bell Web Presentation

Give it up for Wrangler Blue Bell's fun, interactive presentation of their SS10 collection on their website. Using your mouse to control what is essentially a video you get to see how the clothes interact on the model during motion. Most of the shots show all sides of the garments so extra points for that. But the fact that they are all of the model being pulled and punched by invisible ghosts may leave the visitor feeling as silly as the model looks.

This novelty will probably keep visitors on the site longer than otherwise but it does not allow for clear viewing of details. The concept is still cool nonetheless and I think they did a great job overall.

Wrangler Blue Bell Website

noreply@blogger.com (Henry Wong) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 04:47:00 +0000

Ande Whall Grifter Update

It has been more than a few months since I started wearing my custom Ande Whall jeans (Grifter model). This is a photo update of the jeans after 1 machine wash and dry to show off the Cone selvage denim and Ande Whall construction.

Interesting right back pocket shape that became apparent after fading.

Ande Whall Website

noreply@blogger.com (Henry Wong) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:05:00 +0000

Heller's Cafe Warehouse Homage Collage

Heller's Cafe and Warehouse have put together a new line of very convincing vintage-inspired workwear pieces. They look and feel like the real deal vintage you may find in the collection of Heller's Cafe minus the smell. Beautiful construction but the emphasis is definitely wash and trims.

The collaboration line marries the exceptional strengths of both parties. Heller's Cafe has one of the strongest vintage workwear collections in the world and owner Larry McKaughan can genuinely be called an expert. Many museum-quality vintage denim and archive-worthy Levi's have passed through his hands but he admits his love is for the beautiful denim piece from an obscure brand few have ever heard of.

That is why I have been eager to see the results of Larry’s efforts with Japan's famously vintage-obsessed Warehouse Company who makes some of the most beautifully sewn jeans in the world.

What follows is a collage of details that show what they did and by the end hopefully explains why they do what they do.

Heller's Cafe on Warehouse Website

noreply@blogger.com (Henry Wong) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 03:34:00 +0000

New Kicking Mule Workshop

I capped off last week by catching up with Patrick Goodspeed who runs the re:change showroom in NYC which represents brands like Kicking Mule Workshop, Left Field, Triple Works, and Real Japan Blues. We sat down with his wine and my Nat Sherman MCD smokes to talk denim. There are better ways to spend Friday night but I cannot think of many.

He showed me the new jean of Kicking Mule Workshop, a well loved brand carried by stockists like Oak, AB Fits, Odin, Revolve, United Arrows, and many more. The new model is called the 1980 and boasts some interesting features. Note: the particular 1980 jean featured in this post has been through a quick rinse but raw will be offered.

The fabric is a Japanese, heavy weight, natural indigo, organic cotton, left hand twill, selvage denim. It can be prominently shown off with a cuff as the busted side seams measure 1.75". This will make for quite a wide traintrack, sideseam fade.

Selvage fly.

Alloy hardware.

Hand hammered rivets. The exposed selvage coin pocket.

Beltloops inserted into waistband with very prominent ridge between stitches. They will wear in very nicely.

Deer skin leather patch.

Hidden back pocket rivets. Half lined back pockets.

Selvage runs all the way up to waistband.

For the full experience we recommend checking out the new Kicking Mule Workshop jean in person when it arrives in stores later this year.

noreply@blogger.com (Henry Wong) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 02:06:00 +0000

A Gift of Jeans by Roy Slaper

One of the great pleasures of working for a historic mill like Cone is being able to meet people like Roy Slaper. This post is a small introduction to Roy and the jeans he wishes were perfect.

There is a talented metalsmith in Oakland, California who has been perfecting his denim sewing skills the last few years. Although Roy Slaper is quite good already he insists on practicing until he can consider himself to be in that unique class of denim designer-tailors expert in patterns, needlework, materials, and a thousand other nuances in crafting jeans. Such is the way of a true lover of denim who will forever be fascinated by all matters indigo and so will never call oneself a master of the subject.

I too count myself in this group of life-long denim students and have been exchanging peculiar ideas with him for many months. When I decided to leave my station at Cone my wonderful colleagues there commissioned a jean for me with Roy, who knew exactly want I would want (something with all the loom chatter intact like deadstock vintage).

As I am wearing the jean and typing this post I am still perplexed by how he managed to get it to fit right in one shot.

All crucial details are on point.

Selvage belt loops. And yes it does have a raised ridge between the stitches.

Some would stop at selvage beltloops but Roy quietly sneaks in selvage back pockets via busted seam joining 2 pieces.

And then he puts in selvage busted seam pocketing using an undyed organic cotton twill. When you hold up the jeans the selvage seams of the pocket bags and the back pockets line up one in front of the other.

He incorporates the loom chatter that naturally occurs in denim woven on vintage American selvage looms.

The fabric is full of unique, uneven character that by today's quality standards would be called defects. But using the word defect to argue against the beauty of certain loom chatters is akin to using higher fabric consumption as an argument against narrow selvage denim. The arguments make sense but love is blind. Besides, a broken fill here and there is nothing compared to the yarns destruction during industrial stonewash and sandblasting. This is how unwashed workwear came back in the day.

And maybe one day, sooner rather than later hopefully, Roy will finally let the general public enjoy his denim creations. Until then he will be perfecting his craft and acquiring amazing sewing machines like the Union Special 43200G bulldog hemmer, Union Special felling machine, and Reece 101 buttonhole machines that he have already.

A very special thanks to my friends at Cone Denim.

noreply@blogger.com (Henry Wong) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 04:35:00 +0000

Mark Mango

One of the challenges of stonewashing jeans is that pumice stones are very abrasive and can do serious damage to washing machines. Commercial laundries utilize large industrial machines with drums made to withstand these wash processes. The capital investment required is one of the reasons why denim washing has long been the high-stakes territory of larger factory-sized laundries. Add to it environmental regulations, hiring technicians, administrators, mechanics, etc and it becomes obvious that it is simply not cheap to start and run a wash house.

Well for some time now a resourceful Mark Mango has been servicing denim designers in the NY area with his DIY drum tumbling machines. He does everything in small batches for tight control. Check out the video of one in action below. It really is quite interesting. He adds to the formula hand sanding, abrasion, tinting, pigment painting and rust treatments to provide hand-detailed finishes.

tumbler

www.MarkMango.com | MySpace Video

Of course many questions come up like how does he control the temperature, and pH, and how does he affect the load mid-cycle. To be honest, I do not know but I have seen beautifully finished garments in person from him so he must be doing something right.

Mark Mango is based in NY/NJ area.

Mark Mango Website

noreply@blogger.com (Henry Wong) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 03:09:00 +0000

Introducing TENDER Co.

What is this? A new indigo-centric concern to be excited about, you say? True. A gentleman by the name of William Kroll is launching TENDER Co. and its collection of English produced selvage jeans, tees and jackets dip dyed in veggie indigo and Norfolk woad.

I will post more pictures and information as I check out the line and learn more.

For now here is a picture of Mr. Kroll overdyeing a desized denim garment in South American veggie indigo in the UK.

TENDER Co. Website

noreply@blogger.com (Henry Wong) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 01:19:00 +0000

Skine Deep

Some people carry budging wallets. Since my college days I have carried a Moleskine brand notebook in my back pockets. This has the pleasant side effect of a beautiful fade mark on raw jeans.

Many Moleskines later I have begun to feel that for the price I pay for these notebooks the quality leaves something to be desired. By the time I am through with half the pages the cover has begun to tear unflatteringly. Sometimes the cover would even disconnect from the binded paper due to the stress of being sat on (an effective compromise is to use the reporter style Moleskine where the spine usually lies above the pocket opening and avoids direct pressure).

The bit of marketing gimmick Moleskine uses to sell its notebooks also leaves me feeling a bit uneasy. It should be kept in mind that the term moleskine was originally an un-trademarked word used by Bruce Chatwin in his 1986 book The Songlines to describe unbranded little black notebooks popular with artists and writers in late 19th to early 20th centuries. That means any little black notebook with similar features carries the "heritage" that Moleskine associates its products with. You have other options if you really want your notebook to resemble "the legendary notebook used by artists and thinkers over the past two centuries: among them Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, and Bruce Chatwin. A trusted and handy travel companion, the nameless black notebook held invaluable sketches, notes, stories, and ideas that would one day become famous paintings or the pages of beloved books." (from Moleskine website)

I recently discovered a number of fantastic pocket notebooks through the wonderfully impassioned Black Cover blog, which reviews all sorts of Moleskine-esque products. After trying out a couple of them I find that the French-made Rhodia Webnotebook is the superior Moleskine alternative for those who keep notebooks in the back pocket of their jeans.

The Rhodia's cover is made of Italian leatherette (no animals harmed; only trees). Compared to Moleskine's fragile oilcloth the Rhodia takes a beating much more gracefully. The latter also boasts 192 pages of beautiful, super smooth, fountain-pen-grade 90 gsm paper made by the Clairefontaine mill, which has been producing paper since 1858 in France. In a phrase this is the 14 oz selvage denim of pocket notebook paper.

Alas all this comes with a price. Without much searching one can find the Rhodia Webnotebook selling for about $15. Though not cheap the Rhodia is still affordable enough to allow for changing notebooks every few months. To go one step up you can go for the the leather bound Cartesio from Florence, which goes for about $20. If an upgrade is not what you are looking for then lower priced "mole clones" are abound. You can check out reviews of The Picadilly Notebook ($5 retail), The Color Edge Notebook ($3), and more at Black Cover.

A pocket folder is pretty useful for my purposes. Should that not be the case for you then consider products by Rite in the Rain, waterproof notebooks popular with field engineers, birdwatchers, volcano scientists, and adventurers around the world. I have personally dropped some Field Notes books in a rainstorm and the result is not pretty.

The answer to this is a $3 Rite in the Rain notebook, which comes with measurement conversion tables and rulers printed on the covers. I have found myself using these on more than one occasion with my Field Notes books.

Another functional notebook is the Stifflexible with 72 pages of fountain-pen-friendly paper by Tuscany based Giuliano Mazzuoli. The special cover was made to be sturdy but flexible enough to open and allow one hand page flipping. This is particularly handy when needing to quickly find your notes while multitasking. The design is apparently based on a special book from the 1700s.

Although the cover appears to be very hardy I am not sure how well the paper material will hold up in my back pocket.

If collecting pocket notebooks has an appealing ring then go check out your local vintage store for finds. I recently acquired a vintage Cream of Wheat leather notebook with a changeable paper pad and a slot for a business card.

Vintage Cream of Wheat Notebook
Rite in the Rain #954T
Stifflexible
Rhodia Webnotebook
Moleskine

noreply@blogger.com (Henry Wong) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 01:55:00 +0000

Two Fly Pieces and a Metal Wire

One particular "overalls improvement" detail I have never seen used on an actual jean is that of Austin Clement's 1880 patent, which was granted for an invention that connects the fly pieces together using a wire link. It is quite interesting and I would love to see it being employed.

If you are interested in my further ramblings on this matter then I suggest you study the patent illustrations above before continuing. I am about to sound very confusing.

The resulting left and right fly pieces are each double layered and very well may have four layers of denim, which is the design's greatest downfall. The extensive use of overlocking raw edges can work around this issue and make each side only two layers thick but that can create a less clean looking interior and a less practical fly piece. Yet I am sure this design can be feasible with some thought.

noreply@blogger.com (Henry Wong) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:57:00 +0000

Warehouse x Heller's Cafe New Old Goods

The good folks at Heller's Cafe sent us some pictures to preview a couple of products from the next season of Warehouse x Heller's Cafe. The hand treatments that create the dirty looks seem quite authentic. These are no doubt faithful reproductions of beat up vintage pieces from the Heller's Cafe archive. The denim on the rivetless waist overalls seems to feature a slub that approximates the rough character of vintage workwear fabric that was sold raw and so hid many beautiful, irregular yarn characters that today we call "defects."

Is that a lined belt loop I see? More details as I get them. Stay tuned!

To see images of their previous work see my last post on this exciting brand.

noreply@blogger.com (Henry Wong) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 22:19:00 +0000

Reinforcing Laps

After Jacob Davis patented his rivets overalls improvement there was an influx of similarly-minded patents. With all these patent requests you would think seam reinforcements was suddenly fashionable after 1873. Rivets and cloth material used to strengthen a seam was of course a utilitarian idea at the time and patent would have been a great marketing tool for workwear brands and manufacturers.

Below is a drawing from an 1874 patent granted to Jacob Greenbaum, apparently for the Greenebaum Brothers outfit in San Francisco. The idea is to reinforce stress points on seams that tend to rip using a material "of any desired fabric." I wonder if using leather, as some vintage overalls have, would have infringed upon this patent.

noreply@blogger.com (Henry Wong) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 18:16:00 +0000

Billiken Man Jeans Update

In the Billiken Man Jeans post I quoted the "recreation of interlock sewing machines to produce the union special stitches which was considered impossible before." I mistook this to be referring to a chainstitch but "interlock" actually refers to the overlock stitches on the pocket bags and inseam. Below are pictures that show this overlock stitch.

Big thanks to a certain Glenn from NY for the education.

noreply@blogger.com (Henry Wong) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 03:18:00 +0000

Billiken Man Jeans

The Billiken Man jeans is a beautifully constructed garment. Everything from the beltloops to the button fly facing to the waistband are on point and super playful. The people behind the brand are obsessed with sewing details and offer the mind boggling "triangle" or "three point" ~~chainstitches~~ overlock stitches found on the leg seams, pocketing, and throughout the jeans. As they put it the goal was the "recreation of interlock sewing machines to produce the union special stitches which was considered impossible before." Did they hack their sewing machines?

In line with many Japanese business and craftsman practices they took two American icons, the Billiken Man and jeans, and applied such unique twists and enhancements that the end result is something that reflects pure Japanese artistry. And obsession.

If you have not heard of the Billiken Man you are probably not alone. A quick Google search shows that it was once a popular American pop culture icon that even had popular songs singing its praise. The original Billiken was designed by artist Florence Pretz as a symbol that evoked good luck. Pretz allegedly saw the figure in a dream who told her that good luck can be had by rubbing his feet. It is further believed that Billiken is the namesake of President William Howard Taft. The "ken" part of Billiken is likely a bastardization of the word Can in "Billy Can" as in there are those Billys who can and those Billys who can't. Billiken then is obviously meant to inspire the "can do" attitude that helps a nation get through difficult times.

The Billiken license was eventually picked up by Horsman Dolls, Inc., the American toy company that marketed the Teddy Bear named after President Theodore Roosevelt. Today the Japanese have incorporated the Billiken man into their cast of deities. If you visit the Tsutenkaku tower in Osaka you will find a statue of the Billiken enshrined there.

The makers of these jeans have invoked the good spirit of Billiken to create a jean full of playful details. The orange thread used throughout the jeans are reminiscent of Billiken's hair color and the wavy back pocket stitching reflects the overall features of the smiling, seated character. The company proclaims the jeans "will assure you of the lively and optimistic lifestyles in this challenging moment in our history."

The stitching that appears to be a bartack is actually a zigzag stitch.

If you are ever in need of a shot of luck just rub the Billiken Man's feet wherever you are.

The button holes are beautifully executed with a hand-tied-tail look and a stitch that changes pitch towards the curve.

Billiken Man Website