The Flat Head

[okisan]

oops.

sorry cold summer, accidental neg rep.

[exercisier]

Very nice pair of bsp's goki!

[Sugar Mountain]

I'm guessing that it's the washing - most of the really good-looking 3000-denim jeans seem to have been washed around the 4-6 month mark. Apparently washing plays a big part in fading this denim and going longer without washing might actually slow the aging process.

I think this is true. Take a look back at Sidney Lo's 3001 and you'll find he washed or soaked them quite frequently. There's an 18 month old pair of 3005 that TFH uses in their advertising that has been heavy washed and worn that look brilliant as well. Contact with water keeps the denim healthy and brings out the beautiful irregularity and vertical fading that makes 3xxx denim so incredible IMHO.

[Maynard Friedman]

Just going to wash my F350s after my lovely 21 month old daughter yakked all over them last night - got to love your kids!

[Cold Summer]

I think this is true. Take a look back at Sidney Lo's 3001 and you'll find he washed or soaked them quite frequently. There's an 18 month old pair of 3005 that TFH uses in their advertising that has been heavy washed and worn that look brilliant as well. Contact with water keeps the denim healthy and brings out the beautiful irregularity and vertical fading that makes 3xxx denim so incredible IMHO.

Yep, IIRC he first washed them around 4-5 months, then once every other month or so after that. Since his 3001s are indisputably some of the greatest jeans ever worn, I think a 3-4 month average wash on my BSPs will be a good strategy to follow.

[mitchseaman]

Yep, IIRC he first washed them around 4-5 months, then once every other month or so after that. Since his 3001s are indisputably some of the greatest jeans ever worn, I think a 3-4 month average wash on my BSPs will be a good strategy to follow.

do you know if he cold machine washed? also, I've only given my sexfhxrjb's two initial soaks but I wore them for both--will a machine wash move the fades? do i have to sit in the fucking bathtub again?

[nerkg]

so i just got a pair of flatheads, should i soak in hot or warm water, also whats the best way to achieve high contrast fades? thanks peoples.

[Flash]

what is the difference between hot and warm ?

[goki]

do you know if he cold machine washed? also, I've only given my sexfhxrjb's two initial soaks but I wore them for both--will a machine wash move the fades? do i have to sit in the fucking bathtub again?

a machine wash will move the fades if you didn't soak them long enough to get all the shrinkage enough the first two times. other than that, you should be okay. if you sat in the bathtub because you didnt want the waist to shrink too much, I'd recommend putting them on while they're still a little damp post wash so you can stretch it back out.

so i just got a pair of flatheads, should i soak in hot or warm water, also whats the best way to achieve high contrast fades? thanks peoples.

warm/ wear them a lot. lol

what is the difference between hot and warm ?

warm gets the shinkage out, hot does the same exact thing but you run the risk of ruining your patch i guess

Edited February 11, 2012 by goki

[Flash]

@ goki

sorry mate i was not realy expecting an explanation as i dont see a specific differance, it was more of a rhetorical question

think i should have added a (10) to my post

Edited February 11, 2012 by Flash

[goki]

haha I thought it was sort of a common sense thing. all good

[Flash]

no bother mate , realy nice bsp's by the way , i was thinking of getting a pair but the rise kind of puts me off

[zendeen]

wow nice bsp. love the blueeeeee..

[ziggyzag9]

Im thinking of buying a pair of 3009's. Do you know if the denim is stubborn? Or do they fade fast? Say if you compare to a pair of Samurais?

[nerkg]

Hey guys..to get a super high contrast fade, should i cold ,warm, or hot soak to start? i got the 3009s im normally a size 33 but kiya said to get a size 34, im scared to loose indigo while soaking but dont really know cause this is my first pair of raw denim, all help in the process would be appreciated

[nerkg]

Im thinking of buying a pair of 3009's. Do you know if the denim is stubborn? Or do they fade fast? Say if you compare to a pair of Samurais?

im just got them, from what i understasnd, they use the 3xxxx denim which fades fast, but if more experienced denim heads would chime in it could help us

[Cold Summer]

Relax dude, these aren't Nudies, you're not going to lose all the indigo the moment it hits water. I soaked my BSPs twice, the first time more like a hot wash with no soap that turned the water nearly black. They're still dark as heck. The general consensus is that you should be able to get rid of all the shrink with two hot soaks (probably even better if one is a spin in the washing machine.) No idea if hot/cold, etc. affects fades; you're probably thinking too hard about that.

Any 3XXX jeans will fade fast if you wash them somewhere around every 3-5 months of wear. Washing less often actually slows down the evo on these jeans, as people who wait 8-9 months can attest to.

[Guest]

No matter how many times you hot/cold soak, you are not going to lose much indigo. A hot wash will get a higher contrast then a cold wash BUT only after they have been worn extensively.

Sorry dude, but how can you say they will fade faster after a wash at 3 months then one at 8 months? You can never compare a jean between different people as each person wears their jeans completely differently!

Some people think, and I agree, that washing (or soaking regularly) will prolong the life of the jean i.e. threads stay moist and are able to stretch easier, think less crotch blowouts. Another train of thought is that dirt and grime actually 'protects' the jeans from further fading i.e. abrasions. Basically, soak, wash and do whatever you want. There isn't a proper way. I do recommend with BSPs that you soak a couple of times to get all the shrinkage out.

My two cents...

[nerkg]

No matter how many times you hot/cold soak, you are not going to lose much indigo. A hot wash will get a higher contrast then a cold wash BUT only after they have been worn extensively.

Sorry dude, but how can you say they will fade faster after a wash at 3 months then one at 8 months? You can never compare a jean between different people as each person wears their jeans completely differently!

Some people think, and I agree, that washing (or soaking regularly) will prolong the life of the jean i.e. threads stay moist and are able to stretch easier, think less crotch blowouts. Another train of thought is that dirt and grime actually 'protects' the jeans from further fading i.e. abrasions. Basically, soak, wash and do whatever you want. There isn't a proper way. I do recommend with BSPs that you soak a couple of times to get all the shrinkage out.

My two cents...

i cant find much on the 3009, when was that style released> ? is it new or old?

[Cold Summer]

Sorry dude, but how can you say they will fade faster after a wash at 3 months then one at 8 months? You can never compare a jean between different people as each person wears their jeans completely differently!

Based on looking through almost this entire thread (as well as the older 3001 thread.) Sidneylo and Lamb's jeans both have extremely high contrast and were washed frequently, and maybe a few other ones I can't recall. Goki and Darbir's jeans (as you can see from evo pics on the last 2-3 pages) both seem to have had a grayish sort of hue until they were washed a little, which really seemed to bring out the electric blue. I know it seems counter-intuitive (and washing TOO often is probably not a good idea either) but that seems to be a recurring pattern.

I'm convinced that what you do in your jeans is probably not as important as how MUCH you wear them. If you only wear your jeans on weekends and weekday evenings because of a job, for example, you can't really say you've worn them "three months" at the end of three months' time. But many people don't seem to make this distinction, and I suspect (though I obviously can't prove) this is why you see so much variation with jeans in general. I keep a journal of it on my computer, where at least twelve hours is a "full day" of wear, and afternoons/evenings after work (around 6-8 hours) are only a "half day." But since this is bordering on total obsessive insanity, I can understand why some people don't keep a detailed record of their jeans.

The 3009 used to be called the 3008, think the present model's been around for at least 2-3 years. Strange thing is, I've founded virtually no pics of worn-in 3009s. There's also some inconsistency in the fit - Self Edge and one Rakuten seller (now out of stock) reported a longer inseam and smaller leg opening than pretty much all the other places selling them. I know measurement styles vary from place to place, but it's pretty hard to mess up measuring a hem. Either way, I'm sure they're great jeans.

[Guest]

I'm not referring to what someone calls 3 months of wear compared to another person's 3 month wear, I'm wondering how you can make the assumption that if "sidneylo" had washed his jeans at 8 months and not 3, that there would be a noticeable difference in fade. I don't believe there would be. But it doesn't matter, wear your jeans and do what you feel best.

As far as 3009 (or 3008) fades, it's all the same denim as SE05BSP, F310 etc...

[bod]

Hey guys..to get a super high contrast fade, should i cold ,warm, or hot soak to start? i got the 3009s im normally a size 33 but kiya said to get a size 34, im scared to loose indigo while soaking but dont really know cause this is my first pair of raw denim, all help in the process would be appreciated

If these are the same jeans I've just sold you on eBay, why are you asking about soaking etc when they have already been soaked twice by me ?????

[Cold Summer]

So here's what I'm wondering: Where is The Flat Head's denim made? Anyone care to chime in?

According to an It's Worn post, both Eternal and TFH's denim are made in the same factory. I assumed that, much like the rest of their clothes, TFH's denim is made by them on their own machines, not outsourced to an independent factory. I have no idea if the comment about Eternal is accurate or not. But the fading on these (beautiful!) jeans does look similar to the 3XXX denim, and the buttons on Eternal's jeans look like they're made by the same folks who do Flat Head's.

[Cold Summer]

First FH tee I pre-ordered showed up today.

I wish it tapered toward the hem like their Western shirts; but there's not much I can do, being tall and skinny. I'm content with the fit and the materials and construction are just awesome, as usual.

Edited February 14, 2012 by Cold Summer

[perry89]

FH3001 2.5+ years of wear. Recently repaired by the kind dudes at SELA. Around 8+ washes? I forget

[Sugar Mountain]

Those are f-ing great! Kudos for wearing them so long.

[zendeen]

wow really nice fading. the combs are interesting!

[Cold Summer]

Awesome.

The average worn-in pair of Flat Heads seems to be equivalent to grail-status pairs of most other brands of jeans.

[shift3r]

wish mine would eventually fade like yours dude

[Kwaker]

_{cold summer ... by 3008, you likely mean the F380.}

_{the F380 has been discontinued on a couple of occassions and the 3009 was seen as filling the gap between the classic straight 3005/F350 and skinny 3001/F310}

_{but I remember kiya mentioning the another run of the F380 is working its way back to the market}

_{3009 has a distinct taper, F380 is more straight}

Edited February 15, 2012 by Kwaker