Freewheelers, Bootleggers Reunion, Bubo, etc.

[indigoeagle]

So, this denim is used for all issued jeans and jackets this year? Not just the 1951?
Also the others like the 506 1933, the 1937 and 1956 jeans, etc.?

Edited October 31, 2022 by indigoeagle

[lee porter]

Is the 37 jeans a new denim duke?

[shredwin_206]

The newer denim that’s on my S601xx is definitely much hairier than the 43 and 47 I own. It’s a cool denim. 
@lee porter I believe the 37 is another new denim. But @Duke Mantee will chime in to confirm. 

[indigoeagle]

  On 10/31/2022 at 12:30 PM, shredwin_206 said:

The newer denim that’s on my S601xx is definitely much hairier than the 43 and 47 I own. It’s a cool denim. 
@lee porter I believe the 37 is another new denim. But @Duke Mantee will chime in to confirm. 

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Is it neppy, with little nubs?
When you run your hand over it, is it smooth or has these little dots?

[Duke Mantee]

  On 10/31/2022 at 11:18 AM, indigoeagle said:

So, this denim is used for all issued jeans and jackets this year? Not just the 1951?
Also the others like the 506 1933, the 1937 and 1956 jeans, etc.?

Expand  

No the red cast indigo is used for the XXC (37s) and the 1933 jacket. The ‘standard’ denim is 51s, 56s etc

[Duke Mantee]

This is FW ‘standard’ denim used in 47s, 51s etc - usually only the indigo changes

 

Edited October 31, 2022 by Duke Mantee

[Duke Mantee]

  On 10/31/2022 at 12:12 PM, lee porter said:

Is the 37 jeans a new denim duke?

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Yes

[Maynard Friedman]

Is it being made to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the 37?

[MJF9]

Yes and, similarly, the celebration of the 1985 model is out in 2022

[MJF9]

Took this yesterday, relevant today... only really to show the colour difference between
506XX 1927 Lot #2011020 (front, worn much more)
v
S516XX early 1946 Lot #2131006

[LazyS]

 1956 661

and the 51 601

Swamper collection

 

 

Edited November 1, 2022 by LazyS

[beautiful_FrEaK]

@LazyS is the back rise rrealy that high on the 1956 model like some measurements suggest?

[LazyS]

It feels the same as the 51 601 to me, I think it might just be from the seat being fuller.

EDIT: ...Wait are those things always related? I measured and its about an inch different

Edited November 3, 2022 by LazyS

[lee porter]

I have the 56 and the back rise doesn’t feel high really nice fit 

[Duke Mantee]

  On 11/2/2022 at 11:48 AM, LazyS said:

It feels the same as the 51 601 to me, I think it might just be from the seat being fuller.

EDIT: ...Wait are those things always related? I measured and its about an inch different

Expand  

An inch seems about right from what I know

[Maynard Friedman]

  On 11/4/2022 at 11:00 AM, Duke Mantee said:

An inch seems about right from what I know

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That’s what she said…

[MJF9]

FW going on mini tour

Edited November 6, 2022 by MJF9
Pic disappeared!

[Maynard Friedman]

Is that a Topo backpack I spy? If so, I have the same one.

Where are you off to?

[MJF9]

Yeah... it's Mrs MJF9's present I bought her but use occasionally - good plan eh and good bag... Africa beckons

[Maynard Friedman]

South Africa again? Business or pleasure?

[vlad_III]

New here. Hello. 
Picked up a pair of FW 601RB today. 
I’m working on a Real McCoys Lot 004 right now(221 days in). Planning to finish the 365 in these until I start the FW. 
Anyhow, wanted to try an all black pair next. Thought about the Real McCoys 966BK but already have that fabric in their type 3 jacket. Wanted to try something different. 
Stopped by Desolation Row but they didn’t have the 601RB anymore. I tried on the 601B to find out what size I need and ordered online here in Japan. 
 

they seem quite a bit wider than my Lot004 but I wanted to try something wider anyways. 
 

Freewheelers seems to have a lot of followers here. What makes them special? What can I expect from this pair vs lets say Real McCoys?

Total newbie. Only on my 2nd pair of raws. 1st was Oni denim, which was disappointing in terms of construction even though its all poly cotton stitches. 
 

thanks in advance. 

[Talan]

  On 11/7/2022 at 4:38 AM, vlad_III said:

New here. Hello. 
Picked up a pair of FW 601RB today. 
I’m working on a Real McCoys Lot 004 right now(221 days in). Planning to finish the 365 in these until I start the FW. 
Anyhow, wanted to try an all black pair next. Thought about the Real McCoys 966BK but already have that fabric in their type 3 jacket. Wanted to try something different. 
Stopped by Desolation Row but they didn’t have the 601RB anymore. I tried on the 601B to find out what size I need and ordered online here in Japan. 
 

they seem quite a bit wider than my Lot004 but I wanted to try something wider anyways. 
 

Freewheelers seems to have a lot of followers here. What makes them special? What can I expect from this pair vs lets say Real McCoys?

Total newbie. Only on my 2nd pair of raws. 1st was Oni denim, which was disappointing in terms of construction even though its all poly cotton stitches. 
 

thanks in advance. 

Expand  

From Oni to FW in 3 pairs. It was fast.

[vlad_III]

  On 11/7/2022 at 5:50 AM, Talan said:

From Oni to FW in 3 pairs. It was fast.

Expand  

Well, fast as in two years. I actually wore them. 

[Duke Mantee]

  On 11/7/2022 at 4:38 AM, vlad_III said:

… they seem quite a bit wider than my Lot004 but I wanted to try something wider anyways. 
 

Freewheelers seems to have a lot of followers here. What makes them special? What can I expect from this pair vs lets say Real McCoys?

Total newbie. Only on my 2nd pair of raws. 1st was Oni denim, which was disappointing in terms of construction even though its all poly cotton stitches. 
 

thanks in advance. 

Expand  

I wouldn’t say the 601B (or RB) is a wide cut - straight leg at most. Anyway it probably doesn’t make much sense to compare the patterns of 2 completely different jeans - the Lot 004 are most definitely a slim cut.

Freewheelers probably aren’t more special than many of brands, but they are very demanding of the factories they use - custom threads, custom buttons etc.  Small details that make the difference. Their patterns are also very good - their pattern maker has worked for some very prestigious labels. Plus they’re not run by gangsters and wide boys which may or may not be seen to be a plus point

BTW - none of the jeans you’ve talked about are ‘raw’

Edited November 7, 2022 by Duke Mantee

[vlad_III]

  On 11/7/2022 at 1:10 PM, Duke Mantee said:

I wouldn’t say the 601B (or RB) is a wide cut - straight leg at most. Anyway it probably doesn’t make much sense to compare the patterns of 2 completely different jeans - the Lot 004 are most definitely a slim cut.

Freewheelers probably aren’t more special than many of brands, but they are very demanding of the factories they use - custom threads, custom buttons etc.  Small details that make the difference. Their patterns are also very good - their pattern maker has worked for some very prestigious labels. Plus they’re not run by gangsters and wide boys which may or may not be seen to be a plus point

BTW - none of the jeans you’ve talked about are ‘raw’

Expand  

Thanks for the info on Freewheelers. I wish they shared more about the brand and details somewhere. 

I should’ve said selvage and not pre faded or stone washed. The Oni and FW both said “one wash”.  Lot 004 was definitely loom state dry, which I thought is raw. 
 

[Talan]

  On 11/7/2022 at 1:43 PM, vlad_III said:

I wish they shared more about the brand and details somewhere. 

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Ask Duke. You might also want to flick through the early pages of this thread, or check here: https://freewheelers.co.jp/about/

[Duke Mantee]

  On 11/7/2022 at 1:43 PM, vlad_III said:

Thanks for the info on Freewheelers. I wish they shared more about the brand and details somewhere. 

I should’ve said selvage and not pre faded or stone washed. The Oni and FW both said “one wash”.  Lot 004 was definitely loom state dry, which I thought is raw. 
 

Expand  

My mistake, and my apologies - sorry - I didn’t know Lot 004 were loomstate, I had thought they had gone through the singeing process etc instead of being built from freshly woven fabric.

What kind information are you looking for?

[vlad_III]

  On 11/7/2022 at 3:19 PM, Duke Mantee said:

My mistake, and my apologies - sorry - I didn’t know Lot 004 were loomstate, I had thought they had gone through the singeing process etc instead of being built from freshly woven fabric.

What kind information are you looking for?

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At least thats what they told me when I bought them. My Japanese is not 100% so … but in general this type of info is what I’m looking for and the info about the details on FW denim and their cuts. 

you mentioned custom yarn for stitching. Any reference to that?

The buttons on indigo and black jeans are different. The indigo ones looks like they have some layer on top. 
 

Any guides to silhouettes?

 

I noticed rivets on some models are very rounded and clean and others had yarn poking thru. 
 

thanks

Edited November 8, 2022 by vlad_III

[Duke Mantee]

  On 11/7/2022 at 11:17 PM, vlad_III said:

At least thats what they told me when I bought them. My Japanese is not 100% so … but in general this type of info is what I’m looking for and the info about the details on FW denim and their cuts. 

you mentioned custom yarn for stitching. Any reference to that?

The buttons on indigo and black jeans are different. The indigo ones looks like they have some layer on top. 
 

Any guides to silhouettes?

 

I noticed rivets on some models are very rounded and clean and others had yarn poking thru. 
 

thanks

Expand  

Most of the shops like McFly and Genco put fairly copious descriptions on each product page - in fact the detail on those goes far beyond the descriptions I’ve seen for most other similar Japanese brands. That’s a pretty good starting point.

Compare and contrast:

https://www.genco-clothing.com/item/2232012-DMOW/

v.

https://www.realmccoys-nagoya.co.jp/?pid=144514688
https://www.barnstormer.jp/view/item/000000000386

Regards the custom yarn, in honesty, it’s not often mentioned because it’s a standard for FW. Most jeans makers will specify the colour, material and sewing pitch, and the factory being employed will select what they think is best suited to the process - saves a bit of time and money for the designer, and with the factory being able to use their own stocks (or buy from their own suppliers) saves a bit of time and money for them too. FW on the other hand dictate precisely what they want by having the threads made up to their spec.

Buttons are different on each significant cut - this is to make them accurate/authentic to the period of those particular jeans. Some are steel and copper, some are just steel, some have an anti-rust coating and so on.

Even the laurel wreath buttons which can be bought everywhere were deemed unsatisfactory by FW for the war denim and so they had their own make specifically. Personally I found it difficult to see the difference and as I said to others at the time, it didn’t make the jeans better, just more ‘Freewheelers’.

I made this graphic to compare the different cuts and posted it here previously - you should read this thread anyway:

 

I’m not entirely sure what you are asking by way of rivets - this?

 

 

Let me ask you a couple questions:

1.   Does historical accuracy play a part in your selection of raw denim?

2.  If you are about to start wearing your third pair of raw denims what details (buttons, rivets, threads etc) led you to choose the pairs you have?

Edited November 8, 2022 by Duke Mantee

[Talan]

  On 11/7/2022 at 11:17 PM, vlad_III said:

[..]

Any guides to silhouettes?

[..]

Expand  

Check Feb or March of this thread

Edited: Funny, I referred back to Duke's table the very moment Duke posted it again... 

Edited November 8, 2022 by Talan