RESOLUTE by hayashi-san!

[Mr-Bielby]

So walked into one of the denim shops in the city, open the door and Hayashi San was just standing there talking to the owner. He was doing one of his fairs. Now my Japanese is terrible and all I could blurt out was Hayashi San desu ka? He looked a bit shocked at me and said yes. Thankfully the wife was with me, so she acted as translator. I was a bit awestruck to be honest, but he took some interest in the Resolutes I was wearing. The wife was sucking up to him Japanese style about how I love Denime and am always looking at his articles in the Japanese denim magazines. I showed him the XX's I'd just picked up 2nd hand and he took one look in the pocket and told me that these came from the same mill in Okayama that Resolutes are made. At this point the wife whispered that I should really get a pair from him, so I asked some advice on the right size it should get in 710. He suggested I try 1 down for the current pair I was wearing and I tried them on. So now I am duty bound to get a pair. He seemed happy with the fit and wanted a photo with me wearing them.

Then he started explaining about his denim, how it was old style as it was light blue and hairy. He kept referencing a pair of momotaro on the shelf saying this was new denim as it was dark and not as hairy. He was talking about how the jeans fade when the hair fades off.

Being a red tab freak I asked him why he removed the red tab from the prototypes. He said because of Levi's, but there is a red tab sewn in the back of the waistband if you really wanted one. Never noticed that before to be honest.

He talked about the Denime shops in London as asked which style of denim is the most popular for Europeans, I said tapered, purely because I prefer it.

So he then signed the jeans, gave me some freebies and his business card and a couple of bows later I was out the door.

I was still a bit in shock by the time I thought of some questions I should've asked him. And it was too late by then anyway.

Bit surreal all in all.

The tab, I might move it

[beautiful_FrEaK]

Thx for that! What a nice surprise. Now that you mention the rad tab in the waist band, I saw on one Japanese blog, that he put on a red tab on the back pocket but couldn't figure out from where he got it

[Mr-Bielby]

[Max Power]

Great write up and post!

[Maynard Friedman]

Agreed, excellent post (photos and commentary) Mr B. Were you in Japan or Thailand at the time?

Hayashi San does seem to have an excellent posture too. Did he tell you to tuck your shirt in? He looks the type who might.

[Mr-Bielby]

^^Nagoya Japan.

Yes I should have made myself a little more presentable. He probably moaned about it but I didn't understand.

I must have been standing there like a groupie. Resolute jeans on, denimes in the bag and a denime shirt to boot.

Edited April 7, 2014 by Mr-Bielby

[ThomasK]

Great post!

slightly off topic: pants-avenue seems the easiest way to get a pair in europe, right? On his website the 710 is described as tight (66 cut?) and the 711 as straight (xx cut?). So is the 710 really that tight? Sounds like a silly question (shame on me)

I looked through the first pages and saw that his goal was 100 million dollars in sales in the first 3 years. Did he meet that?

[Mr-Bielby]

Not that tight in the thighs and waste. A nice taper. Medium rise.

And they stretch

[Mr-Bielby]

Not that tight in the thighs and waste. A nice taper. Medium rise.

And they stretch

[Maynard Friedman]

I can't believe (even with your limited Japanese) that in your brief opportune meeting you didn't ask him if he achieved his 3-year sales targets. Shame on you Mr B!

[beautiful_FrEaK]

100 million Yen...not $...justa subtle difference

 

Since Resolute was founded in 2010 and now it is 2014...I guess he made that

Edited April 7, 2014 by beautiful_FrEaK

[themaster]

Awesome! Now how do i size on the 710?

[ThomasK]

It wasn't really a question for mr. b, but you certainly won, mr. friedman

Edited April 7, 2014 by ThomasK

[aho]

Ed, I'm ordering +2 from my FC0105's/same size as 1108's (ordering 34)...I could probably just do +1 and hope to stretch but these jeans ask to be washed weekly

[themaster]

Shit so ill get a 36?!!

[Maynard Friedman]

I wonder why BiG decided against stocking these in the end,

[setterman]

If they had, this thread would probably be 20 to 30 pages longer....  

 

I predict the Resolute style is what's going to be popular in denim the next couple years.... a regular fit, a proper hem (no more huge cuffs or accordion like stacks), and a more liberal washing schedule.  I expect 50s (worn tight at the waist) and 60s style cuts to become more popular.  Skin tight and low is out, and wide and straight is following it.  It's time for normal jeans that can be worn with any combination of clothing.      

[exaptavist]

.

Edited October 10, 2015 by hoggreaser

[JohnM]

I would just like to say thanks to you all for this interesting and entertaining thread -- the last two posts by setterman and hoggreaser are exemplary.

 

I'm new to Sufu and the world of raw, selvedge denim, having started with the SE/Dry Bones collaboration, two Iron Hearts, 3Sixteen+ 21BSP (very nice), and two more on order (Samurai S710XX and Fullcount 1108XX).  Somehow, I managed to make it here to the Resolute forum, which suggests that I'm spending more time learning about denim than doing my taxes, which are due soon!

 

Sorry to interject but I just appreciated this thread.  While Resolute may not be the place to start one's journey in the world of denim (given limited distribution and availability), it sure has been interesting to read and learn from those on this sub-forum.

 

John

[garden gnomes in space]

If they had, this thread would probably be 20 to 30 pages longer....  

 

I predict the Resolute style is what's going to be popular in denim the next couple years.... a regular fit, a proper hem (no more huge cuffs or accordion like stacks), and a more liberal washing schedule.  I expect 50s (worn tight at the waist) and 60s style cuts to become more popular.  Skin tight and low is out, and wide and straight is following it.  It's time for normal jeans that can be worn with any combination of clothing.      

thank fucking God if this turns out to be true!!

[aho]

setterman, I predict that you're dead on!

 

Bielby, have those 33's stretched out? I'm your size but going with 34's since I'll be washing frequently...My gut can't stand any type of tightness...

[setterman]

The thing is though, that middle ground is probably the harder of the two in which to stand out, 

 

You could argue the middle ground is where brands like Denime, Warehouse, Fullcount and others have been standing out for a long time. ;-)  

 

Classic will always be in demand, and though they are pricey, the above brands provide something lower cost jeans don't.  

[aho]

I wonder why BiG decided against stocking these in the end,

 

Maynard, I actually asked Gordon this myself a year or two back and his response was though they are good jeans, they simply don't fit the aesthetic they're going for at BiG as a high end boutique in SoHo. He likened Resolute's to a pair of jeans you could get at Sears/JC Penny back in the 70's which are generally "flatter"/marbled whereas the typical BiG shopper is after slim cuts/distinct fabrics (think PBJ/Samurai). But who's to say if they won't pick it up in the future? There's seemingly international interest out there for the brand and Hayashi-san is nothing less than a revolutionary in the industry.

 

RE: "100 million Yen goal", I wouldn't be surprised if the town of Onomichi contributed to that by a wide margin...Pretty brilliant marketing if you ask me!

[Mr-Bielby]

Aho, I haven't worn them yet. Though the waist on my 34's is a now big on me. They fit well after a wash and stretch out within an hour. I wouldn't worry about the waist as much as the thigh.

For reference I have Fullcount 1101 in a 33, 0105 in 32. Evisu No1 2000's in a 34. Warehouse 1105 in a 33 and 34. The warehouse in a 33 I find to be the tightest.

Edited April 8, 2014 by Mr-Bielby

[aho]

We're pretty much spot on the same size in everything...That being said, I like a looser fit so will go with the 34's! Hoping to acheive something similar to:

 

Enjoy!

[Mr-Bielby]

That's pretty much how mine fit, though the arse on mine is a bit looser.

Edited April 8, 2014 by Mr-Bielby

[oomslokop]

i reckon @hoggreaser is spot on. in the real world, ie outside the superdenim superstructure, hayashi-san's tiny single-cuff highwater look has been de rigeur for quite some time. in superdenim, @xrevengex is probably the most prominent purveyor of that style:

 

http://supertalk.superfuture.com/index.php/topic/153621-waywt-denim-version-2014/?p=3064336

 

@setterman's trend prediction could be dead-on too within the superdenim(bro) superstructure.

[setterman]

I don't think the tiny cuff high water look will take off, more like an inch or two shorter than the they guy in Aho's picture above's jeans fit.  

[jonmhenderson]

If memory serves me correctly, doesn't Hayashi recommend repeated machine washings with detergent to obtain his vintage look?

[kimi]

I picked mine up today, first impressions are very good, the denim is quite light in colour which is what I was after, craftsmanship is up there with the best IMO.

pre soak measurements correspond to tag size. on my 34/36:

waist 34

inseam 36

hem 8

front rise 11.5

back rise 15.5

just gave them a wash and will wear them tomo.. already some major leg twist. got high hopes for these..

Edited April 14, 2014 by kimi