ShootThePier

I saw that. Size 36 thigh is 14.2, hem is 7.9. And that is on the raw, not one wash. But I’m guessing minimal shrinkage due to the Double AI.

Yeah. His craftsmanship is tight! At least you won’t be breaking in the jacket and jeans at the same time!

And post the unaltered pic for us to enjoy, we’ve waited long enough with you.

Excellent!

@beautiful_FrEaK thank you.

because of your link, I searched and found one of my grail jeans.

So many details that made these special, I had forgotten about, or never known. Denim weight and color always stood out to me. And, I’m going to have to drop some lbs to enjoy them, but in the mean time...

Here is seven staring at me. I think about twenty more behind.

left to right 

Hanger1 - TFH RJB Corlection

hanger2 - SDA X-s36, SEDB Natural Indigo

hanger3 - SDA 40th Anniversary Cherry Blossom

hanger4 - WHR 1901, KMW

hanger5 - SDA DM004
 

then the denim curtain is parted to reveal....

more denim.

and then, four in a drawer.

Morning calisthenics. Using daddy.’s jeans to build up muscle .

great pic.

It sounds like he has gone from loving his craft, to being uncomfortable running a business.

The simple answer is to hire somebody to run the business, and stay in the shop, and get back to your passion. Charge more to pay for the administrative assistant.

Interesting. Rocking my 40th Anniversary Cherry Blossom right now.

1 hour ago, Maynard Friedman said:

He should stop fast-track orders and add anyone else to the list in order if receipt and then communicate an accurate delivery time,

You’re right, offering fast tracking was a huge mistake, and slap in the face to existing orders.

3 hours ago, JDelage said:

The problem is not the delay. The problems are (1) lack of communication on said delay, (2) pre-payment, (3) price changes over time, which means that new orders are a lot more profitable to the maker than older orders.

This is a problem that is found in all manners of craft. The only way I have seen it work is like this: the craftsperson / artist takes names, and maybe a small amount ($100) to hold a spot. When the customer's name comes up, the maker finalizes details & pricing. Customer pays 1/2, waits a couple weeks, and pays the other 1/2 before item is shipped.

JD, I agree there has to be a better way, a more transparent way.

On one hand you have to create demand by getting product in the market to build excitement.

On the other hand you have to maintain excitement. By taking more orders? Insta?

Now here is the problem with being “one man, one pair of jeans”. In our economy growth is the measure of success. But “one man” is extremely limiting to begin with. I guess he could farm out processes, but then we’d be really, really pissed!

If you choose to come from the angle that Ryan is a criminal or evil, there is plenty of evidence to back you up, EXCEPT, if he were just in this for the money, the product would suck, or never be delivered.

If you choose to come from the angle that Ryan is NOT a monster. It is easy to see the mistakes, and how easy they were to make. Our own Artisan challenge must have tripled his requests. If he takes too long to reply, he gets a bad rep. If he turns down orders, he gets a bad rep. If he doesn’t take a substantial deposit, how can he take an order, materials must be allocated at time of order.

The first problem is “one man”, but that is also what makes his product special.

The second and biggest problem was lack of transparency when inquiries are made. Then again how many of us would wait 2-3 years for any jeans? Maybe he even believed he could speed up his delivery by cutting back on other obligations.

I don’t know if any of what I’m saying pertains to Ryan and WHR. I’m just speculating, because if he really wanted to rip me off, he would have never sent a thing.

2 hours ago, Broark said:

I honestly don’t see any way of defending what he does. I think he got in over his head with the volume and instead of being honest about it and clearing out the backlog he doubled down and figured out a way to capitalize on it, all the while marketing it for Instagram likes while he laughs all the way to the bank. At the same time he talks shit about people who criticize him for calling him out. More power to him, but I find it disingenuous and I would never even consider buying anything he is behind just out of principle. There are many other small manufacturers that have the same business model he does (usually making a better product, in my opinion) without being sleazy about it. 

No disrespect, but how can you say better product?

Even if you own both, what is better or best for you, may not be for me. Add Maynard, ec, and JD and we may end up with five different bests.

My wife’s favorite pair of my jeans is the WHR. She asked me to purchase a back up pair. But by then, Ryan no longer had any of that denim. “Wife’s favorite” goes a long way in any husband’s book!

3 hours ago, Maynard Friedman said:

If it is so important then he should have realised about 2-3 years ago that he is letting his customers down badly. He should have stopped taking fast-track orders and dealt with his existing customers in the correct sequence. Anyone new should join the end of the queue. This is why people think of him as a greedy charlatan who couldn’t give a toss.

I agree the business model and businessman do not measure up to maker and the product. “One man, one jeans” works great. “One man, every hat in the business” does not.

He’s very talented, and I believe he agonizes over the quality of each piece he puts out. He might be too good, and too passionate, which puts him at odds with our current “immediate gratification” economy that he has allowed himself to fall victim to, along with his clients.

I understand his feeling of wanting to fulfill every order as they come to him, or he may lose that customer forever.

One man making one pair of jeans is an extremely limited output business model. The years where energy, passion, talent, ability, and free time line up is a very small window. All the while, he is planning his next step, next evolution, in order to stay relevant, when our market is extremely small and can be fickle to begin with.

Roy is the closest comparison I can think of, but Roy makes a few hundred(?) pairs of the same pattern in multiple sizes, in one fabric, sells out, and moves on to the next project.

Ryan offers multiple patterns, sized to order, in multiple fabrics, and still makes all models/patterns he has offered in the past.

So while Roy is the closest comparison to Ryan, they are completely different, and both fill a niche in the market.

Ryan is in a tough spot. He approaches his craft more like an artist than a business. None of the criticisms here are for his physical product, in fact, that is well regarded and well respected. Getting it is the hard part. I’m very happy I have my 18oz. WHR 1901. My jacket is a little short for me since I’m not tucking in my shirts at present.

On 1/14/2020 at 12:25 AM, 1fookntitefd said:

^ RJBs!

Yup.! TFH RJB Corlection collaboration. Great denim, great fit on the 2109.

I don’t have PBJ AI, but in other makers, true AI tends to shrink less or not at all, due to a the nature of the dying process, multiple extended soaks in natural indigo.

Edit to add Self Edge Disclaimer from AI-03 description:

Disclaimer: These jeans are made of unsanforized denim, when washed the denim will shrink 1" in the waist, 2.5" in the length (inseam), and approximately .3" in the thigh/knee/leg opening/rise. Please keep this in mind when choosing your size. The denim will also stretch in the waist up to 1" after approximately 30 wears.

Great write up @Broark!

Roy.’s work is great.

Roy and SE both deserve to profit from their efforts, experience, and expertise. $415 is very fair, but when compared to the offerings from other makers, $415 is very high.

No need to defend the price Kiya, it can’t go well. Let it die down.

Value is in the eye of the beholder, it can’t be forced.

Ouch. $415.

Thank you. I always forget to look there.

Picked up a nice pair of RS01. They look minimally worn and washed. No roping at the hem, no cuff creases, and denim is still uniformly dark.

I’ve been looking for worn in pics of other RS01, but can’t find much. Anybody got pics here?

The denim itself is nice. Reminiscent of my Levi’s that I wore in 70’s, just after the starch washed out.

Crazy, but this is my only pair of Cone.

2 hours ago, Broark said:

I’ll stick with Roy, Ooe, and other reputable American and Japanese makers who are putting out better product. And when you give them money you know you’re actually going to receive the product you paid for. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

If you like the piece, and you get a time guarantee you are happy with, his quality is great.

I don’t own any Ooe or Roy, so I can’t compare, but I have with both purchases been pleasantly surprised by the fit and finish.

2 hours ago, Maynard Friedman said:

Someone delete/lock/dissolve/evaporate/undo this shitty thread please. It no longer deserves to exist.

While his wait times got horrendous, he did also win the DWC artisanal challenge. I feel this thread belongs here, praises and criticisms equally.

2 hours ago, Broark said:

Also the huge, over exaggerated back yoke looks hilarious. Like something your dad would’ve worn in the 70’s!

A lot of us denim freaks are looking for exactly that, style and construction of our parents and grandparents.