The Flat Head

[Kyle@TFH]

Thanks! It was fun, the photographer Mr. Nagata is the same guy who takes pictures for a lot of the FH ads (Farhad does the others.)

 

I'm in the July issue of Lightning too. I couldn't remember if I'd posted about the magazine photos on here, but I did put it up on Facebook.

[Broark]

My 2111s are finally on a truck for delivery to my apartment today! Needless to say I'm very excited.

[tmadd]

I posted a few photos of my SExFHxRR10's over in that thread:  

 

Also got a few shots of my 3005.  I've had them since the first of the year, and worn them probably a little under 6 months.  I've machine washed them between 10-12 times.  They are coming along nicely and have me really believing in more frequent washing.

 

[jstavrin]

^The jeans look great, but I'm more interested in your photographer--he's excellent. 

[Broark]

Just got my 2111s and the 20 oz denim is very heavy duty.

So much character to the denim.

The fit is a bit baggy at the moment while the waist is a little tight (need to shed some pounds, too many beers this summer) and I'm sure they'll be fine post soak.

Edited July 5, 2013 by Broark

[pdxvegan]

Anyone have an experience with the 4001bk's and how much they shrink?  My 3009's shrank a ton and I was wondering if the 4001bk denim is similar.  Thanks!

[sbasinger]

Anyone have an experience with the 4001bk's and how much they shrink?  My 3009's shrank a ton and I was wondering if the 4001bk denim is similar.  Thanks!

In my experience, they did not shrink much at all. I even machine washed them on hot. In fact, I had to have them hemmed an additional 2 inches and taper the legs about an inch due to the lack of shrinkage. 

Edited July 5, 2013 by sbasinger

[BlackPig]

Recently got a pair of F380.  Awesome texture on these demin and I can see the fading potential.  I went tts with a 30 and could have gone down to a 29 for a more regular fit, as it turns out the 30 is a looser fit on me but I can make it work.  That is after 4 hot soaks with a lot of agitation to get all the shrink out.

 

I am not sure if this has been mentioned before.  I am disappointed on the lack of sizing information for the F380 cut.  The only size info I could find is from SE and the measurements there isn't accurate.  Ok sorry about the rant.

[kiya]

Recently got a pair of F380.  Awesome texture on these demin and I can see the fading potential.  I went tts with a 30 and could have gone down to a 29 for a more regular fit, as it turns out the 30 is a looser fit on me but I can make it work.  That is after 4 hot soaks with a lot of agitation to get all the shrink out.

 

I am not sure if this has been mentioned before.  I am disappointed on the lack of sizing information for the F380 cut.  The only size info I could find is from SE and the measurements there isn't accurate.  Ok sorry about the rant.

 

You bought a jean which Self Edge hasn't carried in 3 years, so the Self Edge measurements are 3 years old.  The current model Self Edge carries is the 3009 and the measurements were updated last month.

[BlackPig]

Please excuse my ignorance.  But why would you have information on your website this is outdated?

[kiya]

Please excuse my ignorance.  But why would you have information on your website this is outdated?

 

Did you buy the jeans from us?  

The information on our site is for the jeans we have in stock, and the F380 we have in stock is from years ago and they're the last remaining sizes.

(We have the 3009 and restock them every two weeks and the measurements are what you'll be getting if you buy them from us)

Edited July 6, 2013 by kiya

[BlackPig]

Gotcha.  I bought it from 2nd.

 

I hope The Flat Head can provide updated sizing info on their website to assist future customers.  Perhaps Kyle is working on it.

Edited July 6, 2013 by BlackPig

[Kyle@TFH]

Hi Blackpig,

 

Personally, I would like to provide detailed sizing information for customers but Flat Head doesn't want us doing that; they want to leave it up to the individual retailer so the customer can't accuse us of posting incorrect information if the sizing on an item varies from the "official" measurements.  Flat Head thinks predominately in terms of brick-and-mortar sales, in which customers can try on items in the store and get input from sales staff to figure out their size.  This makes sense in Japan since there are enough retailers that you can live almost anywhere and have a FH dealer in driving distance, but I understand it's less convenient for people overseas.

 

Just this morning I was comparing the F380 and 3009; they're not exactly the same. Most noticeably, the inseam on the F380 is nearly 38" long, the 3009 has the regular inseam length that's about 36-36.5" raw.  The waist runs small on the 3009 compared to the F380 and most other FH jeans.  This means that if somebody wears a size 34 in 3009s, the size 33 F380 would have the same waist measurement.  The size 33 F380 will have a slimmer fit through the leg and top block, while the 3009 has more room.  From the knee down, they're about the same.  I'd say the F380 is a slim straight fit, and the 3009 is straight tapered.

Edited July 6, 2013 by Kyle@TFH

[Maynard Friedman]

Good points Kyle, I thought the F380 was being discontinued. Are you still producing it for some select suppers or are you just letting them have existing stocks until they're gone?

[Kyle@TFH]

The Frontier series, such as the F310 and F380, have been "officially" discontinued (i.e., they don't appear in the catalog) but dealers can still special order them.  In the past month we've gotten restocks on the F310 and F380 at the HQ.  Any dealer should be able to place an order if they want. If you're interested in getting some, ask your Flat Head retailer and they can probably order a pair for you. 

[BlackPig]

Thanks Kyle for the detailed explanation.  Living down under there is no brick-and-mortar store in my city that would give me the chance to try before you buy experience.  I don't believe there is a retailer in Australia that even stocks the F380 model.  Therefore, I heavily rely on information from the internet to make an inform buying decision, thus minimise the risk of getting the wrong size.

 

By the way I didn't get it totally wrong with the size 30.  It is just a looser fit than I would prefer, but I am confident once it loses the starch and settles with wear, it will turn out to be a great pair of jeans in my collection.

[Sugar Mountain]

While we're on the subject of brick and mortar Flat Head stores, I had the opportunity to visit TFH's Osaka store while in the city last weekend. It sits on the edge of a small park not far from Yotsubashi station and is easy to find thanks to its distinctive store front:

 

Prior to my visit, Aho told me that the customer service in this store was really good. I visited several denim retailers in Osaka and even by Japanese standards, these guys were brilliant. I walked in wearing a TFH shirt and was thanked profusely for choosing TFH ware. They showed me upcoming autumn/winter pieces in their catalogue, fading examples including an amazing pair of 3005, and insisted on a photo once I'd purchased two tees:

 

The two shirts:

 

The white one is limited to 50 pieces in three colours and celebrates the second anniversary of the Osaka store:

 

I had a blast visiting these guys and recommend you do the same if you get the chance!

[Broark]

Being a coffee nerd myself I love that grey tee, maybe next time I'm on my way back to Singapore I can make a quick stop in Japan.

I'd love to visit a FH brick and mortar shop one day.

Also my 2111s post warm soak are incredibly stiff, they stand on their own! (Sorry for the crappy photos, once they're completely dry I'll take some proper shots)

[Kyle@TFH]

Sugar Mountain: I'm not sure if I've met the guys from FH Osaka before, though I'm not surprised to hear that they're super cool!  Glad you had a good visit.

 

Broark:  Those jeans look great.  You're a brave man to start wear 20 oz. FH denim in Austin in July. 

[Broark]

I'm probably not going to wear them much until August, the 100+ degree weather doesn't really work with 20 oz denim!

[Rightyow77]

If any would like to trade a 3005 or 3009 for a 3002 let me know or check my sig.

 

need a 29 or a 30 

[Kyle@TFH]

Here's an update on my 3009s, which will be hitting the four-month mark of real wear time this week.  They're not dirty or smelly, but I think it's probably about time to wash them - maybe next weekend.  Colors are pretty much true to life, I took them in the shade on Sunday afternoon.

 

Per the company's request, I edited out the Japan-only arcs (even though, you know, anyone can see them on the TFH homepage, Rakuten, etc...)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These jeans are just starting to really come to life.  I think after a wash the color and vertical fading will really develop. 

Edited July 7, 2013 by Kyle@TFH

[Maddogwellz]

Kyle it's good to get some quality photos of your jeans. Yea those will look great after a wash. The combs on your 3009 are a lot tighter than on mine though. Very interesting

[Kyle@TFH]

Since I'm tall and have long legs, my knees are farther down the leg of the jeans.  I have tighter combs because the denim is narrower; incidentally, this is also why most slim tapered jeans don't fit me very well.

[Broark]

Post soak I'm having some difficulty buttoning the top few buttons on my 2111s, but the fit besides that is absolutely perfect.

I'll just wear them around the house for the next few weeks and they should be fine.

[Howling]

Just picked up the discontinued F310 at SELA where they still have a couple of these jeans in stock.  I'm a 30 in IH 634S and cannot believe I'm wearing a size 33 in these.  I really hope these guys give back some.  Did a hot soak x2 and used the blow dryer to take out some dampness.  I guess this lead to the 2inch shrink in the waist.  

Edited July 8, 2013 by Howling

[Kyle@TFH]

Hey guys, thought I'd let you know that the DC4 blog has had several great posts about Flat Head stuff lately, so go on over and check it out if you haven't already.

 

http://blog.dc4.de/

[UkeNo]

I recently got a pair of the new K0011 12oz denim from Danny at RivetandHide.

An excellent pair of jeans.

I especially like the slim straight fit and the denim seems to be a tight weave that I wouldn't expect from a light 12oz denim.

It's already looking like it will be nice and streaky. I've noticed a few neps and a little subblyness too.

They also have hidden/navy arcs. A subtle touch that will slowly be revealed as the denim fades (I hope).

Some pre soak pictures:

http://ukeno.tumblr.com/

Mine have had 2 soaks.

The second was hot tap water, 30mins with agitation to take the remainder of the shrink out.

Tag size W33 L38

Waist: 16.5"

Inseam: 35.25"

Front Rise: 10.25"

Back Rise: 13.25"

Thigh: 12.0"

Knee: 8.7"

Leg Opening: 7.75"

I'm really impressed with them. Glad these were my first Flat Heads.

Thanks.

U.

Edited July 9, 2013 by UkeNo

[Kyle@TFH]

Great!  I really, really like those jeans after trying them on, I think they're a better overall fit than the 3002.  Even though I think my next pair will be F380s I'm tempted to throw a pair of these in the employee box for later purchase; those jeans are made with the same denim as the 7002W western shirt, and I'm not sure that we're going to make any more after this.  Keep us posted with some post-soak fit pics!

Edited July 10, 2013 by Kyle@TFH

[Broark]

I really like those K0011s, if I hadn't have just picked up my 2111s I would definitely grab a pair of those. So much denim and so little time!