Kyle@TFH

So guys, a few of you have already heard about this but I'm moving back to the US in about two weeks.  I've had a great time working with Flat Head and love their products as much as ever.  It's just that after several years of living in Japan I'm ready to come back to the US and be a little closer to my family and things going on near home. 

 

I won't be directly working with Flat Head, but my relationship with them won't necessarily be completely ending.  I'll still be wearing my 1001s nonstop until at least September or so, and I'll still be available if you have questions or just want to talk about stuff.  In other words, this won't really be affecting you guys at all, but I thought everyone should know.

 

This account should still be around but please send messages to my other account Cold Summer since I'm usually logged in/checking that one. Thanks!

Here are a few more new spring/summer items that arrived recently. 

 

First up is the new mini block check shirt.  This is based on the fabric of the HN-52W shirt and has the same elaborate herringbone weave - the difference is that this new, lighter fabric is designed for wear in spring and summer, and it features a smaller block pattern compared to the winter version.

 

 

Here you can see the difference between the spring/summer shirt (Blue) and the winter version (Red).

 

 

Of course, we'll still be making the heavyweight version for the fall/winter collection.

 

Next up is the new THO T-shirt series.  These are a lighter-weight version of the THC round-knit T-shirts.  The fabric is extremely soft and comfortable, I'd say the thickness is about the same as the fabric on the Glory Park T-shirts.  These are available in different colors compared to the THC tees - like purple, charcoal, and emerald green (pictured here.)  These have the same heavy-duty triple-stitched collars as on the THC tees.

 

 

New Spring/Summer stuff keeps on rolling in.  Some hot new items are the Jacquard-knit short and long sleeve T-shirts and the new 5002 slim tapered jeans.

 

I've been waiting ages for Flat Head to make a jacquard-knit T-shirt, and I wasn't disappointed; I bought the black one as soon as we got it.  Flat Head's jacquard is one of the brand's coolest fabrics, and they're knit using extremely rare machines - technically speaking, this kind of fabric is even rarer than loopwheeled fabric.  This new T-shirt comes in gray and black, in both long and short-sleeve versions. 

 

I manned the camera while my friend wore the new items.

 

 

 

And here's a detail shot of the inside of the fabric, letting you see the crazy detail in the jacquard knit.  It would be way easier to just print a T-shirt with this pattern; but, as usual, FH doesn't do things the easy way.

 

 

We also got the new 5002 model in stock - this features the same slim tapered cut as the 3002 and SE05BSP but in Flat Head's 5000 series denim.  This fabric hasn't been used much lately but it has a different character from the 3000 denim that's still recognizably Flat Head, but with a bit more vintage flavor.

 

 

Here's a shot comparing the 5000 denim (top) with the 3000 denim (bottom).

 

 

And the 5002 next to a faded pair made from 5000 denim.

 

 

I really like the deerskin patch on the new model.  Deerskin is my favorite material for jean patches, and in this pic you can see how it changes over time.

 

Chubacca:  A user from Thailand posted some fades of the 20 oz jeans about a year ago.  Not surprisingly, they look fantastic. 

 

I tried on a few more items for this week.  I'm having way too much fun with this.



I'm wearing a 7010W work shirt, Native Blanket vest, RJB D001 jeans, and my horsehide engineer boots.

Shirt's made with 12 oz. denim, like the 7002W - but in work shirt version.



The Native Blanket vest is definitely a highlight from the fall/winter collection.

 

RJB's D001 is a really nice straight cut, featuring leather back pocket diamonds and other RJB details.

 

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Kwaker: These jeans were worn by a female staff member, but I don't know if she has any kids!  That would be a plausible explanation, though.

 

Richiealexander:  Thanks!  These are not actually my jeans, they're a faded sample pair that belongs to the office.  These are made with the 14.5 oz fabric used in all the 3000-series jeans, this fabric fades with high contrast.  The 14 oz fabric from the 5000-series has a bit more of a vintage fade, but it can still get high contrast.

 

The general rule with FH denim is that you can get very strong contrast if you go a long time without washing (several months.)  However, washing brings out the vertical fading - you have to wash your jeans to get a great texture like in that last picture I posted.  With the 1001s I'm wearing, I'm washing them about every two months of real wear, I find that this offers the best balance of contrast/texture/cleanliness.  I'll post some pictures soon.

Hey dudes,

 

Thought I'd share a sweet faded pair of 3001s from amongst the office samples.  These have been washed a bunch, really bringing out the great vertical fading texture - but the contrast is also really good. Aside from re-sizing and cropping, the photos haven't been edited at all, the colors are all very true to life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, a close-up shot of the denim.  I love this stuff.

 

Real nice sweatshirt Foxy, if you didn't tumble dry it you shouldn't get much shrink, FH's sweatshirts are all washed to get rid of the shrinkage.

 

I tried on some cool in-stock stuff today.  This paisley shirt and red loopwheeled hoodie are both recent releases, I was pretty impressed to say the least.

 

 

This hoodie is seriously soft and warm, I like the three FH sweaters I already have, but this one is really next level.  The fact that the red fabric and beige drawstrings match the shirt doesn't hurt, either!

 

I wore these with some 3005s, even though it's Flat Head's trademark fit and best-selling model in Japan, it doesn't get as much attention in the west.  It's a really nice straight cut, quite flexible and probably a good fit for lots of different body types.

 

 

I tried on a size 31, my real waist is 32 and this is probably how a 32 would fit after shrinking (aside from a shorter inseam.)

 

 

 

Here's the detail on the paisley pattern, it's a little bit tweaked from the previous version.  The beige/red combination looks great, and as usual I like the buttons a lot too.

 

3002 has a lower rise and slimmer thigh, the 3009 has a longer rise, and more room in the thigh. 

Those look awesome, unorthodox.

 

I tried on a few more items this week, check out some pictures.  I tried on the Paisley printed western shirt with K015 kevlar jeans.  Then, a 100% wool sweater, which is seriously warm.

 

The D006 is much slimmer overall, the shape is closer to that of the 3002 or SE05BSP.  I would say that the fit of the top block is in between the 3002 (low rise, slim thigh) and 3012 (high rise, roomy thigh.)

So, RJB recently came out with a brand-new model – the D006 – and I thought I’d try on a pair.

 

 

 

 

This is a really cool fit.  It’s slim tapered, but different in shape from the 3002.  This model has a very slim fit from the knee down, but the thigh isn’t super tight, it's more of a gradual taper in comparison.  Best of all, this pair isn’t a low rise model.

 

 

For those of you looking for a slim fit that’s a little more forgiving in the top block - but not loose - these would be a good choice.

 

So I tried on the HNW-52W, one of Flat Head's longest-running and most popular shirts.

 

 

 

 

 

This is a new color for the fall/winter 2013 season, it's a dark raspberry sort of color and looks really, really nice, I think it's my favorite color they've ever used for this shirt.  The fit's good and the fabric's soft.  One of the great things about this fabric is the detail in the weave, from a distance it looks like a simple block check pattern but up close you can see that it's actually a thick herringbone weave. 

 

Oh, okay!  I misunderstood.  Yes, check out the 7010W, which is the same denim used on a work shirt design.

Yes!  Check out the K0011 that Rivet And Hide sells.  Same denim in a great slim straight fit.

I tried on one of Flat Head's leather jackets, the WRJ-51.  This is a double rider's jacket, which features some really cool details.  It's got side laces that you can tie for a slimmer fit, I found that this didn't need much adjusting to look good. 

 

I always thought that a double rider's jacket wouldn't look very good on me, but this actually fits and looks really good!  Now all I'm missing is a loud motorcycle.

 

 

 

I also tried on the 7002W and 7001 denim shirts.  The 7002W is made with an unsanforized 12 oz. fabric that's been washed, it has a really great hairy and uneven texture.  The fit is one of my favorites, it's got a really nice slim fit that's very form-flattering.

 

 

 

The 7001 is made with a raw sanforized fabric, it feels (and ages) more like the denim on vintage shirts from the 50s.  It has that really nice sheen you get from sanforized but unwashed fabrics.  The fit's good too, and I like the single-button snaps and back yoke a lot.

 

 

 

And here's a pic showing the difference in the denim, up close (7002W on the left, 7001 on the right.)

 

So I tried on a few different items yesterday. Thought I'd snap a few pictures for you guys too, hope this is helpful.

First I tried on some F380s. These are a really nice straight cut, slimmer than the 3005. I usually wear a 32 but went down to a 31 for these pics, I think the size 32 would shrink to fit roughly like this. Shirt's the HN-64W, normally I wear western shirts but I found this shirt to be a nice fit, and very, very comfortable as well. I want a blanket made out of this stuff.

These go really well with my boots, and have a very long inseam, along with a longer rise than many FH models (which I tried to show in this picture.)

I also tried on the red version of the shirt.

And this scarf. I have the old Merino wool scarf from a few years ago and wear it all the time, but this one feels and looks even better. It's bigger than the old design, and has a great color and pattern. Think I might buy this one for myself, soon.

..

The 3009 and some of the other slimmer-fitting Flat Head models have smaller pockets, while the straight-leg models like the 3005 and F380 have larger pockets.  I've been collecting customer feedback on FH items through Superdenim and other sites, and I'll let our designers know about it.

 

Cmboland, the crotch will probably settle down with some wear.  The hip on my 3009 always seems really boxy after I've washed or soaked my jeans, but it drapes a lot better after a week or two of wear.  I'm guessing it's probably similar with your jeans (which I think are a great fit, by the way.)  So often we can get hung up on little imperfections that we forget to enjoy all the good stuff about a pair of jeans.

I can't figure out how you always get such crazy contrast Max, I wear my FHs almost every day and walk around a lot, up and down stairs, ride my bicycle, move boxes and heavy stuff around, squat and stand up countless times each day... and I have barely any combs to speak of. 

 

Maybe I just need to start taking my photos indoors, with camera flash.

Have you worn those daily for two years, solid_jackson?  If so, they're holding up really well, the crotch and back yoke on most jeans are usually falling apart at two years of daily wear.  Evo looks great, even if the lighting makes it a little hard to see some of the details.

You can put them in the dryer if you want, it might be your best option.  I've seen that dryer use tends to make the inside of a pair of jeans look messier (it seems to "blow up" the exposed ends of cotton at the stitches, etc.) but it's generally pretty safe on low-medium heat.  The dryer will make your jeans softer, but you could always soak them again after tumble drying to get the crunchy feeling back. 

 

I'm not really convinced that the softness makes any difference in the long-term, I've seen plenty of nicely faded one-washed pairs of jeans.

The colors on the Balder jeans are pretty true to life (although the contrast looks more defined in person), particularly the closeup of the thigh.  But the 1005s have a grayer look to them in real life, compared to those pictures where they look like a more conventional electric blue.

 

There have been plenty of 1001s featured here (like Zendeen's jeans), but overall it's difficult for me to discern much of a feel or difference in fade between the 14.5 oz and 16 oz fabrics, that can't be attributed to individual variation - except that *maybe* it has a grayer overall color.  The main reason I'd recommend the 16 oz denim would be that it shrinks a lot less, making it easier to size.

I did this Fade Friday. The pair I mentioned in the last post look even better, though.

Lots of good fits on this page!  And yeah, that Denim Gallery page is cool, most of those pics are from non-Japanese forums like SuFu.

 

One of the part-time ladies at the office has the most amazing-looking pair of jeans of anyone at the company, they're really early Balder jeans that are seven years old and have unbelievable contrast, but no holes or rips.  They're pretty much the perfect pair of Flat Heads, hopefully I'll get to photograph those at some point.

"Vertical falling" is an incorrect term based on an overly literal mis-translation of a Japanese term; the right term is vertical fading.  In Japanese, 色è½ã¡ (iro-ochi) is the word meaning "fade," literally translated as "color-fall."  The word for vertical fading is 縦è½ã¡ (tate-ochi), literally "vertical fall," which changes the kanji from "color" to "vertical."  I'm guessing this term originated from machine translations of Japanese denim pages. 

 

(While we're at it, the term "atari" that's thrown around sometimes is basically a catch-all word for points of contrast between light and dark on denim - a whisker, honeycomb fade, even the center faded part on a rolled belt loop - these are all examples of it.  It's pretty much exactly the same as "contrast" in English, in the context of denim terminology.)

 

Anyway, vertical fading is caused by uneven warp (vertical) threads.  This exposes the warp threads to variable levels of stress, which is why some threads fade faster, causing the vertical texture.  In comparison, most denim has a smoother surface, which results in a uniform rate of fade that doesn't look as textured.  Eternal, Flat Head, and Studio D'Artisan are probably the companies best known for making denim with a strong vertical fade.