Loopwheeled/Vintage T-Shirts

[Megatron1505]

^ S-Town nails it. Recently I have handled a lot of tee's by various Japanese brands, and loop wheeled or not, tube constructed or not, the tee's are just generally nicer. I think it's simply a case of materials over manufacture.

[Jared_Lee]

Well, good fabrics start first with the cotton, then comes the yarn spinning and only then do we arrive at weaving. The steps before weaving can have a huge impact on the fabric.

 

On my basic whites that also get worn as undershirts, tube construction and loop wheeled are great because I notice the lack of side seams when tucked in. It just feels better when you have a little love handle. Haha.

[garden gnomes in space]

dont get me wrong, I get the construction and materials are better.  I just think the hype train is what keeps the loopwheeled thing relevant.  Not to say they are not nice.  My Stevenson T shirts are out of this world fabric wise, but the cut is pretty bad when compared to many low cost shirts available.  I am a huge proponent of fit.  If it fits like shit, its useless to me, no matter how desirable the manufacturing method is.  And for the record, the Calvin Klein garbage t shirts I got for $10 for a 3 pack dont have a side seam.  I dont think I have bought a t shirt with a side seam in a very long time.  

[big truck]

Agreed gnome, there is not enough attention paid to finding pieces that fit properly and flatter the wearer, too much obsessing about standard details and conveying that to the internet.

 

I have two Flat Head tees that are around 5 years old now. Finally starting to show signs of fading after regular weekly washes but have still retained their shape. Or it is possible that they have moulded to my shape as they are size 42 and I cannot fit into a new size 42 FH tee these days despite them being the same measurements.

[Double 0 Soul]

A friend of mine owns a T-shirt printing co. he uses blanks from the cheapest crap to the more refined very few (if any) have a side seam, so i have tried on T shirts from 100,s of manufactures to find the perfect fit. I have settled on Gildan in there Ultra Cotton. For me they are the benchmark in length and fit but because construction is so terrible i can destroy one in just a few hours they only cost peanuts wholesale. So i get boxes of T-shirts that i wear just once (i will wear a Gildan under a quality T), then at the end of the week i wash 7 tees  give them back to him and he uses them to align the screen for a test print prior to a run. I get to wear a fresh tee every day for free. Pretty indulgent.

[Maynard Friedman]

Are you a hip-hop star Double 0? I'll bet you wear them in XXXL so that they come down to your knees!

[Double 0 Soul]

You know it! Just below my Jesus Chain,

[aso2004]

Garden Gnome, maybe you should give the Loopwheeler loop wheel T's a go.

They have a far more fitted  fit as the boxier flathead /iron heart.

Sleeve insert starts higher and the sleeves are tighter,their body is  also longer 

Edited June 30, 2013 by aso2004

[Foxy2]

dont get me wrong, I get the construction and materials are better.  I just think the hype train is what keeps the loopwheeled thing relevant.  Not to say they are not nice.  My Stevenson T shirts are out of this world fabric wise, but the cut is pretty bad when compared to many low cost shirts available.  I am a huge proponent of fit.  If it fits like shit, its useless to me, no matter how desirable the manufacturing method is.  And for the record, the Calvin Klein garbage t shirts I got for $10 for a 3 pack dont have a side seam.  I dont think I have bought a t shirt with a side seam in a very long time.

Not sure which Stevenson tees you own and where you got them from, but if you are referring to these: http://www.soc-la.com/item.php?c=45

They don't mention loopwheel at all...

(ky pointed that out on IndigoRoots sometime in May this year.)

[Foxy2]

Garden Gnome, maybe you should give the Loopwheeler loop wheel T's a go.

They have a far more fitted  fit as the boxier flathead /iron heart.

Sleeve insert starts higher and the sleeves are tighter,their body is  also longer

I agree - got 2 myself (and on other one on the way) and my white one that I have already for a couple of years is holding up quite well. They are certainly" loopwheeled", but with side seam...

[schmallo15]

Foxy or aso - How much shrinkage did you experience from the Loopwheeler t's?

[Foxy2]

LoopWheeler - Swiss cotton tee size M

Chest 19 3/4" - 19 1/2"

Back Length 27" - 26 3/4"

[Slowitchu]

Too bad Loppwheeler barly have anything in stock. Nice stuff though

[garden gnomes in space]

Not sure which Stevenson tees you own and where you got them from, but if you are referring to these: http://www.soc-la.com/item.php?c=45

They don't mention loopwheel at all...

(ky pointed that out on IndigoRoots sometime in May this year.)

i have those from Self Edge.  They say they are loopwheeled.  at this point, who knows.  I think its utter bullfuck that there is so much misinformation regarding if something is loopwheeled or not.  for fuck sake, japan is not full of retards.  America, that can be argued, but there is no reason why there should be such a grey area regarding a t shirts method of construction.  Could this be intentional?  

[garden gnomes in space]

BTW, Im just ranting.  im not trying to stir up a shit storm.  

[Foxy2]

^^^ LoopWheeler re-stock standard items quite often and come up with new items every season.

If you follow their news blog you'll notice that they blog almost everyday and that they keep their audience up with the latest projects and re-stocks...

http://loopwheeler.web5.jp/lw_news/2012_2013/

Edited June 30, 2013 by Foxy2

[Foxy2]

i have those from Self Edge.  They say they are loopwheeled.  at this point, who knows.  I think its utter bullfuck that there is so much misinformation regarding if something is loopwheeled or not.  for fuck sake, japan is not full of retards.  America, that can be argued, but there is no reason why there should be such a grey area regarding a t shirts method of construction.  Could this be intentional?

Hard to tell for certain if these are the same tees, sometimes there are special runs for special customers - and, the Stevenson site does not say explicitly that they are not "loopwheeled".

I guess we could check with Stevenson Japan...

I am certain that there is no intention involved to "misinform" the customer base, but I'm sure that a lot gets lost in translation. Especially, on the Japanese side - the other side is often too lazy to check the translation...

[aso2004]

I experienced the same amount of shrinkage (1/4 inch,max 1/2 inch) in the t's  

[kiya]

Not sure which Stevenson tees you own and where you got them from, but if you are referring to these: http://www.soc-la.com/item.php?c=45

They don't mention loopwheel at all...

(ky pointed that out on IndigoRoots sometime in May this year.)

 

Yes, they're loopwheeled, here's the page directly out of their linesheet they give to their dealers:

[the bandanna almanac]

The confusion stems from the definition of loop wheeler knitting machines. There are many varieties of these I will try my best to explain two I have experience with.

The falling loop wheel knitting machine:

These knit one to two threads at a time, they are usually from the turn of the 20th century. The knitting process is incredibly slow taking up to a day and a half what other machines can do in a few hours. The benefit is the fabric tube is not stretched or spun in any way. The knits are superb quality but the machines require fastidious attention. The professionals working with these machines are craftspeople.

The modern high speed loop wheeler:

These machines can operate many weaving operations at once. They knit a tube fabric however it is spun and stretched on a drum within the machine. These machines generally turn out a twisted knit. You can see bands in the fabric as these machines knit 10 to 40 threads at a time. These machines require attention but are not nearly as finicky as the falling loop wheelers.

Both are loop wheeled fabric. But the quality is completely different. The twist in the fabric is the big difference and completely changes the fit and feel.

Edited July 4, 2013 by the bandanna almanac

[Theloniouskase21]

Anyone interested in this loop&weft natural color loopwheeled t shirt in a size XL (runs small), more like a trim large:

http://blueingreensoho.com/site/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=13357&category_id=&manufacturer_id=75&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=62.�â€%20斤æ%20��â€%20斤æ%20��â€%20ç%20«

Measurements are on the blue in green site. $90 plus shipping within the US

Pics of the shirt can be found here:

http://www.loopandweft.com/?pid=52044650

Edited July 8, 2013 by Theloniouskase21

[Theloniouskase21]

xx

Edited July 10, 2013 by Theloniouskase21

[Broark]

Just sent bandana an email about ordering a couple of Tezomeya shirts, super excited!

I am going to go with the grape color and the over dyed dark indigo.

[ksisouk]

http://www.contextclothing.com/item.php?id=4067

[CPaul]

http://instagram.com/p/ag9EpHEDb7/

 

Wonder who made these? I have a feeling it's another incorrectly-labeled not-so-loop-wheeled garment, especially since it's made in America, but who knows.

 

So I contacted independence and they claim they are loopwheeled and tubular knit.  Manufactured by Anvil in the USA.

Gonna try them out when they get some Larges back in stock.  I'll update the thread when I get them (hopefully next wee).

[Broark]

I picked up one of those KMW sweats, looking forward to it.

I have a hard time believing they're actually "loopwheeled" but if the fit is right for 22 bucks it can't hurt to try.  

I might give it a go at some point too.

[ksisouk]

I would have picked up the KMW sweat too if it had a hood. I can't do crewneck sweats. And the sizing is great for bigger people (based on website measurements).

[Broark]

I've got a feeling this is possibly going to be just the start of a loopwheeled sweatshirt addiction.

[Brain]

after getting frustrated with my search for simple & good quality t-shirts, i found really nice ones by japanese brand "riding high". loopwheeled, great heavy cotton, nice versatile colours and an amazing fit.

 

really happy about my find, will go back to the store and get some more soon.

[Broark]

I have no idea if they're loopwheeled but Todd Snyder is releasing a collaboration with Champion.

It looks vintage inspired, I'm considering grabbing a solid tee possibly: http://www.toddsnyder.com/collections/champion

Edited July 16, 2013 by Broark