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Cone Denim Mills thread


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Found the above while on a border trip. Of all the levis these stuck out because of the color. Here is a comparison pick of the 517 vs MF denim. Can anyone give me details on how old they are and if the denim is cone?

c2aac156.jpg

ffffad44.jpg

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does anyone know of a website from which to source bolts/rolls of white oak denim?

I remember seeing a website a couple years ago...maybe rnrswitch posted it? I can't remember.

My friend is making some cool stuff and needs some fabric.

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  • 5 months later...

dig the thread. cone mills seems like it has it's hands on everything these days. take these selvedge denim notebook covers. it's for denim and stationary geeks alike. they're made from 13.5 oz indigo selvedge from the cone - and they come with a notebook and pencil! they're available over at schoolhouse electric & supply co.

IdyA5.jpg

Edited by mapz
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  • 1 month later...

I love the fact cone is still going strong, using the old looms etc etc. But... what I can not stress enough, is the fact that the denim they are producing today for levis etc. is completely inferier to the denim you find on dead stock pieces from the 50's and 60's and I think thats a massive shame. I hate to rant about this but, I get so disappointed every time I see a pair of lvc repros honestly the denim is soooo much thinner, shinier, lighter and just plain nasty compared to the lovely stiff, thick and hairy denim you see on deadstock jeans from back in the day, For this reason, I am forced to buy Japanese made jeans where you have Momotaro/Warehouse actually coming close to that true authenticity purists like me are after. I have spoken to a number of denim heads/dealers about this so I know I am not alone! I would love to wear a pair of jeans with that same quality of repro denim that japanese brands offer but with that all important levis tab on the back pocket and Made in USA. (dont even get me started on the hardware/smaller details!) Come on Cone you can do it!

Even just from this you can see the difference and this came out of Cone in the early 70's!

kl2u5.jpg

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A few years back I found a pair of jeans at Holt Renfrew Last call by a company called Denim Design Lab. They were labeled blank canvas and there was a cone mills - white oak hang tag advertising that the jeans were made from black seed pima cotton selvage denim. They had a blue selvage id. I bought them even though they didn't really fit because they were reduced to $59 from $450 and I loved the denim. I've been using the denim for all repairs on other jeans and I plan on using it to accent some leather projects I plan on getting to this summer. If anyone is interested I can snap some pics of the denim when I get home.

I actually scored a pair of raw DDL Cone selvage for $40 a couple of years back and have enjoyed them. Very light weight but not bad for a cheap pair of authentic Cone Mills jeans.

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I love the fact cone is still going strong, using the old looms etc etc. But... what I can not stress enough, is the fact that the denim they are producing today for levis etc. is completely inferier to the denim you find on dead stock pieces from the 50's and 60's and I think thats a massive shame. I hate to rant about this but, I get so disappointed every time I see a pair of lvc repros honestly the denim is soooo much thinner, shinier, lighter and just plain nasty compared to the lovely stiff, thick and hairy denim you see on deadstock jeans from back in the day, For this reason, I am forced to buy Japanese made jeans where you have Momotaro/Warehouse actually coming close to that true authenticity purists like me are after. I have spoken to a number of denim heads/dealers about this so I know I am not alone! I would love to wear a pair of jeans with that same quality of repro denim that japanese brands offer but with that all important levis tab on the back pocket and Made in USA. (dont even get me started on the hardware/smaller details!) Come on Cone you can do it!

Even just from this you can see the difference and this came out of Cone in the early 70's!

kl2u5.jpg

I feel your frustration as i have been using both cone denim and japanese denim to make jeans for a few years now, and it wasn't untill recently, i have finally found a cone that had the substantial character i had been looking for. I believe cone has made an commitment to levis to not sell unsanforized denim to anyone else. I tried to get a custom denim produced but i could bring myself to buy 5000 yards of shiny, flat denim (sanforized). i Have however seen the denim on roys jeans and i find that to be reminicent of that thick, hairy, vintage denim we all are searing for. I have also manage to get a couple small bolts through the LA jobbers network.I have a bolt of denim with "levis" written on the roll with sharpie. This is product code XVOS. starting with "X" means shrink to fit, I bought the same denim last year but it was a 14 oz., this year it seams closer to 15oz. i think, XX20 is the lighter denim you see on all the levis repros. much better for shirts than pants.

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I've just added a Q&A with COne's new head of Technical DEsign, Bud Strickland, at loomstate.co.uk

Awesome! I just had drinks with Bud and his wife last night in Greensboro. Awesome person and amazing depth of knowledge.

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I love the fact cone is still going strong, using the old looms etc etc. But... what I can not stress enough, is the fact that the denim they are producing today for levis etc. is completely inferier to the denim you find on dead stock pieces from the 50's and 60's and I think thats a massive shame. I hate to rant about this but, I get so disappointed every time I see a pair of lvc repros honestly the denim is soooo much thinner, shinier, lighter and just plain nasty compared to the lovely stiff, thick and hairy denim you see on deadstock jeans from back in the day, For this reason, I am forced to buy Japanese made jeans where you have Momotaro/Warehouse actually coming close to that true authenticity purists like me are after. I have spoken to a number of denim heads/dealers about this so I know I am not alone! I would love to wear a pair of jeans with that same quality of repro denim that japanese brands offer but with that all important levis tab on the back pocket and Made in USA. (dont even get me started on the hardware/smaller details!) Come on Cone you can do it!

Even just from this you can see the difference and this came out of Cone in the early 70's!

kl2u5.jpg

Yes, I often look lustfully at the Levi's on Marvins, 1936 to 1950 and think, nothing, just nothing looks like that now.

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  • 2 months later...

I know that they have the 13.5 oz and 12.0 oz redline denim,and know that Railcar uses the 13.5 oz stuff on some of their clothing line, but I haven't been able to find anyone using the 12.0 oz to see how it fades.

Does anyone know of any brands that uses this weight of redline, so that I might try to find some pics of it faded?

I've tried google to no avail . . .

I was going to purchase some of the cone mills fabric, and try to start mocking up a pair of pants, and wanted to investigate further before I ordered.

Thanks for the help!

I also searched for forum for "cone mills" and didn't find anything relevant.

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  • 1 month later...

A lovely bit (40 yards!) of vintage Cone Deeptone denim. Light weight (9-10 ozs?), two to one twill. I know the Deeptone name was used over a few decades, but perhaps a few details might narrow down the dating. The width is 43 inches, and there is 1/2 percent poly in the selvedge. The label also says Cone Mills New York NY, with no mention of NC.

deeptonetagsmall.jpg

deeptonepilesmall.jpg

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Fantastic find! I'm guessing it's a light-ish weight, maybe 10 or 12 oz? What weight? Looks like 2x1 denim, correct?

Perfect for, say, some chore jackets. You should sell it to Roy or Mr Freedom.

I have to do some Cone research soon - I didn't know they'd made selvage fabric with Polysester in the Warp... I actually have to do some Cone research in the next fortnight so I'll ask when it was around.

My guess would be 1970s.

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I got a question for the cone heads here. How much fabric is typically in a roll? I know Roy sources some of his stuff from cone, is that typical or are most of the indie companies working with fabric from cone getting it from someone like premium denim outlet? Any idea how much cone indigo duck canvas usually goes for?

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^Sorry, no idea on what is typical.

PT, I think you kinda skimmed my post :rolleyes: . Yeah, lightweight 2 to 1 twill. It's a dead ringer for those old Lee chore coats. Thin, but tough. I don't want to seem greedy, but ROY and Christian, seem to be doing just fine sourcing groovy material, this stuff is mine. (maybe a parcel or two wil go to folks I know who are doing something cool). I think most people are looking for heavier goods anyhow. For myself, I like the vintage weight for a change.

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