STORY mfg

[garden gnomes in space]

Looks great.  

[Graytrain]

Christ, are those raw with that much leg twist??

[lance]

I agree, they do look great JammySTB and the fit is perfect! Mine have shipped so I'm looking for them sometime next week - thanks for the pics.  

edit - man, I love the pure hand loomed texture of the denim - the real thing!

Edited September 12, 2014 by lance

[Broark]

The denim looks quite interesting!

Kind of strange that the measurements for the rise are below the waistband.

Made me think the rise was super low.

[JammySTB]

Christ, are those raw with that much leg twist??

Bobbin tells me that the pattern was taken directly from a vintage pair of jeans, so there is a bit of leg twist in them.  However, the right leg of mine seems to be twisted waaay more than any of the other jeans they've made(the left leg is normal).  Bobbin said it might be a fault & offered an exchange, although I turned it down - I like the fact that they aren't a "perfect" pair of jeans, it's the same reason I like the handwoven fabric.

[kiya]

Are those Rivers made of left hand twill denim?

[bradl]

IIRC no.

[kiya]

Because if it's not left hand twill then leg twist is in the wrong direction, no?

[JammySTB]

Are those Rivers made of left hand twill denim?

Nope, right hand twill.

 

I'm not sure why my right leg is so twisted(over 90° at the hem), but normally both legs twist about 45°, like this.

 

EDIT:  The leg twist is due to the pattern, not shrinkage.  Here's what Bobbin said about it on /r/expensivemalefashion:

 

"Leg twist occurs when the denim shrinks, and the direction it twist depends on the direction of the twill.

The pattern for these were taken from a genuine 1940s jean which has leg twist and we kept it true - although this one looks quite drastic in the pic. Here, here is another!"

Edited September 12, 2014 by JammySTB

[JammySTB]

x-post from WAYWT

 

STORY mfg / The Strike Gold / STORY mfg / Converse

 

 

EDIT:  Just realised that this is a Flat Head tee, not a Strike Gold.

Edited September 13, 2014 by JammySTB

[Foxy2]

My Story pre-order did arrive in the meantime and I thought I should upload the pre-soak pictures...

Here's the NI x NI Denim:

...and the River Denim:

I am finished soaking them, but not sure I want to hem and wear them any time soon...

My guess is that we are not going to see much of these specific pairs here on SuFu - they are quite different and can only compete here due to their unique fabrics.

Edited September 30, 2014 by Foxy2

[garden gnomes in space]

i think they look great.   Dont think I could pull them off based on the charts on their web site though.  

Edited September 30, 2014 by garden gnomes in space

[bradl]

Yeah thigh, and front rise gives it a weird bulge on fits I've seen. But damn I want that denim

Would suffer through it for a pair of unsabf blacks though

Edited September 30, 2014 by bradl

[Foxy2]

Personally, I think the cut is weird - the legs are slim and straight, but too slim for the top block. The top block has a high rise. Which is OK, but the fly front is very deep and too long with only three buttons (especially, with limp fabrics). It seems like the legs have been slimmed down to create a "hipster", tapered fit.

No patch, no hidden rivets, no rope in the belt loops, plain & standard hardware - I guess we are completely spoiled by the level of detail on "our" Japanese jeans...

The NI x NI denim is quite nice and should work wonders on a cut more to my liking.

The River denim looks amazing, but is so limp and soft that it looks like a sweat pant knit fabric. Great fabric, but doesn't work as a denim fabric. (I fear it will bulge and create "knee bags").

If they don't come up with a better cut and some serious improvements in the execution and fabric development I think we can write them off.

I understand the aim to be unique and authentic, but even Tender gets the details right - no mater what you think of his cuts and aesthetics!

I don't dis or attack them - in fact, I believe there many happy customers out there that exactly like what they are getting.

Edited October 1, 2014 by Foxy2

[Megatron1505]

I must claim ignorance here, is the River Denim hand woven? I only ask as it look a lot like the denim which Elhaus did for their collaboration with NoKipple. Hearing Foxy describe it as a bit like sweat pant material also struck a chord as the EH denim was also very thick and very soft, maybe a by-product of the weaving process?

[Maynard Friedman]

Foxy, so you've just spent God knows how much on 2 pairs of jeans you don't really like and will almost certainly never wear! I know it's your money and choice, etc but seems ludicrous to me.

[bradl]

Nice to see an honest opinion. Seems like everyone on reddit couldn't say anything constructive to save their life just because it was a brand they all love, and don't want to see any faults with them.

But the back pockets and the triple yoke stitching, along with front buldging would make me never buy them. Bobbin said they're going for historical accuracy, and they weren't going to compromise that. So that is probably why you don't see those details on yours foxy. Also they have a strict rule,they won't use anything that has harmed an animal, so they won't do a leather patch, but seems like they could have cane up with something new and interesting to use.

[Foxy2]

Foxy, so you've just spent God knows how much on 2 pairs of jeans you don't really like and will almost certainly never wear! I know it's your money and choice, etc but seems ludicrous to me.

Yeah, bugs me, too.

Part of me is a collector and I wouldn't mind considering it an investment in something promising.

Maybe, I'll put it up for sale one day...

Edited October 1, 2014 by Foxy2

[Foxy2]

...

But the back pockets and the triple yoke stitching, along with front buldging would make me never buy them. Bobbin said they're going for historical accuracy, and they weren't going to compromise that. So that is probably why you don't see those details on yours foxy. Also they have a strict rule,they won't use anything that has harmed an animal, so they won't do a leather patch, but seems like they could have cane up with something new and interesting to use.

Separating the jeans/pattern from the denim/fabric has proven too much for story...at leat for now. (Or maybe, I'm too much fashion-backwards.)

You can do it - SC is a good example with their 50/50 and their handwoven models. But they have years of experience and did use a much more appropriate/forgiving fit/pattern.

I don't want to see the original pair that they have tried to copy/replicate/re-create - if it looks bad I would be really upset!

[JammySTB]

This article has some pictures of the pair they based the 0 Jean off.

You can see some of the details that they've kept from it - the triple-stitched yoke, the coin pocket, the bartacked back pockets. It's hard to tell if the fly on the pair is as long as it is on the 0 Jean, but that's definitely a complaint I'd have about mine. I think they need another button on the fly to stop it from flaring out when sitting down. Also, it doesn't look like the belt loops are raised, but they definitely have changed the belt loops. I do remember seeing a prototype with those belt loops, so I'm not sure what led to the change.

I'm not so sure it's the fact that it's handwoven that makes it soft. The denim on my Time Jacket is no where near as soft as the denim on my River jeans. The Rivers are ridiculously soft though - I can understand that if you were wanting a more "normal" pair of jeans, you'd be disappointed with them, but one of the biggest reasons I like STORY is because they don't make "normal" pairs of jeans - there are plenty of other companies that do that already in my opinion!

Also, Foxy, you say you soaked your jeans. Did the cyanotype pocket fade or disappear at all?

Edited October 8, 2014 by JammySTB

[lance]

delete

Edited December 22, 2014 by lance

[smartlew]

As far as I can tell, the "river denim" is almost identical to this:

 

http://merchantandmills.com/products/cloth/indian-handloom-denim/

 

Which, if so, is a lovely fabric - I got some a while back with the intention of making some jeans/shorts/a shirt but, being a sewing novice, found it tricky to work with. The weave is pretty loose (for denim), so had quite a bit of move and stretch to it. Lovely soft handle though; really slubby texture and streaky finish, and seemed to lose colour quite easily. Possibly of interest for people who don't like the fit of the 0 jean.

 

I'm on day 4 in my natural indigo 0 jeans and, so far, they're fantastic in every respect. The fit is great for me - the top block is pretty snug (too snug at first but quickly stretched out, and the rise helps) and the thigh is about as slim as I can go whilst still being comfortable, fabric and construction all seem to be spot on.

[JammySTB]

That denim has a slightly different selvedge ID and also doesn't seem to be quite as streaky as the River denim.  Could just be their photo though.  Here's a photo I took a while ago that shows the selvedge ID & the streakiness.  In any case, it does look like some really nice denim!

 

Also, here's a few brands I've noticed using the same/similar fabrics to STORY:

 

Korra seem to use the same selvedge herringbone tape that STORY use for a couple of things.

 

Levi's x Colours of Nature 2013.  IIRC, these were made in the same mill that STORY used, but these are powerloomed fabrics, not handloomed.

 

Levi's made-in-India Khadi collection.  That pair of jeans looks like it could be made with the River denim - even the selvedge ID matches.

 

Industry of all Nations.  Their "indigo 2-dips" seems like STORY's Hank 2.  Their "iron 8 dips" also looks quite similar to STORY's black denim.  This article also shows some fabrics that look like STORY's.

[lance]

^^Thanks for the link, smartlew, sure looks similar to the River denim. It would make a nice shirt - now to find a tailor who will work with it

^ to you as well, JammySTB - enjoying your links

Story is indicating that they will release two shirts shortly; one natural indigo, one ikat - should be interesting, lookin forward to it

Edited November 7, 2014 by lance

[smartlew]

Foxy how are you getting one with your NIs since soaking them? Have they lost a load of colour?

[JammySTB]

Really cool article about the dyeing of their Scarves & Shirts.

 

I'm picking up a purple shirt, that thing looks incredible:

 

[JammySTB]

As far as I can tell, the "river denim" is almost identical to this:

 

http://merchantandmills.com/products/cloth/indian-handloom-denim/

 

Which, if so, is a lovely fabric - I got some a while back with the intention of making some jeans/shorts/a shirt but, being a sewing novice, found it tricky to work with. The weave is pretty loose (for denim), so had quite a bit of move and stretch to it. Lovely soft handle though; really slubby texture and streaky finish, and seemed to lose colour quite easily. Possibly of interest for people who don't like the fit of the 0 jean.

 

I'm on day 4 in my natural indigo 0 jeans and, so far, they're fantastic in every respect. The fit is great for me - the top block is pretty snug (too snug at first but quickly stretched out, and the rise helps) and the thigh is about as slim as I can go whilst still being comfortable, fabric and construction all seem to be spot on.

 

I've just had a shirt made out of this fabric by Quinn Selvedge Supply(aka NutuSufu on this forum).  Here's some comparison shots with my STORY River denim:

 

 

 

The River denim is a lot softer than the denim from Merchant and Mills.  The M&M denim is more rough and stiff, although it is softer than most raw denim.  The River is lighter in colour and waaaaaay streakier(the M&M is barely streaky at all).  The M&M is significantly slubbier than the River in both the warp and weft.  It also has way more flaws in it:

 

 

 

Both are really nice fabrics!  Part of me wishes I wasn't participating in the PBJ contest so I could wear them both at once.

Edited January 9, 2015 by JammySTB

[JammySTB]

My Shore Shirt arrived!  The colours are incredible.

 

[lance]

^ I have to agree  - received the indigo dyed version today - lighter in color (no photo, camera went TU). The texture of the hand loomed cloth is wonderful as is the indigo dye. These two are breaking new ground with the hand loomed, natural indigo dyed cloth and a traveling store on water!

[Sigur Rós]

@JammySTB

Are those a pair of sda neb jeans?