ColonelAngus

If someone can quantify or explain what the next level is in relation to premium jeans/denim, then I'd be happy to hear it.

In relation to Tanuki? Who knows.

My idea of next level is Ande Whall. Granted, I still don't own his jeans yet but I really like that he does everything himself and I especially liked what he did with his SR series. I'm hoping he'll add custom pocket bags in the future but he's already doing cool stuff with the custom back pockets.

I'm guessing he's implying some of the reviews are "sponsored", similar to Mike's comment upthread

I could say the same thing about Instagram. I know a lot of denim enthusiasts with IG accounts who pimp certain brands, some of whom I haven't heard of before, and I know they do it because they have a lot of followers. Maybe there's a financial incentive, or maybe they get stuff for free, I don't really know. I think it'll always come down to consumers educating themselves on brands before making an informed purchase. I'm not really sold on the idea of buying a product simply because Joe Blow has 10,000 IG followers and has started taking pics of his new Kato Brand jeans. Oddly enough, i'd be more inclined to check out a new brand if the IG user has fewer followers because then I know that person went out and bought his stuff which he's showing to the world because he/she truly likes that brand.

With Tanuki you'll probably see a mixture of people that buy their jeans and those that got them for free to do a review of. Nothing wrong with that.

I can talk shit about denim hound tol cause hes a fucking corrupt blogger

What the hell does that even mean?

*bump*

I've been using a DE razor for 8 yrs now and still enjoy it. Like many shavers, I used to use the overpriced plastic Gillettes but then I discovered the world of DE shaving and haven't looked back. I probably own a dozen or so DE razors like a Gillette Fatboy, Gillette Fat handle tech (my favorite), Merkur, and a few others I can't recall. I like the Fat Handle Tech because it's gentle on my face but I've since gone back to using my Merkur because it's slightly more aggressive and works better for my coarse whiskers. I used to be a collector but grew tired of it. I still own around 100 Personna blades that I suspect i'll own for another 20 yrs.

I do still occasionally use a 4 blade disposable when i'm really pressed for time, but more often than not my DE razor is my go to.

You guys are all super well informed, and I enjoy reading comments in this forum a lot, but I feel that you are quite judgmental at times.

agreed, especially about the elitism. I mean, we're talking about jeans FFS, not high performance motorcycles. I can understand why denim enthusiasts might like certain characteristics of a pair of jeans, but I honestly don't see the point in bashing brands you don't own. I could say any number of things criticizing US or Japanese denim brands based on anecdotal evidence or personal experience but I choose not to because it would serve no purpose. I just choose not to buy from certain brands, and that's what it ultimately boils down to for anyone. Opinions are like @ssholes and all that....

When it comes to rain or snow, do most of us wear a different denim specifically for the elements or just deal with it?

I just deal with it. Like some of the others, I avoid tightly woven denim in the sumners cuz it feels kike i'm wearing a burlap sack in the heat. I get warm easily so I mostly wear shorts when it's unbearably hot out. In the winter I just wear thermals. I have 3 pairs of 17oz denim that I haven't worn yet because i'm breaking in other jeans.

People hate the brand because of how unbelievably lame they are. Just from looks I'd bet they are no better or worse in terms of jeans than most other brands discussed here.

But how can you attest to their lamesness if 1) you don't own a pair and 2) you're passing judgement based on pictures. Yes, the whole secret denim cabal sounds pretty stupid but that doesn't necessarily mean the jeans suck. Somebody sonewhere knows who these denim masters are, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to line up collabs with OSB and Oni

? 

check the Denim Blunders thread. there are quite a few people here who have decided to hate on Tanuki because of the secrecy behind the brand. I don't share this hatred and am curious about the quality of the jeans

15.3oz sold out too

should I buy these or not???

http://m.intl.taobao.com/detail/detail.html?spm=a1z5f.7632060.0.0&id=534115221268

no, unless you're going for the Rodeo Clown look

^I picked that one up too from the BiG sale. Not sure the measurements are gonna work for me, as some combo of the shoulders/chest seems to be tight when I raise my arms. It's a really nice jacket though, agreed.

I have the deep indigo version which I bought from Okayama Denim and the houndstooth variant which I also got from the BiG sale. the shoulders and forearms are noticeably tight on mine and a little boxy, but I know with regular wear they'll eventually break in and loosen up. It's a weird cut for a jacket but I like them both so will hold onto them.

Random question:

People who wash their jeans semi-regularly (~1 month, most of you I'm guessing!), did you always do that or did you used to wait longer? Particularly peeps in say 2010/2011.

It's kind of amazing now how many people wash almost like a normal person. I feel like in at least 2010/2011 (and probably before then), that just really wasn't a thing from what I remember and what I ended up doing.

My first jeans were iron heart, and I washed them the first time after about 6 months (hilarious how much my tastes have changed), and I remember thinking "this is kinda early to wash, but whatever". And I washed them in the bathtub! And I always never liked the way most jeans faded because they were too contrasty, which is why I got the IH. Flat Head jeans were the first ones I wrote off as never getting since it was always Thaj/Indonesian guys (and anyone else) posting these super obnoxiously faded jeans. And it just never occurred to me that there were so many jeans I'd like (or love and obsess over) that just had to be washed more than never.

Also, did you guys used to wash your jeans to get the shrink out? It seems like a lot of people do that now too, but I remember I always had jeans that would fit slim after a hot soak or something and I'd wear for a while, and then do wash them and they'd actually shrink and it'd turn to shit. Eventually I was so frustrated I said fuck it and washed them right away and it's been so much easier to size. Why was only soaking them the mantra when that's not how you shrink jeans ?

If what I remember is correct, it's crazy how much things have changed!

for new jeans I always do a tub soak to get the starch out and some of the shrink out. I don't really care about combs/whiskers are whatever other silly name is attached to denim fades -- your jeans are going to fade whether you like it or not. I do the soak because starch is largely responsible for blow outs, in addition to all the grime/filth/dirt that accumulates in your cuffs. plus, if my jeans are noticeably filthy I'm not going to continue wearing them and look like a filthy bum. I guess I have an aversion to dirt.

You mean like 99% of Sufu or denimbro

Hehe. I'm willing to bet 99% of the members of both forums wear Redwings, not that there's anything wrong with that

Apologies for the poor quality it was a sneak shot, the fact it was taken in Shibuya in proximity to some of the best denim stores makes it even more unforgivable 

the pointy elf shoes aren't helping either. somewhere in Middle Earth there's a hobbit missing a pair

johnny cupcakes

speaking of PBJ, what's the general consensus on their unsanforized denim and shrinkage? I've been eyeballing the unsanforized xx-011 LHT's from BiG but don't know how much shrinkage there typically is in the waist. Is it about 1" or 2"? Otherwise, I may go with the once washed version down the road

Recently acquired and reviewed a pair of XX-014 Purple Face on my blog.

 

 

tl:dr Not bad, I like them, the purple can be overwhelming though!

I dig the PBJ cobalt denim but not the purple face. don't get me wrong, PBJ makes some amazing stuff but they also drop the occasional dud. the purple face denim has a Joker vibe about it. some guys might be able to pull it off but they're kind of an eyesore imo.

RE Tanuki, and perhaps this may be close to the end of the discussion for better or for worse, but I don't think they look that bad. Nothing out of this world for sure, but not bad.

Kyle mentioned that it's probably rampuya behind it to some extent, which makes sense given blue owl's close relationship with momotaro et al, not to mention the signature colored inseam thread, and the denim kinda resembles momo vintage label. We all know they can make a quality product, and these even have some welcome details like elongated front pockets, which is a plus at least for me.

I think my main point is, Tanuki is trying to establish itself based on secrecy or hidden mastery, which sounds corny or lame, but when it comes to actually getting transparency with our favorite Japanese companies, it's sort of all the same to someone like me. I don't speak Japanese and I'll probably never visit these denim mills and secret sewing houses (ahem, flat head) so all I have to go on about any of these companies is what I learn here and from others, or information from retailers. Any of these Japanese brands might as well be from Mars, but I think that's part of the appeal, for me anyway.

Edit: Just thought I'd add that the fits are terrible, but perhaps if this brand had debuted with a straight 50's or 60's cut, they'd have more of this board's attention, myself included. Maybe that says something about sufu haha

the secrecy thing kinda reminds me of the way Gustin markets and sells their jeans as 'from one of the finest mills in Japan.' In and of itself it irks me when they don't reveal which mill they're using, but at the same time, it's more about the denim itself.

With that said, i'm fairly ignorant about the people behind some of Japan's best denim companies, nor do I really care all that much. I know they're all legit so in the end I already know my money is supporting these companies in some way. I actually think Tanuki's stuff looks decent, but at $300+ i'm unlikely to buy a pair.

I hope they do eventually reveal some more details about how they make their products. I could not agree more that transparency is extremely important. I love that somewhere deep in the TFH thread is a bunch of pictures detailing how many of their products are made. I love that David Himel told me proudly that he does not sew all of the jackets himself and that when I met Michael Masterson, he admitted that there are a couple of of buttonholes that others can sew better than him. 

 

I think transparency is usually what appeals to consumers. They like hearing stories and how a brand came to be. But, I sometimes find these 'stories' a bit derivative, especially with leather goods. There are probably hundreds, or thousands of entrepeneurs out there trying to make a name for themselves in the leather goods industry. The problem I see though is that it's become so saturated and everyone and their mother is making belts, wallets, lanyards, etc., and they all have a story. After awhile i've stopped caring about that person's reason for wanting to make leather goods because we all know that it's to make money. So, like any consumer I look at several factors like quality of leather, design, presentation and cost. This is ultimately how i'll decide to spend money on a wallet (or whatever). For example, I really like VermillyeaPelle's bags and think his stuff looks way better than Filson's. The fact that he makes them himself is even better because I know they're not mass produced and that he's not skimping on materials. I can definitely put my money behind a company like this. I still like some of Filson's stuff but don't think they're worth what they charge, especially when a lot of it isn't even made in the US.

I think Kiya may be saying he would pass on the brand

he was saying he wants transparency and wants to know where his money is going, which is a valid argument. what i'm saying is, if the owners of Tanuki approached SE and revealed who they were to him but said they didn't want their identities revealed to the rest of the world what would he do? BOW carries their stuff so logic follows that Tanuki's owners made themselves known to Jay, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to buy stuff from them. Unless of course he's working through a middle man which would seem odd.

I'll be honest, I like the look and description of Tanuki's jeans and i'm not going to bash them because you guys don't like the mystery behind the brand. Heck, I'm not invested enough to even know who the people are behind Momotaro, The Strike Gold, PBJ, etc. I just know they make good jeans. I get where you guys are coming from but i'd prefer to give Tanuki a chance before forming conclusions

My main objection was just that in this day and age transparency is key for any type of company, if you look at the new generation of successful companies in nearly any sector (tech, denim brands, restaurants, etc..) the unifying factor is transparency.  People want to know where their money is going, launching a company that works the opposite of this is not only puzzling but makes me (as a buyer in this industry) wonder what they're hiding.

you're are right in wanting transparency as a business/consumer, but if the roles were reversed and it was Self Edge carrying this brand how would you go about selling it to your customers if the owners insisted on secrecy? BOW is currently the only B&M carrying this brand and we all know that Jay and company have a pretty damned good store and some of the best customer service in the industry, so they clearly know who the denim masters are, otherwise, they wouldn't be able to sell the brand. If this secretive denim brand approached SE and said, "hey, we're actually behind brands A, B and C but we don't want you to reveal who we are," what would your response be? I'm just playing devil's advocate here since everyone seems to be throwing Tanuki under the bus.

Not sure if this is the right thread for this question, but here goes ;-)

 

Is it generally true that limited washing in the first few months is the key to sharply defined creases and fades?  In other words, since raw or soaked denim tends to be stiff, I would guess that wearing jeans in this stiffer state is required for sharp creases, if that's what you're after.  Once the denim has been washed a few times and softens up, does the frequency of washing have significantly less impact on how the jeans look?

 

Thanks.

John

the starch in your denim is what causes wear and tear on your jeans if i'm not mistaken. If you're looking for defined creases and fades then you likely don't want to wash your jeans often. but washing your denim isn't a bad thing either. I have to admit, I actually find it mildly repulsive when I see pics of denim that haven't been washed for a year, but that's me

Toothpaste stain on my contest Ooes. Like a knife in the heart whenever I see it.

"Toothpaste"

Riiiiiiight. Lol

Ordered the salmon check and blue check crosscut flannels today. Really excited to get these even though it's summer. Easily my favorite US brand at the moment. Can't wait to see what they drop in FW16

My confessional: i've been seeing a therapist to talk about my impending divorce, the catch is that i've become attracted to the therapist. I mean, she's insanely beautiful.