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Freewheelers x 2 / Mister Freedom / Hollows / Lofgren

Long time no log in… I moved from the UK to South Carolina earlier this year, spent 7 weeks in Japan in between and now settling into southern life. here’s a photo dump: Shizuoka - home in Japan to Tokyo, Yokohama, Hiroshima, Okinawa…then to our new home in South Carolina. And a trip to Katz’s deli in NYC

FC Anniversary jacket / RMC / Shoe's Like Pottery (Will post details about the jacket on the FC page)

Got some new stuff in Tokyo and since my trip too: koverall jacket and painter pants ivory herringbone work trousers linen/cotton work trousers black sports jacket Java rayon shirt

I imagine most FC fans are not into the brand for full on retro/repro cuts but perhaps some will find this of interest. I had picked up the 30th anniversary jeans from Standard & Strange back in November 2022. They were reasonably priced initially & then when a sale kicked in I decided to buy a second pair which are still unwashed/unworn. I'd been hoping the matching jacket would turn up, similarly priced at S&S but it never did. After seeing the price ($500, I think) on the FC site I decided to pass. Recently I got the bug to search & see if one might be available somewhere online, & found a size 46 at Son Of A Stag. The price was still high but with first time buyer discount it came down to where I couldn't resist. I noticed that the cardboard tags were different from those that had had been on the jeans. Also the jeans had come in a cloth bag emblazoned with "1946", while the jacket had no bag & was described as 1944-45. Consequently I was crossing my fingers that the jacket would be made from the same denim as the jeans, which I like a lot. Happily it turned out the denim is the same on both items. Not sure if my photos best demonstrate that , but to my eyes the look & feel appeared identical. I'm including a photo side by side with the Freewheelers 1944 jacket. The FC is a wider shape which is accentuated by the stiffness of the denim.

Freewheelers 1927 OOE 01 Nicks

Diacock is still loved

Another type II just popped up, this time in a larger size (44). The body length would never work for me, but I'd love if someone here was able to make it work. https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/k1140652142

retiring these for now since my hand repairs totally blew out. @julian-wolf you interested in possibly working on them?

I wouldn't say the handsewn is inherently higher quality. The resulting look is slightly different. I have a pair of Alden shell tassel loafers (from shoe mart factory seconds, with possibly fewer imperfections than my first quality models -- that's a tale for another time), and I like the machine stitch on the apron. It's a bit "neater" and that makes it a bit dressier than the handsewn, which works for what I wear them for. Of course, if you are going for something more casual, then that won't be an issue. I think there is a place for both.

not so lil one anymore graduated from year 9 (smp – junior high) and off to senior high (sma). the fc 1108 is only 2 years younger than the kiddo. my trippen shoes are older than both. missus' carmina brogues around 10 yrs old.

nyuk-nyuk: yes to the daicock @cheapmuthafukr!!! yes yes yes 4verar to @Graytrain cool collections... and for discussions on authenticity; evis/u made/make great jeans but it must be remembered that yamane-san is true/supreme hype man as much as crafts-man... and yes, as per the thread; I still pledge allegiance: I still love evisu very very much!

Looks good @Broark and sizing looks good for me but must resist!! Deffo on the shorter size for a 44 @ 58.5cm - can see it won't work for you extra tall folk though Austin

@Broark Thanks for digging around. Yeah, that’s about where I’d landed, too. The price doesn’t seem fair compared to what it cost in 2015, but then again it’s probably about what FW would charge if they were to make another run of them now, so…it’s hard to complain. Still might go for it, especially with how weak the yen is staying

Seems like an extremely low rise for a 50s fit. Or any fit for that matter.

After a long period of deliberation and remeasuring my slimmest pair (a modern day 501 that I still keep as reference and which is slimmer than the Kyotos), I finally scooped these up today. There aren't too many older pairs that pop up in both my waist and inseam (31/33, 31/34) so I figured that this was my chance. Worst case they will fill the 60s repro void in my closet

To offer somewhat of a different perspective here that has little to do with old repros per se, nostalgia is a powerful drug. The search for “authenticity” is often a search for feelings one had as a youth, when everything was more exciting because one was young and because there is a sense of discovery at that age that there won’t be when you’ve lived longer, and seen more. It’s not to say that the pursuit of nostalgia is problematic, but one will simply never recreate the feelings of that age. It is a chapter in life. Now we are in a new chapter. There are plenty of brands here that I would contend exude the passion some probably found in the original Osaka 5 works. And maybe young people finding them today will have the same feelings about them twenty years from now. Tender, Freewheelers, and Ooe, (and TCB as noted) for example - all know how to do IG , yes, but they also clearly and patently make what they love and it shows in the clothes - those of us that have them probably appreciate them largely for this reason. There are things from the past worth holding on to, but we can’t completely. I also don’t mean to take anything away from collecting older models - if that’s your jam, by all means. It’s fun to go searching and find a treasure, absolutely. It just doesn’t mean that there isn’t something out right now that lacks that same magic. These are just perceptions. I use Leica digital Monochromes for my work. I use them because damn are the files so much better than a 35mm negative, and they make pictures possible that weren’t before. I’m stubborn and want the camera to feel like the sort I used for years, but that’s the irrational part of me. They are an objective improvement compared to the negatives you’d get from tri-x run through an analog M, and the prints (that I do digitally) have their own unique and beautiful presence that a silver print differs from (not better or worse). But, I came up shooting film for a good while, I shot it for work when I had the budget, had to turn around that shit on deadline for magazines stubbornly when digital was in full force already because 10 years ago medium format film still had a very demonstrable advantage - as of about the 36 and 40 mp sensors in the D800 series or the Sony A7R series, it was gone. And I was happy to let it go. I still have my Rolleiflexes and M6, beautiful mechanical objects but they sit in a case because as photographic tools they’re not as good for most purposes. (Some specific purposes - I’ll never tell someone what they need - I’m sure can be found). If one enjoys the process more, that’s great. Enjoying the process is the most important part of making things, most of the time. But careful not to hold an idea that it’s somehow something more real or pure because it’s older or slower etc. And there’s nothing that stops one from being deliberate on a digital camera. I get that the roll of film presents a hard limit on things, but there’s nothing stopping one from just shooting a few deliberately made pictures even if you can make 1000. Yes, we are awash in more plastic and more fakery and more advertising than ever, and it can make the good stuff hard to find, but it’s more out there than ever. Maybe this is because I work in the arts but there is great new work being made now, all of the time, and the idea of “the good old days” is a mirage that will never materialize because the way it exists in one’s head now is different than it was even then. Realizing this probably belongs in the “nonsense” thread - mods feel free to move, or delete even if this is too insufferable ha.

Gave them a wash yesterday, liking where they are headed. Will probably give them another wash in a couple of months.

Longines 1927 limited edition 18K RMC denim & Denime mother denim

Japan Blue cap MFSC Ranch Blouse RMC tee SC belt Denime 66 John Lofgren

And the fit, paired with the early Evis 2501xx with arcs

I’ve posted how the catalog numbers work before - but without checking, and without asking if things have changed my only reaction to that number is that it is fake

Nice! My Kyotos are actually 33x32 and fit almost exactly the same as my Resolute 710 33x33 aside from a shorter front and back rise. Those appear to have less wear than my pair did when I bought them, so you'll have fun fading them.

For medium price level I've been quite happy with TBD (the bespoke dudes, I think), Retro Superfuture or Komono.

@shredwin_206 Thanks. Sorry, missed this comment. It’s the lot 4058—I went with my usual Japanese size. Will likely go for a couple more if I can find good deals on them

I’ll try to get one soon. Now that I think of it, since you have a ranch jacket I’d compare the fit to the ranch jacket one size down. Ie my 38 ranch feels pretty similar to the 40 OA, but the OA sleeves are narrower.

Came here to say this same thing!!

I believe this run was in 2017, they made them specifically for commonori products, which is defunct. I got lucky and swapped my 38 for a gently worn 40. It is a shorter body jacket for sure but I love it. Would recommend if the measurements track. It runs a bit small but not as small as their jeans. The chest feels closer to true to size but shoulders, arm opening and body length are all on the small end of expected.

FYI seems like there’s a restock of non-wash pairs at Hinoya.

@julian-wolf I think the Yahoo listing is just referencing a FW lot number that doesn't exist. The bag looks authentic and in good shape for how old it is, but they're asking for 50% more than the original price (16,000¥). I'd like if they reran the Kingfisher at some point as it would make for a good work bag, but not plans currently.

The rise on SDA jeans does seem a little short compared to most repro brands. I think the 502 may be 50s inspired but isn’t classic 50s. I wore the 101 in a size 32 some years back and if I remember correctly the front rise was about 11” or so, maybe a little more (that’s after much wearing and washing) - another inch and they’d have been perfect. Those 502s seem to have an even lower front rise. interestingly, I also have a raw pair of (out of production) SD-001 in size 31. These are a 14oz LHT pair rather than the 15oz RHT 101s. They have a higher rise, bigger waist and thigh measurements than another raw pair of 101s I also have in size 32, although both are supposed to be based on the same cut. The 001s seem to be a more authentic 50s cut.

SEUVAS MATCHA-DYED CAPSULE COLLECTION Seuvas brings us a new match dyed capsule collection taking their three best selling garments and presenting them in a subtle green by garment dying them in matcha. We also have a new "wing collar" jacket with a nice side tied gusset detail. Seuvas is a brand dedicated to the art of producing canvas of all weights. They own their own canvas looms and factory which produces their canvas exactly to their specifications for the right look and texture. They even cut and sew all the garments in their own workshop in Kurashiki, Japan using vintage sewing machines so that the canvas reacts with just the right amount of puckering at the seams. The only exterior branding on their garments is a single hand-made porcelain button made from clay ore (Amakusa pottery stone) mined in Amakusa City, Kimamoto prefecture, Japan. Amakusa pottery stone is a historic pottery stone that is a raw material which has been used in Japanese pottery since the 17th century. These porcelain buttons are designed by Seuvas and made in the traditional way in Amakusa. Shop Seuvas Online: https://www.selfedge.com/seuvas

Phigvel made a moccasin

Good point Julian, hadn't considered applying those. Another point I should've mentioned is that I've also been considering the JM Weston 180 loafer in beechnut suede. The JM Weston seem a bit more dressy and my style is more casual, but I saw some in person in Paris and they were really well made.

Your perception is the only truth. It is what informs your experience, and shapes tomorrow's truth in the light of new perception. Magic and meaning is everywhere, in everything, but it is entirely unique to the observer. We (as a collective humanity) often put to much external value on that truth, particularly when a collection of individuals experience the same truth, and thus try to enforce it upon others as a universal truth to shape their perception. Please forgive the philosophy, feel free to ignore it as well. Its my perception anyways, which doesn't mean its true.

Some of the conversation here feels in the spirit of some of the philosophical thoughts (both clothing/style and otherwise) that I've been thinking about during late nights with my son. Here is my screed. There are all sorts of different reasons that lead people to choose the items that they wear. They may dress a certain way due to economics, aesthetics, to generate "likes", to blend in, to stand out, to convey affinity or membership in a particular subculture, because they just enjoy wearing particular items for the sake of it, etc. Obviously, these reasons are not all mutually exclusive. In the image and click based world of today, arguably certain reasons are privileged more than others. In an Instagram fit pic, a pair of vintage Evis Lot 2501 No. 1 (as an example pertinent to this thread) will be more or less indistinguishable from a pair of modern day Levis or mall brand jeans and would generate no more likes or hype, as opposed to say the Oni Asphalt fabric. In the real world though, their is an intangible element to those Evis that can only be experienced through love and wear - the tactile experience of the fabric, the history, the passion, dedication, and craftsmanship of the creator. This goes beyond clothing as well, at least it does for me. It's similar to the reason why I collect vintage pulp hardboiled and sci-fi paperbacks rather than the modern day reissues of those titles. I just love the vintage Robert McGinnis cover art as opposed to the more soulless covers of today. It's the reason why I'm going to start getting into film photography (at least occasionally) with an old Nikon SLR and an old Leica rangefinder. Sure I can probably create more technically perfect images with my Fuji mirrorless camera and Lightroom, but then I lose some of the tactile joy and craft of the analog experience. Rather than spamming 100s of shots for the perfect image, I have to be much more deliberate in my choices. Even in my professional area of science (chemistry,chemical engineering/soft matter physics), there was a sense of discovery, wonder, and careful details present in older literature than in contemporary literature. These older works often did science for the sake of fundamental discovery and carefully crafted experiments and shared the results in a more sober matter-of-fact manner. I never learned as much as I did from literature from the mid-90s and earlier. Today, as in denim, a lot of the work fixates more on the final product than the journey. Large portions of academic research focus more on device fabrication and subsequent commodification in search of an easy start-up spinoff or payday at the expense of fundamental research. I don't blame them since such hype generation drives a lot of the funding decisions, at least in the US, but this reality is ultimately what led me away from academic roles/professorships and is partly why I'm now an industrial scientist. To conclude and as a slight aside, some of the discussion here is ultimately what led me to purchase the TCB no. 2. The jeans are clearly polarizing in aesthetic as evidence by the contest thread here. They were most definitely not designed to generate 100 fit pic posts on Reddit. Rather, they exist because Inoue-san clearly loves the history of the denim and cared deeply about maklng those jeans for their own sake. Are they a pair that I would pick in a vacuum - no. However, I too appreciate the attention to detail and wanted to do my smallest part to ensure that the passion and craft can live on a little longer

My only hope: as long as people are interested in the original (read vintage Levi's 501s) there will be a certain demand for repro jeans.

The community of people that care about repros will continue to dwindle to the point where there won't be a big enough market to justify making the clothing. And with it will die the entire story of how it all came to be. It's a bit heart breaking really. I hope someone is or will document the history of the Osaka 5 and the rise of Japanese denim. As for the stuff we get nowadays and why I'm less interested. I feel as though with social media came a feedback mechanism that took a bit of personality out of the garments. They feel "made for someone" instead of made for their own appreciation. In many ways this is amazing. We get items that couldn't exist before and justified a market for very niche products. But before that, the world was smaller. The older repros might not have CSF-level attention to detail, but they have a spirit to them that speaks of individuals making something for themselves without caring to make others happy. It's feels pure and true. They come imbued with something that makes them different than a blank canvas. And to me, wearing *that* feels worlds different than wearing a new release.

Been searching a long time for this one: Evis era bull patch S506xx (1506). From comparison with other era pairs of jeans, it looks like No.2 denim. Lovely boxy, short silhouette. And slightly different than the norm, zinc-y laurel buttons. Don't think I can save this interesting construction tidbits: Single stitch cuff:

If there's a next time, I expect to see a CSL ridealong:

When I was a kid, we spent around a week each year at a family friend's cabin up in the mid-Sierra, off of the 108. It's on a (dammed) lake, so plenty of swimming, fishing, exploring, etc. Over the span of the 2010s, the lake got more and more crowded, and I focused my spare time less and less on frontcountry. Around 10 years went by without me visiting. Anyway, this summer we got an invitation to go back. I'm taking a few months off from work, so time isn't as much of a commodity for me; and, anyway, there's something going on with the connective tissue in one of my knees, so backcountry hiking is off the table for the time being. Cabin trip seemed perfect. Spent last week laying low, playing board games, sitting + swimming + fishing by the water, working on fixing up an old pair of Cane's…lots of fun through and through.

Today Second Sunrise here in Stockholm hosted their third annual denim market, this year was very special though because Hajime and Ryo from TCB had flown over from Japan and had a little pop-up inside the store. It was just a great honor to meet both of them and have a little chat, such cool and kind guys with a true passion for denim. Hajime was even kind enough to sign my 505s. So thanks to both Second Sunrise and TCB for making it possible for us denim nerds to meet some of the people behind one of the best denim brands right now, it was truly amazing!

About 3 months of wear on my pair. Washed and tumble dried them probably 5 or 6 times. I think this fabric really lends itself to the heavily marbled look. The subtle slub is nice too. I really like what's going on with the back left pocket. The fly closeup is the most accurate for the shade of black that they're at.

Got my first pair of Denime

Fitpic

this is the pair in question

Damasko, SDA shirt, Tender cross weave denim pants…

Received my pair of Russell Fishing Oxfords last week, these were done in collaboration with Stitchdown. I now understand why people say that these are some of the most comfortable shoes/boots that they own.

Picked this up on Chrono24 awhile back, Speedmaster Date 3511.50.