Warp and Weft: A Snapshot of Raw Denim in the United States (Documentary!)

[DFreshLeish]

Thank god I was starting to get worried! Hope you like it, and again, thanks for your support!

[cAbES]

fit pics will go up once i get a chance to take some, really digging the colors on the blue shirt

[Anders Helseth]

I've received my t-shirts. Haven't had the chance to take any pictures yet, but will do it later!

[DFreshLeish]

Hope everyone had a nice new years, we're only a couple weeks away from the New York shoots! W&W shirt fit pix anyone?

Also, I wanted to take a second to introduce you all to someone who has become extremely important to this film, Anders Helseth. I know I've mentioned him briefly, but he is still an unknown to a lot of people on this board, even though his knowledge and passion for denim is rather extensive.

anders helseth first got into japanese denim through the brand evisu, which he initially noticed through travelling around at breakdancing events in europe. at that time denim was becoming quite common as b-boy attire, and the well-known evisu seagull logo could be spotted on several back pockets.

 

while trying to find out more about the evisu brand, anders learned about japanese selvage denim and the heritage that was being kept alive by japanese craftsmen. this aspect of creating jeans, taking root in the way they used to be made in decades past, really caught his interest. soon anders looked beyond the brand to see what other indigo treasures japan had to offer, and came across many brands which further developed his taste for denim.

 

somewhere along the way anders came across superfuture’s superdenim forums, which contained more in-depth information about various japanese brands and their famous jeans. he joined the sufu community as late as march 2010, and became even more delved into the denim scene. the sufu community has been fundamental in his understanding of denim as a lifestyle, rather than just being a pair of blue trousers.

 

in late 2010 anders completed a dissertation for his master’s degree, where his focus was set on comparing original american brands versus japanese repro brands, interviewing several sufu members during his research process. when the opportunity arose to become a part of a documentary about raw denim, anders decided it was time for a serious contribution. his motivation for doing so was to give back to the community, which had given him so much fuel for his japanese denim passion. seeing innerface films as being equally passionate about denim, he decided to join the team as the movies main presenter and executive producer.

 

without his contribution we might not have been able to realize our project; at least not according to our original plan. he gave us access to his dissertation for further inspiration and background material for the documentary; also to insure quality through giving us a more academic approach. furthermore, he’s still contributing ideas and is more or less a full-fledged and integral member of the crew; this even while being situated in norway, which is almost half across the globe. that’s what denim can do to you!

[DFreshLeish]

Is anyone still waiting on a shirt? USPS was taking forever, but I think everyone is caught up, just wanted to make sure...

[JacoBlue]

Sweet Project! If you ever go to Sweden you should Visit the store www.Unionville.se and ill come and say hi GOOD LUCK!

[Canuk]

Shirt received - was waiting for me when I returned from holiday. Pretty freakn sweet!

[justindisgustin]

I had a thought: if you could manage to get your hands on some "fake" selvage jeans or some that are poorly made or questionable (I think GAP made some jeans they called selvage once) so as to highlight the differences. It also may be worth comparing the general quality of materials and construction to something like True Religion or AG, or some Rock Revival or Rock & Republic. I think it'd be interesting.

[llvlaglne]

so the new york meet up is definately january 27?

[DFreshLeish]

The SuFu shoots are the dates in bold, so the NY meet up is Saturday January 28th. Have you PM'ed me before? I've sent a couple emails to everyone that has PM'ed me, and everyone will get more detailed reminders starting next week.

[llvlaglne]

no i've never contacted you before, but i wouldnt mind coming out to support you guys and have a good time

[DFreshLeish]

Awesome man, we'd love to see you out there. I'll add you to the PM list, you'll get an email at the end of this weekend with more details on the shoot.

See you out there!

[DFreshLeish]

The guys over at Rawrdenim.com posted a nice interview with us about the film, check it out!

http://www.rawrdenim.com/2012/01/exclusive-interview-10-questions-for-warp-wefts-devin-leisher-mehdi-ahmadi/

[llvlaglne]

thanks.... yea i read that interview... awesome man

[beatle]

I will see you guys next weekend..

[Cold Summer]

I was in Bethesda last week for my students' exchange program. If my PBJs had some more impressive wear (only two months so far), I might've pushed for a quick interview. Have you thought about interviewing SidneyLo (NYC I guess)? It would be awesome to see his legendary Flat Heads or (more) recent Iron Hearts on film. Looking forward to the film!

I must say though, I didn't see anything resembling much raw denim around the Bethesda/DC area!

Edited January 14, 2012 by Cold Summer

[llvlaglne]

@cold summer- i remember you from the mynudies forums.... you have to see in person sidneylo's 3001s being displayed in selfedgeNY

[DFreshLeish]

I will see you guys next weekend..

Super super stoked, should be a fun time! Look for an email with further details over the next day or two...

I'll try and contact sidneylo, didn't realize he was NY native. I remember seeing those jeans in a frame at SENY a couple years ago and just being inspired... I remember taking a picture of them, still got it around here somewhere ha

[DFreshLeish]

I must say though, I didn't see anything resembling much raw denim around the Bethesda/DC area!

Yeah, not a whole lot of love for that around here, just finished the first "shoot" for the film with one of two people I know who are into raw from here. "Shoot" is in quotations because it was the final test run for us before start the official shooting next weekend, but some of his stuff may make it into the final....

Can't wait for NY

[beatle]

did shoot sid an email , would be great to meet up with him...

[laxlife1234]

Dfresh.. where's the NY shoot going to be? And it's the week after this up and coming saturday?

[DFreshLeish]

Lax, yes the shoot is the weekend after next, January 28. It'll be in the soho area, not too far from SENY. I'll have more details in the coming emails about it, so look out for those, just ironing some small details out...

[llvlaglne]

can't wait for it....

[Osmosis Jones]

I'm in San Francisco.

[BrownMetallic]

i'll be outside U.S. for a week & a half, but will be back NYC-side by the 28th. yeah, please post up deets of sched/itinerary so local enthusiasts can drop by to take part__ or even just to take a peek.

Edited January 16, 2012 by BrownMetallic

[jimmyc]

Beatle and myself are meeting up at Self-Edge in NYC this Saturday at 6:00pm before our meeting with the WARP & WEFT producers.

If you want any DoubleXX gear order today and I'll hand deliver it to you in NYC if you are gonna be around

[llvlaglne]

sigh.... too bad i'm working

[DFreshLeish]

i'll be outside U.S. for a week & a half, but will be back NYC-side by the 28th. yeah, please post up deets of sched/itinerary so local enthusiasts can drop by to take part__ or even just to take a peek.

Awesome, looking forward to seeing you out there! I'll put up details on monday once we're back from NY with beats and JimmyC, it'd be cool to see a bunch of people stop by to check the filming out and just to see other denim-heads. Thanks everyone for being patient with schedules and details! Just need to get through this first weekend...

[DFreshLeish]

Just wrapped Beatle and JimmyC shoot, holy crap what a good day! Location was awesome, so thanks to Dan from Feltraiger, interviews couldn't have gone better, Beats and Jimmy are top notch, can't wait to drop some footage on you all!

[Anders Helseth]

Just wrapped Beatle and JimmyC shoot, holy crap what a good day! Location was awesome, so thanks to Dan from Feltraiger, interviews couldn't have gone better, Beats and Jimmy are top notch, can't wait to drop some footage on you all!

Great news, Devin. Looking forward to it!