Osaka showdown

[Somar]

By the way...

I red the whole thread and it was very interesting!! Is there any room for questions here or would you all like it to stay clean with updates of the osaka5 denim only?

Edited December 18, 2012 by Somar

[demonator]

no shoot away!

[beautiful_FrEaK]

Didn't take any post wash pics...the shower didn't change much. Just to clean the fibers.

Well..why not? As long as the questions are about Osaka5 and their jeans and history I would say go for it It's all about Osaka5 here. History and evolution.

But sizing questions...please in the thread of the brand in question.

edit: there are also other Osaka5 threads which cover more of the history of those 5 brands. So if you lik, you could search a little bit more

Edited December 18, 2012 by beautiful_FrEaK

[Somar]

My question is kindoff about evolution. It's not a complex one

I saw your pics at week 6/7 and your fades were already coming through (wallet, crotch area, honeycombs). I'm also at week 6+ with my N&F but I don't have that, only minor fades here and there and the corners of my wallet. Does this have to do with my and your daily activity or is it the difference in quality of the denim?

[beautiful_FrEaK]

That is more a general question than an Osaka5 question. So if my answer doesn’t satisfy you, we should move to another thread.

Well, there are many factors that determine the evolution.

Of course, the denim itself. Its weight, dying method, weave, etc. . You pair is a left hand twill denim. This denim is usually softer and thus harder to fade.

Then there is the fit of your jeans. Different fits lead to different fading results. It has an impact on the whiskers and combs.

And the third big influence on the fading is your activity. I’m not very active and I rotate many pairs. So I don’t think you will find a grail pair by me

But let me tell you, 6 weeks is nothing and you shouldn’t worry about the lack of fades. I assume you are rather young and new to this raw denim world so you are very impatient. But for a pair of jeans that really tells a story, your story, you need patience and constant wear.

Lastly, I do believe my Denime (for example, you could put in many of the other brands I wear/wore) are of a higher quality than your N&F but this is also a bit reflected in the price you and me paid for the jeans. But to talk quality now and brands would lead us totally off topic.

edit: if you like, you can also PM me with some questions

Edited December 18, 2012 by beautiful_FrEaK

[Somar]

Thank for your reply b_F!

I still have a lot of questions because there is so much more to learn. Thanks for giving me the the option to send you a PM with my questions.

I'm hoping to see more posts on this thread!

[redragon]

Is it true that Evisu No.1 denim fabric changes slightly year to year?

My cousin told me its true but I am not able to confirm nor deny his claim....

[beautiful_FrEaK]

From what I know this is true

[DFreshLeish]

^old school denime, LVC or evisu! for different reasons...WH has that perfect balance for me in the end...

Out of curiosity, what is the balance you've found in WH compared to others? Trying to learn more about the O5...

[oomslokop]

sometime after 2nd wash:

accelerated fading after 2nd wash. or so it feels to me. also, i remember @salaami sayin a long time ago the original 1108 13.75oz denim was kinda similar to dry bones' sushi denim--i think he's right, at least on the lap. feels and looks and behaves pretty similar to my red-d. all the slubs come out much later in the evo after startin out flat-ish.

[Snake]

Warren at 8 months, 5 washes

[oomslokop]

update after 1+ year & 4th wash:

Edited April 20, 2013 by oomslokop

[oomslokop]

im gonna add a pair in this showdown: satudio daruchizan's champloo jawnz. basically the standard sd-103 fit and denim with special champloo details and most importantly for me, made by kuniyoshi-san of the double volante fame.

 

i was in the middle of pinging emails back-and-forth with @mizanation way back when tryin to get my dream kuniyoshi-san pair when the japanese earthquake/tsunami happened, our correspondences got disrupted and then miza got too busy to do anymore proxying. 

 

thought i was never gonna get my hands on a kuniyoshi pair until these champloos were released last year. sure not the same as getting a custom pair with all the details you want (was gonna get a wranglerpro with waldes zipper) but since i've been coveting a pair of sd-103 for ages as well, two birds with one stone and all that. 

 

so here are the jeans, they display all the kuniyoshi trademarks as miza showed in that classic thread:

 

- extreme puckering on the pocket opening:

 

 

 

you can't see it in these pics but the pocket opening is also a bit wider as kuniyoshi-san said he likes to make it, much easier to get my hands in the pocket of the champloos than in my other jeans.

 

- neatest stitching i've seen so far on a pair of jeans (i've also got fc 1108, sc hawaii, mf 54, dry bones red-d). kuniyoshi-san has gone beyond SPI-fetish in my eyes, it seems like what he wants to do is make his stitches as neat and even as possible, knowing that the limitations of his vintage machines will always disrupt that intention. a desire for perfection, tempered with acceptance that nothing will ever be thus--i reckon this is the true spirit of the wabi-sabi. 

 

here is a comparison of the arse-stitching on the champloo jeans vs. fc 1108 (a pair that's often touted as having the best stitching in the jawnz world, very high SPI count, etc). you can see how much more even the stitches on the champloo are, each stitch of almost the same length, very straight (vs. the sometimes almost-diagonal stitches of the fc), and almost no space between the stitches.

 

 

there is a funny/touching story in the miza thread about how kuniyoshi-san's old seamstress guru still visits him every now and then and they would talk about how they can maintain and/or improve their technique. such dedication to their art, and you can see it clearly in the stitchwork on these pants. 

 

- the crazy small denim fold on the inseam:

 

 

i remember kuniyoshi-san said in the miza thread that he likes this folded bit to be as narrow as possible and it is in the champloos.

 

- neat bartacks on the backpocket:

 

in miza's thread kuniyoshi-san explained how you've got to place the bartacks properly so when you fold the pockets over to conceal the hidden rivets, the corner of the pockets is folded cleanly.

 

 

 

compare it to the fold-over on the fc:

 

 

other details specific to the champloos:

 

- my pair is number 380 (out of 500 if i'm not mistaken)

 

 

- the backpocket is half-lined unlike the standard sd-103 which i believe has a decorative horizontal stitching across the backpockets which suggests half-lining that isn't actually there (cmiiw).

 

 

progress will be slow on this pair since i wear all my pairs regularly. i myself can't wait to see what okinawa craftmanship can do to an osaka denim!

 

- sizing: my fc is a 32, mf 54 a 31, hawaii a 32, red-d a 31 and this is a 33. waist quite snug, perfect everywhere else (which for me is loose-ish by sufu standard (maybe not in denimbro! )

 

Edited May 19, 2013 by oomslokop

[exaptavist]

Quality write up oomslokop!

[Sugar Mountain]

Excellent post Oomslokop. Great comparison photos. Now lets have some fit pics!

[garden gnomes in space]

nice.  

[Flash]

Now i miss my 103's

Great looking jeans oomslokop

[oomslokop]

post-soak fit:

 

 

 

 

 

[Flash]

Nice fit mate

[garden gnomes in space]

now im gonna wear my sd-101's tomorrow

[oomslokop]

current fit of sda champloo oki-515:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[garden gnomes in space]

thats how its done.  nice fit

[oomslokop]

washing machine broke down, so handwash with attack detergent this time:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

truest colour would be the left backpocket one.

 

 

 

 

 

[oomslokop]

legtwist update on fc1108:

 

[garden gnomes in space]

dang.  my full counts dont have twist that severe.  my sda 101's on the other had have ridiculous twist.  

[Sugar Mountain]

My 1101 have leg twist like that. Perhaps Fullcount XX denim doesn't have the same 'issue'? 

 

Those 1108 are looking really great, regardless. How long have they been worn for now?

[garden gnomes in space]

OSAKA SHOWDOWN LEG TWIST CONTEST  

[oomslokop]

@sugarmountain ive worn it since sometime end of 2011, but i rotate it with 4 other pairs. maybe 1 year effective wear? 6-7 washes.

[oomslokop]

latest update after another wash. #nofilter 

 

 

 

 

[oomslokop]

champloo (sdaxdv, 103 cut)