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Denim Blunders, Reflections and General Nonsense.


cmboland

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Looks pretty good to me.

A lot of it comes down to the individual doing the hemming. When I was in Nagano, I had a pair of RJBs hemmed at the FH store near the company headquarters; they did a perfect job. Another time I got my Samurai S710s hemmed at the store in Ueda, where a coworker who had absolutely no business being anywhere near a 43200G attempted to hem them and did a lousy job. Granted, that 19-oz denim is tough to deal with, but the guy running the store had to step in and do it properly instead.

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Last year, I brought up that there are only two places in North Carolina, home of Cone Denim, that does chainstitch hemming.  Hudson Hill in Greensboro and Raleigh Denim in Raleigh.  Raleigh Denim only does hemming on their own jeans while Hudson will hem any denim, which I get mine done there, including Denim repairs. They do awesome work.  However, you would think we'd have more places here that could do this.  Sad.

Edited by mlwdp
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I've tried hems from Railcar, Blue Owl, Denimio, Detroit Denim (definitely a denim blunder) but now I've settled on Austin Denim Repair (same guy behind Paleo Denim). Personally, I love the width of the hem. When my Railcar hems at 3/8 inch seem a little too puckered/high tension these get that nice fat roping. Right under 1/2 inch. Best part is he's local! Here they are on my pair of Eternal 811 which have since roped up a bit after a soak but I'm too lazy to take more pics right now. The top is the original, bottom is Paleo Denim.

IMG_3553.thumb.JPG.4fa849d00a80d71c6030cd2c8e0f5935.JPG

Blue Owl hems can be a little fat, mine is over 1/2 inch but it gets more palatable once some roping begins.

IMG_1701.thumb.JPG.b57f6315d405b03cd75e16415b5971eb.JPGIMG_2323.thumb.jpg.2cc6c10d53a2ce6492ecfca716fc8e7c.jpg

Incidentally, I'm selling the above. Studio D'artisan 103 sz 28. These could make cool jeans for the gf (if she has

short legs).

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3 hours ago, edmond said:

The pakistani chianstitcher is spot on with that hem man 

@kiya

It's finally funny.  

Especially considering I'm not Pakistani.  

Remember when we wanted to kill each other?  I miss those days.

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13 minutes ago, kiya said:

It's finally funny.  

Especially considering I'm not Pakistani.  

Remember when we wanted to kill each other?  I miss those days.

hahahahaha man i all got but respect for you . but before yeah its the internetzzz  and i was young hahaha

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5 hours ago, Iron Horse said:

This is likely better in the Blunders thread, but it's an interesting topic. Was TFH's fabric custom-made for them (they're one of the few brands who actually has custom fabrics, most brands buy what the mills offer because a custom run is a lot of money) and SOC liked it enough to make something similar? If so, is that sort of cribbing/theft/inspiration/homage more or less valid than everyone and their grandmother trying to make a repro of Levi's 501? Is there a moral absolutist in the house who's willing to put their foot down instead of saying, "Well, all interpretations are valid"?   

John made his first run of Champion sneakers in frog camo; the fabric is nothing new, but using it to make sneakers was. Was Visvim just trend-hopping then? Notice how in the past few years everyone made gum sole sneakers (and frog camo everything) and now John has moved on to black soles. Or was BAPE actually responsible for the frog camo revival? 

Something like this was related to me by a store/brand owner; he's been making a 1940's US Mail bag for about 12 years now. A few years ago, at a Japanese trade show, a popular Japanese brand owner, who also makes a US Mail bag, was with his friend who accused store owner A of "copying his design." Talk about not seeing the forest for the trees. This is that muddy line; if no one makes sawtooth shirts, then a brand makes one based on a 1940s Levi's shirt, it's popular, and suddenly every brand is making sawtooths, the idea likely didn't come from a lucky vintage score, but from seeing what the competition was doing. But what if brand B's version is better? Ah, the free market...anyway, I'm rambling. ;)

@Iron Horse taking this here then ;) We saw this exact thing when TCB came out with the ranchman design and people jumped on a Chinese brand (Bronson) for doing the same pocket and yoke design, although it's both an old design that everyone can base his stuff on and also the Bronson one came out earlier to boot.

Or look at how Pike Brothers act like they came up with making a canvas/leather boot on their own: https://www.pikebrothers-shop.com/ItemView.action?filter=1&menuMainGrp=00000107&menuGrp=00000001&number=P0501-17-0002

Or how about both Stranger Things and Dark have kids wandering around in forests on train tracks and both also deal in heavy 80s nostalgia, both had been in development for years but are both influenced by "Stand by me" independently or did one creator see what the other was doing and only then developed his show based on some of the same influences? And if so, does it even matter?

Everything's a remix ;)

Edited by Cucoo
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5 minutes ago, Cucoo said:

Everything's a remix ;)

To be fair, I understand the reluctance with hobbyists to embrace designs coming from China; it's hard for us on the outside to see what's going on in China thanks to the Great Wall of the language barrier, but trust me, a lot of denim designers and brands are being copied like this season's Burberry purses within China (I'm not including Bronson in this, I think their hearts/heads are in the right place). I'm talking wholesale copying of original designs. In one case, store owner/brand designer in question would get e-mails from the guys in China who ripped off his design asking what his next designs would be, so that they could copy those too. It boggles the mind. But that's a whole different can of worms. The one in question, I would agree, it's all a remix; what matters to me is if the product is good. If your design is good, people will copy it, but design isn't just about how things look, it's about how they work (thanks for that one, Steve Jobs).

 

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7 minutes ago, Iron Horse said:

To be fair, I understand the reluctance with hobbyists to embrace designs coming from China; it's hard for us on the outside to see what's going on in China thanks to the Great Wall of the language barrier, but trust me, a lot of denim designers and brands are being copied like this season's Burberry purses within China (I'm not including Bronson in this, I think their hearts/heads are in the right place).

No, I get that but it was kinda funny in this case because copying that shirt was the same as doing a sawtooth ;) 

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28 minutes ago, Cucoo said:

No, I get that but it was kinda funny in this case because copying that shirt was the same as doing a sawtooth ;) 

I actually had that instance in mind. It just perfectly illustrates the "optics" of a situation. "It's not wrong or illegal, but the timing seems fishy." Basically what CNN is telling me about the Russia investigation(s). I ran into this when I was picking fabrics for scarves; I knew I wanted one in wabash dot stripe, and the other was up for decision. I looked over all manner of indigo-based fabric swatches, and there were a few in particular from one mill that were great. Problem is, the previous year, Freewheelers used them to make scarves/shirts (and Jelado used them in shirts). If I were to use the same fabric, I'd likely be viewed as copying them (these are not custom fabrics, they're off the rack). Muh optics won out and I decided against picking one of them, welp. :blush::P

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8 hours ago, Iron Horse said:

I actually had that instance in mind. It just perfectly illustrates the "optics" of a situation. "It's not wrong or illegal, but the timing seems fishy." Basically what CNN is telling me about the Russia investigation(s). I ran into this when I was picking fabrics for scarves; I knew I wanted one in wabash dot stripe, and the other was up for decision. I looked over all manner of indigo-based fabric swatches, and there were a few in particular from one mill that were great. Problem is, the previous year, Freewheelers used them to make scarves/shirts (and Jelado used them in shirts). If I were to use the same fabric, I'd likely be viewed as copying them (these are not custom fabrics, they're off the rack). Muh optics won out and I decided against picking one of them, welp. :blush::P

Yeah, I just remember feeling that Bronson got jumped on unfairly in that case, their shirt had been up months before there was even talk of the TCB one. And speaking of Bronson, I have two of their vent hole work shirts that have been around for years, unbeatable quality at the price point (they've been discounted to under €30 for ages) but more importantly, I don't really remember any shirts in that style until Rite Stuff came around :D;)

TB2BPlynShlpuFjSspkXXa1ApXa_!!2172892196.jpg.6b2602dc61d0844bb4db5ae4fa3ccc8a.jpg

Being upfront about your inspiration, like they are in this case, makes it more ok, doesn't it? They even show the original patents.

Anyways, I don't have a horse in that race, just my two cents. I think you should've gone with that fabric you mentioned, look at it this way, you maybe would have made someone who thought "that fabric would make a nice scarf" pretty happy ;) 

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Vent hole work shirts? Pretty sure they have been around for a while. Lofgren did one in polka dot (which I have and which no longer fits), Nigel Cabourn, and I believe Freewheelers along with other japanese brands I'm sure. Of course, that isn't to say the Bronson copied anyone or anything like that since I'm pretty sure everyone drinks from the same well.

A $35 workshit is pretty insane presuming quality is pretty good. Beats even red cloud stuff. How do they get such low prices?

Edited by ALB
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On 12/7/2017 at 1:25 AM, Cucoo said:

Yeah, I just remember feeling that Bronson got jumped on unfairly in that case, their shirt had been up months before there was even talk of the TCB one. And speaking of Bronson, I have two of their vent hole work shirts that have been around for years, unbeatable quality at the price point (they've been discounted to under €30 for ages) but more importantly, I don't really remember any shirts in that style until Rite Stuff came around :D;)

TB2BPlynShlpuFjSspkXXa1ApXa_!!2172892196.jpg.6b2602dc61d0844bb4db5ae4fa3ccc8a.jpg

Being upfront about your inspiration, like they are in this case, makes it more ok, doesn't it? They even show the original patents.

Anyways, I don't have a horse in that race, just my two cents. I think you should've gone with that fabric you mentioned, look at it this way, you maybe would have made someone who thought "that fabric would make a nice scarf" pretty happy ;) 

What...I take back everything I said about those bastards at Bronson! :P I kid, I kid! 

Yeah, if I do scarves again then I'll certainly look at those again and just say...

 

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7 hours ago, ALB said:

A $35 workshit is pretty insane presuming quality is pretty good. Beats even red cloud stuff. How do they get such low prices?

It's made in China. 

 

 

Edited by Iron Horse
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13 hours ago, ALB said:

Vent hole work shirts? Pretty sure they have been around for a while.

A $35 workshit is pretty insane presuming quality is pretty good. Beats even red cloud stuff. How do they get such low prices?

Me too, just pulling Iron Horse's leg ;)

Yeah it's made in China and fabric isn't up to "Japanese levels" in this case either. I don't want to sound like these are the second coming or something but construction and fit are nice.

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On 11/29/2017 at 7:08 PM, oomslokop said:

big wins for how thin their hems are, and how small the visible seam allowance (?)/bit between the chainstitch and the weft. love it. blue owl's hems are so thick they almost defeat the purpose of getting them chainstitched.

Good eye. In my experience, Blue Owl's hems have always been wide, yet still well proportioned. And Blue in Green's have always been the narrowest (and props to Godspeed for tight work too). In the photo, BiG's hem was on a pair of Oni 20oz, and Godspeed's was on a pair of 16.5oz Tanuki, so denim weight isn't the deciding factor on hem width.

So that said, I'm not sure if Blue Owl and S&S uses a wider hem to promote better roping on the hem, or if it's due to equipment and /or skill level. My guess is for better roping.

 

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Iron Heart and Flat Head long sleeve arm lengths drive me crazy. 

My chest is always a XL-XXL, but the arms will end up measuring out to 27+ inches... Things just rarely fit and look sloppy. 

I'm about off the Iron Heart circle jerk. I enjoy their 21oz, but their forum is getting annoying.

 

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I was getting frustrated with IH shirt fit and now I just go with the flow. Some models I'd like to buy simply won't fit and I move on. IH is infinitely easier to decide on than TFH. At least on IH you have all the info you need.

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2 hours ago, JDelage said:

I was getting frustrated with IH shirt fit and now I just go with the flow. Some models I'd like to buy simply won't fit and I move on. IH is infinitely easier to decide on than TFH. At least on IH you have all the info you need.

Valid point, their measurements are dead nuts at least. 

 

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