Word of Mouth - Sufu Contest (The INITIAL & LAST Picture Thread)

[UkeNo]

#191  Lot.611 

[srudy]

Ok, checking in! #208 411S

Edited January 22, 2025 by srudy

[frank]

Finally gave these a piping hot wash and machine dry, the puckering/roping is crazy and the leather seems to have held up well enough. I did rub a little Obenauf's on it which I haven't done to patches in almost 20 years. Plus, I got two belt loops with selvedge which was a nice little surprise.

[UkeNo]

#191 Lot.611 Pre soak fit. 

Featuring the first pair of Vans slip ons I’ve had in 20 years
.

With cuff as idea of length after shrinkage. 

 

Pocket ID

Aiming to preserve the patch. Trying to keep it out of the hot 30min soak

Bonus: Current fit for reference: Freewheelers 47’s

Edited January 22, 2025 by UkeNo
Format

[frank]

Pardon the hasty work-restroom photo, I'll get some with better lighting later. Fit is what I was looking for, slimmer than I thought it'd be though. Hopefully the waist stretches back out 0.5-1 inch for comfort.

[Mtvare]

My 311s arrived the day after I left the country for a few days so I didn't get them till Tuesday.

Soaked and then washed at 30 degrees on Wednesday. Raw fit in first pic, post-wash in second (obviously).

Fit is slightly slimmer than I anticipated in the leg but not too slim (I hope - thighs might get bigger again once I get over my patellar tendinitis). And I bought them to be a slim pair anyway. I think the waist will be spot on. If it stretches further than I'd like it won't matter too much cos I also went for a shortish inseam. Long term I see these as jeans for the summer.

 

 

[MJF9]

So the first 5150s I posted were a little less than chart, so Simo wanted to replace them... hence take 2

The new pair arrived last Friday - given the anticipation, I forgot the date stamp pic... so here's the delivery confirmation date and time instead 😉

Top job by Simo who's a top bloke... lovely denim, really well sewn... much slimmer than my usual which will take some adjusting... I do lots of leg weights to protect my knees... so the reasonably svelt top block and waist are snug for me... hindsight being a wonderful thing, I should have gone 1-2 sizes bigger (anyone wants a swap, hit me up )

Raw fit pics

1st wash was cold machine, hang dry; wore for a few hours.  Then I rolled the dice... 30C wash, stretched the waistband while wet (which gave me 1cm) then hung dry...

Meanwhile we went for pizza... alas, featuring FW WW2 denim

Final pics are after a 3 mile walk earlier... pleased to hear there's more stretch to come too as I'm going to need it

Edited January 26, 2025 by MJF9

[bartlebyyphonics]

the pizza has landed…

& pre-soak fit (big bois)

 

plus raw deet-lets…

 

and a nice damp str8 out the machine fit check

(washed 1hr at 40c, spun not machine dried)

 

and post wash mini-deets… (so long patch it was nice knowing you… and hello dearest crinkles, hairiness n roping…)

 

Edited January 27, 2025 by bartlebyyphonics

[theguywhoknewthatguy]

Finally back after traveling for the past two weeks. In my excitement to start wearing these I immediately threw them in the wash and completely forgot the raw checkin pic. Sorry!! I lost a bit of weight since ordering so I went for maximum shrinkage with the hot wash and dryer. They shrank up considerably but this also meant I lost most of my inseam as well. Might have to go uncuffed with these. Excited to start wearing them

Measurements comparisons (biggest discrepancy is the front rise)

                     Chart  | Raw   | Wash & Dry
Waist             18.5   | 18.5   | 16.5
Front Rise   ~13.58 | 12.75 | 11.5 
Back Rise    ~17.72 | 17.5  | 16
Upper Thigh ~14     | 14.25 | 13.25
Knee (14”)   ~10.82 |   11    | 10
Inseam              -     |   32    | 28.5
Hem              ~9.94  |   10    | 9

Crappy laundry room fit pic to start. Better pics with better lighting to come

[beautiful_FrEaK]

!!!Final Picture Thread!!!

[julian-wolf]

I guess I'll kick things off…

~~~

edit: Initial post contents mostly moved to the main contest thread, in light of the posted submission guidelines

~~~

 

The overall timing of the competition couldn't have been better. Just in the past week, two new splits opened up on the right leg—one at a regular crease point, and one that lines up directly with the loom chatter that I've highlighted a few times previously—and the crotch is getting dangerously thin, along with the whole front of the right thigh, and the upper halves of both outseams. If I were to try and wear these for more than another month or so, they'd need comprehensive repairs. (I'll probably end up doing the repairs anyway, but with the pace I work on that sort of thing it'll probably mean not wearing them for 2–3 months, and I'm glad not to need to take them out of rotation for that long during the competition itself.)

That said, I think that these looked and felt their best at around the one year mark. This denim's pretty fast-fading, and pretty fast-wearing in general. I've worn them hard, but even keeping that in mind I'm a little bummed that they're already wearing so thin in so many places. I've come to expect that to happen more often during the third year of wear, not the second.

One cool thing: These jeans represent the first times that I've worn through somewhere, patched it, and then worn right through the patch. This has happened on both the front left pocket and the back left pocket, and I really like it as a statement of aging on top of aging on top of aging.

The Amoskeag repo denim used for the pocket bags is top top notch. I've loved watching how it rolls along the pocket openings, and how it's puckered around the coin pocket. I'd love a shirt made from this stuff.

Simo's hem jobs are also top top notch. Every pair of jeans posted so far has roped perfectly. Everyone shop with a Union Special should be hiring either him or the TCB folks to tune up their rigs. Unfortunately, in combination with the faster-wearing denim, this has meant that both of my hems are almost completely worn through at this point. Oh well, so it goes.

Finally: Thanks so much to everyone else who participated, to the folks, involved in organizing, and to Simo himself! This is the first jeans competition I've actually seen all the way through, and I'm hoping it won't be the last. I really do think that the contest update threads are a big part of what's kept the forum alive over the last few years, and I'm grateful for that.

Edited July 21 by julian-wolf

[ATWM]

[vIGGiou riou]

 My result. 

This year I failed. I wore them at all 179 days. But in 2026 just only 34 times. From the end of March till middle of April I was in tropical zone in shorts. And from May due to the hotness in Europe I was in shorts again...

But I think my pair will look much better after another year or two... 🙂

Thanks for Contest.

[reallypeacedoff]

#214 checking in! I didn't wear them the last couple of weeks, crotch is on its last thread, and I seemingly added a new hole in the thighs every time I wore them. I have a Leathermen that almost went through the belt loop, and a year and half of swinging around caused a few holes to form. Our neighbou just installed a new fence and recently oiled it, figured it was a nice contrasting back drop. Been an awesome journey and WOMJ rules, thanks Simo! Look forward to another pair from him soon.

[CSL]

Perhaps I should post this in the correct thread...🤦‍♂️
 

Here are my photos, taken indoors, mid-afternoon.

18 months. No washes. (Not my original plan but as the fit was good I didn't want to risk shrinking).

I tried a real camera but couldn't find a lens with the right perspective so went with iPhone.

I'm quite surprised how well they've helped up, requiring just one reenforcement to the crotch seam.
One front pocket was getting close to needing repair. 

I think this had to do with the fact that they were very soft and non-starchy in the raw state. I would imagine a wash would have brought out some stiffness, guessing? The loose fit no doubt meant low stress to the seams too.

Usually I don't wear jeans in the Summer months but the loose fit and light (at least light feeling) denim did not feel oppressive and consequently I was able to give them steady wear through the 18 months.

Overall I've been pretty gentle on them, much of the wear coming from long hours in the van, flights, dog walks, etc. Frankly I wanted to avoid the heavy repairs I'd had to do on the TCBs during that contest, where I went out of my way to put stress on the jeans.

 

 

 

[Jared_Lee]

Final photo check-in.

The Collect Mills cloth did not disappoint. I agree that it isn't the most durable cloth I've ever worn, but it's up there in the top tier for how it ages. A much warmer red caste than most Japanese jeans and I think fairly representative of vintage White Oak. The major difference being the marbling I've gotten from mine, 

These jeans were worn strictly nights and weekends as I have a strict dress code for work. But I wore them hard in my free time. Roughly 5,000 miles motorcycling and another ~1,800 miles cycling. I only took days off for repairs. Outside of that, it was mornings on 90+ degree summer days, and mornings or evenings on wash days. They've been to three different countries and across 9 different states over these 18 months.

I always end these contests grateful. Raw denim via the Jean Shop gave me my entry into what's become my career. That job is what introduced me to this forum. This forum has enriched my understanding of the history, culture, heritage and contemporary market for jeans in ways that no other single place could. Participating in these contests alongside the other members in this global community is one of the amazing ways that the internet can connect communities in deeply meaningful ways and stands as a benchmark for any other version of digital community to aspire to.

Thanks, y'all. It's been a blast.

Edited July 26 by Jared_Lee

[Broark]

Contestant #211 checking in! 

[beautiful_FrEaK]

Final pics

[srudy]

Well, I’ve really enjoyed this one! Thanks to everyone @MJF9@wordofmouth 

I basically only wore these 2 days a week, because I’m working mainly from home and playing a lot of tennis and pickleball when I’m not working. The denim and the jeans have held up really well, countless washes! 
 

I started this contest with this @Duke Mantee belt and wore it with these jeans.

https://imgur.com/a/BLJ15ht

[MJF9]

Thanks @srudy … for some reason I can’t access the link… you may need to post final pics old school style… 

[JohnM]

I hesitated to post these as they're so unworn compared to everyone else.  But here they are.  Is there a prize for most unworn? 😉

Despite the lack of wear, I absolutely love these jeans.  They're very comfortable with an ease to the fit and a nice drape.  I've enjoyed the denim, which is lighter in weight than many of us are used to.  The 5150 cut is a touch wide for me through the thighs, but it's not a problem and only adds to the comfort.

Thanks to b_F, MJF9, and Simone for their significant contributions to this contest, as well as all of you, my sufu friends.  Looking forward to losing another contest while enjoying the ride in every respect.  

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 21 by JohnM

[UkeNo]

My final submission set:  

No191 WOM611 size 35

Natural Light outdoors, no editing. 
 

 

 

[nopal]

[ashgiovanni]

Amazing submissions yall! Here are my final submission pics.  This pair has been a joy to wear; wish I could’ve worn more but had a few repairs done to keep them running strong for the contest.

 

 

[MJF9]

Final but not final...

[fabes]

Final pics. I haven't visited the forum much during this contest as life got the best of me. I have been wearing the pizza pants almost everyday and think I ended up with 17months of wear and roughly 12 washes. I really like the cut of the pants! They ended up fitting very well and I really enjoyed the slightly lighter weight. The stitching held up fairly well based on the activities I put these through. Best takeaway from my first contest experience is I have too many clothes. Very eye-opening to wear the same pants for a year and a half and most people have no idea. Bonus - one of the guys at Canoe Club was fawning over my jeans telling me they had such a "vintage" fade. 

[81611]

 

 

Edited July 27 by 81611