Denim Blunders, Reflections and General Nonsense.

[CSL]

https://www.instagram.com/p/DNy2Nfb5M0E/?img_index=1

[reallypeacedoff]

I have always wanted to do a minitruck build inspired by denim. Natural leather for upholstery, ages with wear. Denim for the door cards. Contrast stitching. Copper steering wheel and shift nob. Maybe a deep metallic indigo blue paint with white rims and red brake calipers.

[tooth]

I haven't bought anything from Iron Heart in many years, but still get their emails. In their latest blast, they mention they're going to cover all duty fees associated with purchases made by US customers. Duty fees could be anywhere from 10% - 50%. I've got to say, this is pretty huge and kudos to IH for taking this on. 

[julian-wolf]

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Their standard international markup is high enough that they should still be taking in plenty. Even if every other brand’s international partners did pass the tariffs directly on to customers, IH would still be one of the more expensive options, relative to domestic pricing

[efujobu1]

On 8/26/2025 at 8:36 AM, mlwdp said:

Proxy service World Shopping stopped shipping to USA temporarily.

edit: Japan Post.  DHL is fine for now it looks like.

 

I finally found the TCB jacket and ordered this past weekend to avoid tariffs. Now this 😭 It was accepted EMS on 8/26 so we’ll see what happens.

[tooth]

2 hours ago, julian-wolf said:

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Their standard international markup is high enough that they should still be taking in plenty. Even if every other brand’s international partners did pass the tariffs directly on to customers, IH would still be one of the more expensive options, relative to domestic pricing

Agree, but it’s not like they have to do this. I thought it was still a pretty cool thing for them to take on.

[Hopethisoneisnttaken]

9 hours ago, tooth said:

Agree, but it’s not like they have to do this. I thought it was still a pretty cool thing for them to take on.

They sort of have too. The mark up would likely make their items even more unreachable. 

[OutSider]

17 hours ago, tooth said:

Agree, but it’s not like they have to do this. I thought it was still a pretty cool thing for them to take on.

Yeah it’s so cool they aren’t going to gouge people even more. So generous of them. 
It’s the furthest thing from cool and it’s sad that it’s applauded at all.

Edited Friday at 12:03 PM by OutSider

[Cold Summer]

Yeah, I know this is my cynical side talking, but I feel like some brands/retailers are taking advantage of the tariff situation for performative PR flexing.

On the one hand I can't really blame Iron Heart for charging what the market is evidently willing to pay for their products, but it's a bit egregious when it's easy to find that the Japanese retail price is vastly lower than the international markup, beyond what can easily be accounted for by shipping/duties/etc. For myself (and I suspect, most denim fans who don't buy into the "ultra-tough" mythology of the brand), IH doesn't offer me a good value compared to brands like TCB or buying secondhand.

I have enough jeans and other casual clothing to easily last me through the next decade or more (factoring in routine repairs, etc.), so I'm not especially bothered by how this tariff situation affects my clothes-buying habits.

Edited Friday at 12:33 PM by Cold Summer

[Double 0 Soul]

A few months ago, I noticed the large free range eggs in Tesco were getting smaller.. wait/what!.. akin to medium sized eggs.

Then a couple of weeks later, I noticed the introduction of extra large eggs.. which surprise, surprise are no bigger than the large eggs from a few months previous, yet they cost 40p more?

..so I’ve been opening 2x boxes of eggs, and swapping the large eggs for the XL eggs.. the box is barcoded (it’s not a weighed item) so it’s all good.. 👍 

I do the same with spring onions, you can easily shove 3 or 4 more into the elastic band holding the bundle together, scan the barcode.. 69p, bobs yer’ uncle.

My mrs says this is shoplifting (if I was swapping XL for Med, then maybe so) but I like to see it as ‘redressing the shrinkflation balance’.. 

Does anyone else have any other hints and tips for getting the most from your weekly shop?

[LoneWolfWelding]

3 hours ago, Double 0 Soul said:

A few months ago, I noticed the large free range eggs in Tesco were getting smaller.. wait/what!.. akin to medium sized eggs.

Then a couple of weeks later, I noticed the introduction of extra large eggs.. which surprise, surprise are no bigger than the large eggs from a few months previous, yet they cost 40p more?

..so I’ve been opening 2x boxes of eggs, and swapping the large eggs for the XL eggs.. the box is barcoded (it’s not a weighed item) so it’s all good.. 👍 

I do the same with spring onions, you can easily shove 3 or 4 more into the elastic band holding the bundle together, scan the barcode.. 69p, bobs yer’ uncle.

My mrs says this is shoplifting (if I was swapping XL for Med, then maybe so) but I like to see it as ‘redressing the shrinkflation balance’.. 

Does anyone else have any other hints and tips for getting the most from your weekly shop?

Buy a few ducks! We raise ducks for eggs and our hens lay HUGE eggs 

[Hopethisoneisnttaken]

3 hours ago, Double 0 Soul said:

A few months ago, I noticed the large free range eggs in Tesco were getting smaller.. wait/what!.. akin to medium sized eggs.

Then a couple of weeks later, I noticed the introduction of extra large eggs.. which surprise, surprise are no bigger than the large eggs from a few months previous, yet they cost 40p more?

..so I’ve been opening 2x boxes of eggs, and swapping the large eggs for the XL eggs.. the box is barcoded (it’s not a weighed item) so it’s all good.. 👍 

I do the same with spring onions, you can easily shove 3 or 4 more into the elastic band holding the bundle together, scan the barcode.. 69p, bobs yer’ uncle.

My mrs says this is shoplifting (if I was swapping XL for Med, then maybe so) but I like to see it as ‘redressing the shrinkflation balance’.. 

Does anyone else have any other hints and tips for getting the most from your weekly shop?

We buy directly from farmers (via a co -op) , so it’s more fresh and usually slightly cheaper. 

[Vamp]

On 8/27/2025 at 4:35 PM, reallypeacedoff said:

I have always wanted to do a minitruck build inspired by denim. Natural leather for upholstery, ages with wear. Denim for the door cards. Contrast stitching. Copper steering wheel and shift nob. Maybe a deep metallic indigo blue paint with white rims and red brake calipers.

Have you ever seen Naked and Famous's minitruck project? Might be good inspiration   https://www.nakedandfamousdenim.com/en/news/2022/2/11/the-daihatsu-hijet-jumbo-that-fades-like-denim

I'm also circling the idea of getting a minitruck after falling in love with them during a recent trip to Japan... 

[Double 0 Soul]

2 hours ago, LoneWolfWelding said:

Buy a few ducks! We raise ducks for eggs and our hens lay HUGE eggs 

We used to have ducks when i was a kid.. alas, too many foxes around our neighbourhood..

This was a bizarre occurrence, i was riding to the Peak District a couple of weeks ago and i spotted a number plate on the opposite side of the road with some bits of plastic car bumper.. then i saw a huge black skidmark and a young deer just laying dead at the side of the road.. in perfect condition, like it was asleep.. i carried on my ride, then last week, i rode past the same spot but the deer was on my side of the road around 30meters down from the skidmark with it's carcass open and it's innards missing.. what i can't figure out is how the hell it got there?

In the US, it could be a whole host of culprits but over here, it could only be foxes but this young deer was probably the weight of a large Labrador and stood waist high at the haunches.. i would struggle to lift it so this would need to be a gang of foxes.. maybe they got their woodland friends involved.. a couple of friendly rabbits, some bluetits, a passing badger and they all worked together to haul it's ass across the road and down the verge.. but if so? .. why the effort when they could have just eaten it where it lay?

1 hour ago, Hopethisoneisnttaken said:

We buy directly from farmers (via a co -op) , so it’s more fresh and usually slightly cheaper. 

Where i used to live.. i'd get hens eggs from the farm across the street.. but here, it's a 20min bike ride for me to fetch goose eggs from the local farm so i just grab a box at Tesco with my weekly shop.

[Double 0 Soul]

One of my friends looks for reduced meat in the supermarket, finds 400g of out of date pork mince for example where the reduced label hasn't been particularly well attached.. finds a 400g ribeye, peels the label off the mince and sticks it to the steak...

This genius idea should get us through the cost of living crisis!

[mlwdp]

Blast from the past:

https://coolhunting.com/style/ch-exclusive-se/

[Cold Summer]

Awesome jeans. I only got into raw denim at the end of 2009, and it would be a couple years before I really found SuFu, so this was a bit before my time.

[Maynard Friedman]

Blast from the past indeed! The stitched rep bar green tab on the back pocket…

I wonder if any remaining posters on here still have or had a pair?

[reallypeacedoff]

22 hours ago, Vamp said:

Have you ever seen Naked and Famous's minitruck project? Might be good inspiration   https://www.nakedandfamousdenim.com/en/news/2022/2/11/the-daihatsu-hijet-jumbo-that-fades-like-denim

I'm also circling the idea of getting a minitruck after falling in love with them during a recent trip to Japan... 

Oh, you mean Kei truck—also very cool—but I meant more like this.

[julian-wolf]

^ What’s mini about that? That looks like a regular full sized truck, just without a functioning suspension system?