mlyngard

Crossposted.

Chainstitch hem styles (L-R) BlueinGreen, BlueOwl, Standard & Strange, BlueOwl, Godspeed (Melbourne AU). Digging the hem width and choice to begin/end hem on outseam vs. inseam. Not to mention thread color. BiG and BOW have always tried to color-match the original thread color when hemming. S&S and Godspeed didn't, but that isn't a complaint. All work is impeccable.

On 7/16/2017 at 6:07 PM, Niro said:

 

 

You inspired me Niro. I took this picture to show chainstitching techniques (L-R) BlueInGreen, BlueOwl Workshop, Standard & Strange, BlueOwl Workshop, and Godspeed (Melbourne AU). 

Denim shown: (L-R) Oni 20oz, Momtaro 0306, Momtaro 0405, Tanuki Zetto 15oz, Tanuki Redcast 16.5oz 

Not shown, Samurai 710, Tanuki NT1, Tanuki RT1, Strike Gold. (If I listed everything previously owned and sold/outgrown/worn out, I'd look like a total BiG/BOW fanboy)

I thought this would be fun to share: chainstitching styles from (L-R) BlueInGreen, BlueOwl Workshop, Standard & Strange, BlueOwl Workshop, and Godspeed (Melbourne AU). Props to all for tight work.

(you'll get a better response on the small questions thread, but here's my two cents)

I'm a big fan of Tellason (Gustave cut). Take a look at Tanuki for modern cuts using older Japanese weaving tecniques.

Tanuki is a new company but the group are all Japanese players in other excellent companies (my theory is Oni and Eternal, and maybe PBJ).  All of Tanuki's denim is pretty slubby in different ways. I own all of them. The slim cut should be near to what you like. Go here:  https://www.blueowl.us/collections/tanuki

Other brands: Oni and PBJ for very slubby slim straight cuts. Go to BiG 

https://blueingreensoho.com/collections/oni-denim

https://blueingreensoho.com/collections/pure-blue-japan

Also, you CANNOT go wrong with Strike Gold or The Flat Head for textured, slubby slim cuts.

http://www.selfedge.com/jeans?manufacturer_id=43

http://www.selfedge.com/jeans?manufacturer_id=27

a worthy article on the rise in popularity of denim thanks to the youth of the civil rights movement having their own 'vintage' resurgence...

"Hippies aimed to be “salt of the earth” with their communes and community farms, but for black sharecroppers, the style was a function of poverty, not fashion"

https://www.racked.com/2017/10/30/16496866/denim-civil-rights-movement-blue-jeans-history

On 10/29/2017 at 6:03 PM, MileHighEvertonian said:

It gets worse, Lance. They're actually $595 if you buy them stateside: http://www.levi.com/US/en_US/levi/p/344960000

Yikes!

 

That distressed version for the same price made me sad and cringe at the same time.

On 2/21/2017 at 10:02 PM, LordDingle said:

Oh boy oh boy oh boy.........just got these in the mail!!

My first pair of Oni jeans ever! 22 oz, stands on its own

 

Hahah! I love doing that shit. 

On 7/31/2016 at 7:03 PM, dudewuttheheck said:

I was about to say that I have heard from a lot of people that Samurais do not hold up that well, but they use all cotton construction on purpose. Some brands specifically are not made to hold up and be super durable, that doesn't necessarily mean they are of poor quality.

Politely disagree. Both my Sams held up amazingly well even after 6+ years of regular wear in the cooler months. The only flaw was my own neglect of maintenance. I must have sewn repairs on one pair at least seven times. Even good denim requires occasion proactive damage-control before loose stitching, holes in crotch or on pocket openings start to deteriorate beyond repair. Regular inspection before and after a wash is a good time to catch it.

As for all-cotton, you'll find that almost all good selvage denim uses all-cotton stitching. Denim, like wool or leather has it's inherent character defects, regardless of denim weight. if you know what these are and how to treat them, you're golden. My only advice is to always have a sewing kit handy with gold and indigo thread, and be prepared to use it at first sign of loss of integrity.

On 7/31/2016 at 6:43 PM, Alan_watts said:

These are fantastic. Makes me remember my first days of denim addiction when well-fitted and well-faded denim like this remained a distant aspiration.

On 10/20/2017 at 1:57 AM, dudewuttheheck said:

It really isn't all that surprising, unfortunately. It will be interesting where all the 'me too' denim brands as well as others like Roy will get their denim.

Southeast Asian/Thailand and China markets. Soso's denim is predominantly from Fansun Mills and those areas and it's pretty good stuff. Selvage too. However The Gap sources their selvage from Kaihara. So let's hope the exodus from Oak leads to Japan and not China.

4 hours ago, Bobbo said:

I put together a wee blogpost from my visit to Japan Blue earlier this summer: http://indigoveins.com/visiting-japan-blue-jeans/ 

My two favorite small parts:

'Having grown up in a family that loves vintage denim in Osaka, Yudai gave up his career at one of the big IT companies in Tokyo to move down to Kojima and work with what he loves." That's a very cool dream come true.

"One of the best parts was seeing an old lady chainstitching hems perfectly, every time, in less than six seconds. I wonder how much time I’d need to practice to get to that level?" (males me sad when those hems are cut off when I have them re-hemmed)

This was a great read, and a nice glimpse into the reality of how our much-loved jeans are made. I really appreciate that they're made in small workshops like that, and that the art is still alive in an otherwise industrialized economy.

On 10/11/2017 at 2:23 PM, tigerstrom said:

I measure my jeans like this @Mongmeohotdau814

https://blueingreensoho.com/pages/measurement-guide

I was about to post the same!

If only every retailer DID measure like that. I've always assumed that was the industry standard way to measure. But I've learned from negative experience it isn't. Lately, if it really matters to me, I've asked for measurement verification (especially on leg dimension on tapers where it will be hemmed), Jay at Blue Owl was very, very kind to do for me on THREE pairs of the same size, to get a benchmark, so he totally gets it.

Big props to the guys at Godspeed (they're in/near Melbourne, They have a well-selected and edited product line which would appeal to denim addicts. They were more than able to take an order from a US customer and ship abroad. Exchange rate AND their prices are favorable. Inquire about chainstitch hemming - the service is included with the cost of purchase - something that's still rare these days.

Martin Kirby took very good care of the order and responded very quickly even when he was out of country in Japan for a work trip. Highly recommended.

On 10/3/2017 at 3:29 PM, ALB said:

Ha, I need to read more carefully because I actually checked BiG and must have overlooked that page. Might have to ask if there's a natural taper fit since tight taper looks to be a bit tight for me.

Thanks

Check here too:  https://www.cultizm.com/en/denim/jeans/9882/momotaro-jeans-0306-dc-zimbabwe-cotton-indigo-14.7oz

On 10/3/2017 at 3:05 PM, ALB said:

Was Momotaro's Copper label revamped or are there no longer any US stores stocking them?

Remember Blueowl and a couple others had it but now it's just the mainline I believe. 

Blue In Green. Always on point. Momotaro does the tight tapered fit with the copper label denim. I owned the 0701 in this denim too and it's amazing. Very different from the Zimbabwe 15.7 oz. A little slubbier with a vertical texture. Good warm weather denim too

I'm sure BiG, BluwOwl or Standard & Strange could order what you want though.

0405-V for sale.

Sadly, this wasn't the fit I was expecting, despite my looking at the measurements with a friggin magnifying glass and comparing to other fits I've worn. I even sized up after a past 0701 ownership size-dilemma. It's just impossible to ever really be sure about fit from a chart, isn't it?

Anyway, it's good to see Momotaro finally embracing tapered fits, and roomier cuts. The 0701 tight straight days were a pain because I could never get that fit to work on my slim build. Needed more taper for me.

On 4/20/2017 at 1:34 PM, FreeCharlesManson said:

Japan Blue X Blue Owl Workshop JBO-420 6-10 washes not sure don't keep track about 18 months of wear

 

You can definitely fit some more pictures onto that post, Charles. 

Great work on those. Never had a chance to do the feelie on that denim, but it looks like a broken twill with that amazing vertical falling, and pretty different than the standard Momo cloth. Is that what you find?

On 9/27/2017 at 11:27 AM, jimworldchampion said:

 

 

I kopped a pair of these from Blue in Green back in '10, with the plain back pocket. Sold them, sadly, before I could enjoy them. It's pretty nice denim.

11 hours ago, aryowl said:

@mlyngard the texture......how much weight of this fabric?

 

The denim is listed at 15 ounces per square yard, but with a shrink factor of maybe 3% you end up with a denim that is approximately 15.5 to 16oz after they are soaked in hot water.

Tanuki ZT2 Zetto, post soak-quickie pictures, first wear. You can really see the slubby texture. Very similar hand to Pure Blue Japan denim and some of the early Strike Gold. Loving everything about these jeans. Quality is at least at the level of all other serious contenders that make the grade on this site, from Samurai to Momotaro. Well worth the asking price.

This is one of the most amazing documentaries on denim manufacture I've seen. Features Momotaro's production process from yarn to finished product. It's hypnotizing to watch too.

4 hours ago, Crash84 said:

Hey great pics! I know you just got these, but any idea on the amount of shrinkage and stretch on the NS1's? 

 

Crash, Blue Owl has pre- and post-soak dimensions on their page for the NS1. It's very helpful. Click on the tab on the page that says "Sizing" and scroll down. I trust Blue Owl's dimension charts - they know how to measure properly.

As with almost all raw denim, they will stretch back out to their pre-shrink size (and sometimes more) with some wear.

Here's the link:  https://www.blueowl.us/collections/tanuki/products/ns1-natural-indigo-16-5oz-unsanforized-selvedge-denim-slim-fit?variant=21931678657

On 5/24/2017 at 4:54 AM, propellerbeanie said:

Hmmmm...

This reeks of ABBA