Denim Blunders, Reflections and General Nonsense.

[volvo240thebest]

Not Japanese but extremely well made (in Germany), and custom made to your specs, have a look at Uwe Tauber. He'll make you whatever design you wish for.

I have a billfold with custom Italian ID card slot (it's bigger than any other ID card...) and a folding coin pocket which is very convenient. Wide choice of leathers, I had mine made out of a NOS vegtan leather from a long gone Eastern Germany tannery, which is aging really well.

Not cheap and not readily available (you'll have to wait a bit, maybe around 3 weeks/1 month), but definitely worth the money.

Tigerstrom has another custom wallet by him too I think.

 

 

[oomslokop]

moto!

 

 

[Iron Horse]

If it's ready-made, I'll second Moto. Also, the Superior Labor.

[mikecch]

1 hour ago, Max Power said:

Every year or so I think about replacing my wallet. I'd like to get a well made japanese wallet, but always struggle to find a Piece that fits all my criteria:

- room for about 6 Cards and my ID (would be sufficient if the Card Slots Held two Cards at once)

- coin pocket

- should not be taller than 5" so it sits well in the backpocket

 

Does anybody have a recommendation?

Ready for purchase? Check out the Japanese brands and craftsman that the Kawakichi webshop stocks.

I've been following a few Japanese craftsmen on IG, such as Samurai Craft, Zero One, sixteen leather, and Daisuke Uchimura...you should get on IG and have a look.

 

If it doesn't have to be Japanese, then former SuFu members such Scott Willis, Ray Lansburg, John Faler, etc can do very nice custom pieces, and there's no shortage of photos in the leather threads of their work!

[Geeman]

Max have you looked at Obbi Goods,they also do custom orders and are reasonably priced? 

[Max Power]

Yes, my current wallet is from them and has served  me well for 6 years. It actually still does, but looking  at FH and other japanese wallets made me think to go upgrade. I'm somewhat intrigued by replacing stuff that I have by a final product that will last me  forever.

Edited March 1, 2017 by Max Power

[Cold Summer]

If I were you I'd go with Flat Head. Their Stockburg wallets are indestructible and meet all your criteria except number of card slots.

I also really like my Tim Leathers mid wallet, I had similar specifications to yours and have been really happy with it. Mine has four card slots, but I'm sure it could easily be modified to six. It's not as crazy overengineered as the FH wallets but it's much slimmer, much nicer quality construction than OGL, and should last as long as anything.

[Max Power]

The stockburg wallets are nice indeed, but i fear a tad too long. However dc4 has a nice one that i could check out soon...

[1fookntitefd]

Max have you considered the new flathead wallets? I saw these in Japan and was seriously tempted to buy it but I had just bought a different one not too long ago. 

[Max Power]

Thanks, but they're too wild and huge for me. I am looking for something like this Kawatako wallet - just found it sold out so far.

http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/vari/item/kt-01m-to-oil/

[Iron Horse]

If time isn't an issue then I would just ask Tim Leathers to make you want you want; he has a good selection of leathers, and can make pretty much anything for a reasonable price. Never seen a half-assed pieced from him, all his workmanship is top of the line.

[TerryElessar]

@Max Power, try Wild Swans. I have a Grounder in brown bought Nov '15 which is my daliy wallet and has held up really well. Really like their Tongue series too.

[Foxy2]

time for an update on my Obbi Good Label wallet...it fares rather well, so far!

[mikecch]

2 hours ago, Max Power said:

Thanks, but they're too wild and huge for me. I am looking for something like this Kawatako wallet - just found it sold out so far.

http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/vari/item/kt-01m-to-oil/

If you like the curvy Japanese billfolds, have a look at Pickles Craft.

[Cold Summer]

There's been a bit of talk about this on the PBJ thread, but Okayama Denim is being forced by Pure Blue Japan to raise retail prices on all their PBJ stock, to be roughly the same as international retailers. This means price increase of $100+ in many cases.

What do you guys make of this? On the one hand, I like supporting local (Chrome Yellow, Ponce Denim) and domestic/western (Self Edge, Rivet And Hide) retailers and I'm often willing to pay a bit more to do that, but this whole notion of price fixing and not letting the stores compete doesn't really sit well with me. The way that most denim brands basically set their prices and everyone sells at the same rate has always seemed very unusual, compared to a lot of stuff (like buying electric guitar gear) where you can shop around online and find places which clearly have better prices than others. 

The thing about denim fans is that for the most part they don't seem like super-wealthy consumers who can afford to drop crazy money on stuff anyway; it's mostly a community of enthusiasts for whom buying this stuff in the first place is a bit of a sacrifice and better prices make a big difference. I don't know this for certain, but Japanese stores seem to accept lower profit margins (buying stock at a pretty high % of the retail price) than Western retailers, who might mark up in part to stay profitable in a business where it's already hard to make money. To be fair, western retailers also have to deal with shipping and customs charges from Japan.

Do y'all think similar things are in store for other Japanese brands adopting a policy akin to PBJ?

[TheIntelligentHoodwinker]

59 minutes ago, Cold Summer said:

Do y'all think similar things are in store for other Japanese brands adopting a policy akin to PBJ?

Yes, I do. Already seeing it with Full Count.

This has been a pretty regular topic here over the years, and my stance is always the same. There are a few staple pairs of jeans that I buy, wear, then replace with the same pair. The brands are ones that I have always bought online, and researched myself. I know exactly what size and cut I need without trying them on. To no longer be able to do that affordably is a little annoying. I get why they charge more, but I can't justify it - the jump is just too high.

[bod]

On 02/03/2017 at 8:23 AM, Max Power said:

Thanks, but they're too wild and huge for me. I am looking for something like this Kawatako wallet - just found it sold out so far.

http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/vari/item/kt-01m-to-oil/

Max,

What about an Ironheart shell cordovan wallet? I had an oxblood one with the coin pouch a couple of years ago, they made some without it for Rivet & Hide  which I'd prefer!

 

Edited March 6, 2017 by bod

[Geeman]

4 hours ago, Cold Summer said:

 

Do y'all think similar things are in store for other Japanese brands adopting a policy akin to PBJ?

I can 'almost' understand the reasoning behind the increase but the % increase is hard to swallow. PBJ are on a roll at the moment and are no doubt looking to max return on the tide of intrest. I think other brands will watch with interest and follow suit if PBJ get away with it. The JP brands run the risk of cutting off their overseas customers and driving them to easier to access brands such as 3sixteen  (absolutely nothing wrong with 3sixteen by the way ) railcar etc.

[Iron Horse]

17 hours ago, Cold Summer said:

Do y'all think similar things are in store for other Japanese brands adopting a policy akin to PBJ?

No. 

[Cold Summer]

Some reflections and general nonsense about denim jackets:

When you think about it, denim jackets don't really make much sense. I liked the look of the Type II until I actually got one and realized how hard it is to actually use the front pockets, which are strangely spaced far apart and hard to actually access. Most denim jackets don't have hand pockets or a usable chest/inner pocket that will accommodate your average smartphone. On top of this I'm not real crazy about some of the details (the pleats on the Type II, the V-shaped vertical lines on the Type III.)

I like old-school repros as much as the next guy, but why's it so hard for more brands to make a more practical denim jacket? The best one I've handled is probably Rogue Territory's. I've got their waxed canvas jacket, which is pretty much the same thing in a different fabric, so I might just end up getting one of their denim jackets as well. It's one of the best fitting jackets I've ever tried, and the pockets are great.

On the other hand, my Flat Head denim shirt is one of my favorite garments I own and once it gets back from Indigo proof (hooray for pointy elbows blasting holes through the shirt at only five months' wear time!) I'll probably just keep wearing it as my denim jacket. The crazy heretical part of me wishes there was a stealthy way of adding additional pockets to it.

[Maynard Friedman]

Sounds like you need to invent the Type IV jacket, CS!

[volvo240thebest]

hahaha to each his own! I always been a big lover of the denim jacket, always had one, even before my raw denim "hobby".

The lack of hand pockets doesn't bother me at all too. When it comes to practicality I am very flexible and easy though. Style comes first to me, that's why I enjoy driving everyday an old car.

 

 

[Iron Horse]

I do find that I rarely wear my Sugar Cane Type II. I can do double denim sometimes, but not regularly, and I'm not always in the mood to wear my chinos. The lack of side pockets bugs me too. It's still fun to wear on occasion, though so I've been toying with the idea of getting some green HBT pants like the Freewheelers M-1942 to give the jacket more use.

Either that or sew the neck hole and wear the jacket as pants.

[iamsuperflush]

3 hours ago, Cold Summer said:

On the other hand, my Flat Head denim shirt is one of my favorite garments I own and once it gets back from Indigo proof (hooray for pointy elbows blasting holes through the shirt at only five months' wear time!) I'll probably just keep wearing it as my denim jacket. The crazy heretical part of me wishes there was a stealthy way of adding additional pockets to it.

What about Iron Heart shirt jacket pattern?

[SuperJackle]

@Cold Summer 

This is a sentiment I've been having lately in many ways as well. I'm kind of come full circle back to the American brands. I've just gotten over jeans that cost too much for the headache associated with the unsanforized guessing game, cotton threads breaking, and just clothes that really weren't designed for western frames. I was never really into repro much anyway, and it may have been lack of functionality that was part of the reason. 

I have a couple Rogue territory supply jackets and find they're just fine for me. Just picked up the ranger jacket in pine, and dammit if that thing isn't an awesome jacket.

 

[shoreman]

I still find certain North American brands to be too pricey for what they offer, especially after shipping and taxes. 

[Cold Summer]

The pine ranger jacket looks awesome, who's carrying that? I see Snake Oil is already sold out of it.

Yeah, I feel the same way about a lot of this, especially since stuff from Western brands seem to fit me a lot better than Japanese ones, in most cases. On the other hand when I wear my Samurai S710s I really enjoy the little things that really make Japanese garments special, so I don't think I'll ever completely write them off in favor of western stuff.

I do like the Iron Heart CPO shirts, especially after seeing how well Nizzel's shirts have faded. Seems like that would be a good fit too, would be a nice option to consider once my FH shirt is really busted up.

[SuperJackle]

1 minute ago, shoreman said:

I still find certain North American brands to be too pricey for what they offer, especially after shipping and taxes. 

Yeah I hear ya, their prices have slowly been creeping higher in the last 3-4 years too. 

[Geeman]

I'm on my third attempt at a denim jacket that works for me. 1st was a Real Mcoys type 2, far to short in the body.  2nd was Sugarcane type 3, to long in the sleeves and to loose fitting now I've just got the 3sixteen shadow type 3. Slim fit, no cinch or side fastening, lovely lined usable front pockets. Hopefully onto a winner!

My Sugar Cane is up for sale by the way after one or 2 wears: 

https://www.grailed.com/users/4878-greiglewis4/wardrobe

 

[SuperJackle]

@Cold Summer

Berkeley has a full stock of sizes it looks like. 

https://berkeleysupply.com/collections/jacket/products/rogue-territory-ranger-jacket-1?variant=31188967058