The Flat Head

[VivaMarlon]

Anyone know of a good Flat Head fit guide? I'm looking for something slim-straight/straight and I think that's the 3005 but I can never remember which fits are which.

[beautiful_FrEaK]

The 3005 is pretty wide in my book. The 3009 is more of a slim-straight cut although it has a gentle taper

[Cold Summer]

3005: Similar to 50s Levis with a pretty full leg. Unlike 50s 501s, they're mid-rise.

3009: A tapered fit, though nowhere near as dramatic as the trendy tapered fits these days. Mid rise.

3001: Tight straight fit with a low rise and slim thigh, straight from the knee down.

3002: Slim tapered, similar to the 3001 but with moderatetaper from the knee down.

3012: Roomier in the top block than the 3009, strong taper from the knee down.

D306: Similar to the 3009, but with a much stronger taper from the knee down.

[VivaMarlon]

Very helpful, thank you!

[Smallrod]

You can also consider the 1001 if you don’t mind 16oz denim.  Another slim straight cut, not quite as slim as the 3001 with a slightly higher back rise.  

Edited April 30, 2019 by Smallrod

[1fookntitefd]

Will buying and of these models in the future be an issue and Should we be stocking up on flathead jeans with this change in management?

[Broark]

Remains to be seen, but I’m just hoping they don’t “modernize” too much. I’d hate to see super slub, stretch denim with poly-core thread from FH. That’s why I bought a pair now, just in case. 

[SuperJackle]

Glad I stashed a pair of 1105 a couple years ago. Gonna miss flat head buttons and rivets most of all I think. 

[somatoform]

5 hours ago, 1fookntitefd said:

Will buying and of these models in the future be an issue and Should we be stocking up on flathead jeans with this change in management?

Hard to say. Founders keep things intact, often stubbornly. Anytime the founder of something moves along certain aspects of his brand that remained core to the brand may move along with him.

Then again, he's also the same guy who insisted on making shirts with an odd chest to shoulder proportion (odd  by a lot of shirtmakers' standards) based, ostensibly, on his own personal frame. And he also came up with blue suede arcs. So some things moving along may not be such a bad thing.

 

I hope they don't touch the 3009. I have a 1005 and 3005. I just want a 3009. I had one from Japan in a smaller size than I need and post shrink it was an absolute no go, but great silhouette. Also, a FH slant pocket denim western shirt in Western sizing (like they had before) would be very nice.

 

I'm sure they could expand their leather jacket range. There seems to be no shortage of FH leather jacket fans.

[Cold Summer]

The thing about FH's leather jackets, boots, and related items is that they produce them in such microscopic quantities that even if they sell, it hardly matters from an overall revenue perspective. Probably at least 90% of the jackets and boots go to their company stores (which I'm guessing will no longer be around, since I never understood how these perpetually-empty Dessert Hills Market storefronts throughout Nagano made any money.) You can't even buy those items from most major online Japanese retailers like 2ND.

I'm curious about what the reorganization means for the Stockburg leather workshop. It always seemed like they had a massive backlog of orders that they couldn't keep up with demand - I guess it's possible that changed in the last few years, but I like to think they'll keep producing stuff, since it's some of the best leatherwork coming out of Japan period.

What a lot of people don't realize is that Flat Head has cycled around many different sub-brands over the years. Gotta Roll was supposed to be more "modern" and appeal to a younger/non-Amekaji crowd, but it had been discontinued by the time I showed up in 2013. Ditto for Googies, their Ivy-inspired label, which always felt like it had some overlap with the upscale RJB stuff. Then there was Hard Bird, some kind of collaboration between Kobayashi and some dudes "DJ Dragon" and Shinji Takeda (who if I remember right is some actor) that resulted in a lot of really tacky looking stuff that IMO devalued the main brand. Then they came out with "MK Label" which was supposed to be even more luxurious than RJB but was really just FH jeans with some different embroidery and ultrasuede. All of these different labels hurt the brand, they'd have been better off keeping it to just Flat Head and RJB.

If I was tasked with "fixing" Flat Head, I'd close down almost all the stores aside from Nagano (City), Tokyo and Osaka, discontinue all the sub-brands, re-tool Flat Head to keep their basic jeans, plain T-shirts, flannel shirts, denim and leather jackets, shoes, and wallets, and then experiment with new stuff under the new label.

 

[SLAB]

my apologies if not proper but I picked this up last month but it's a bit too tight on me; dm me if  interested (size medium but fits small)

 

[Iron Horse]

Hold on to that Slab until it appreciates more in value. 

[Aries]

Just received my rider jacket from DC4 in Germany. 

Incredible quality, as you’d expect. Just need to let the shoulders soften and fall a bit (as ever with FH’s quirky shoulder to chest ratio).

[Smallrod]

Cross post from the DWC thread.  Since November 2017.  TFH 1001.  

 

[Broark]

Got stuck in a downpour last night, so the jacket got a little impromptu soak.

[Broark]

Little Flat Head haul, I'll get some more detailed photos up this weekend. 

[lance]

Nice shirt, Broark - always love those arcs!

[Broark]

Thanks @lance! The shirt fits perfectly in the shoulders/chest but is a bit snug in the midsection, always had that problem with Flat Head.
I'll just wear it over a t-shirt and it should be fine.

[SmokeStackLightning]

Always liked the all orange thread used on the 3009 arcs. 

[1fookntitefd]

Where do you buy flathead jeans with the jdm arcs?

[beautiful_FrEaK]

I would check 2ND. They are on Rakuten or directly www.e2nd.net

[Broark]

Some prewash photos of the jeans and the wabash. Luckily the wabash is already washed, I've got the jeans in the washing machine now. 
I love the double stitching features around the front and back pockets, and how hairy the wabash fabric is. The only other one I have is from Mister Freedom and it's a lot more flat and traditional by comparison.

[JDelage]

Those shirts are gorgeous but the measurements are crazy.

[Broark]

Yup, you're right. That's the main reason I never got around to buying more FH shirts.

[1fookntitefd]

Please post post wash measurements!

[Broark]

Will do!

[MJF9]

@Broark very nice! Interested to see wabash fit pics

[Broark]

Thanks! I’ll try to get a fit picture today, wearing it for the first time. Like I said before, can’t really button the bottom (too much beer and not enough cardio lately...) but looks great open over a tee. 

[Bobbo]

That wabash shirt is still my favorite shirt ever. Insane how well it holds its indigo. I've worn it for quite a few years now with loads of washes, yet it's still almost as dark as yours.

[jimmy_d]

Hey everyone - this is my first post on here. With the recent Flat Head news, I think I want to get a pair of 3005's before there is a possibility of losing my chance. I have 3009's that I love, but I don't have anything in the classic straight leg cut. The problem is that I can't seem to find accurate measurements. Self Edge's measurements seem different than what I got from 2nd (from what I could translate) which is different from Heddels (not sure where they got that chart from). I have big hockey player thighs so that's my main area of concern. Anyone have an accurate size chart or know how the thighs compare to the 3009's in a size 36? Thanks.