FOB Factory

[volvo240thebest]

great contribution @beautiful_FrEaK ! fit looks perfect too.

considering your rotation and the stubborness of FOB, if you not gain weight, I guess these will be faded in 2045

 

[beautiful_FrEaK]

Great! That would put me ahead of schedule

[beew]

Just won this from a Yahoo auction, but couldn't find any information on it other than it looks to be a 91-b repro

[beautiful_FrEaK]

FOB released a new WW2 pair.

It's funny how so many brands are now doing the "shoddy sewing".

http://www.fob-factory.jp/cgi/web/index.cgi?c=products_zoom&pk=342#

 

Who was the first though? RMC?

[julian-wolf]

Not sure what RMC's timeline was, but this sort of thing is def. present on some early- and mid-'90s Cane's

The MP-619 and M41058 both give off strong CSF vibes in that regard

Edited July 19, 2021 by julian-wolf

[beautiful_FrEaK]

You got some examples of those?
I remember noticing the wonky back pockets on the RMC S003 first before other brands did it this obviosuly on WW2 pairs. And the last 2 years or so more brands do this. FOB now, TCB, Warehouse (I don't remember them doing this before), the recent SC 1946 model, CSF obviously, Bridge of the Times as well, Denimbridge/Denim Base...I suerly forgot some.

[julian-wolf]

I'll take some close-ups of both of the above at some point, sure

The M41058, in particular, looked very human-made—both in terms of (in)consistency in thread count and in terms of loose threads & yarns popping out of seams

 

[Duke Mantee]

I’d have thought Sugar Cane would have been the first decent stab at war denim - @Double 0 Soul is your best bet probably. Real McCoys is a possibility but IMO their S003 are not great. Those FOB Factory don’t look great either.

Freewheelers tried the ‘wonky’ stitching too, again not amongst their best.

The challenge with reproducing war denim is understanding the whole manufacturing process to make them look as they would have been. Wonky stitching is only part of the picture and from what I’ve seen only CSF capture the atmosphere, most others seem to find it difficult to capture that feeling.

[unders]

I think part of the problem is that the imperfections are often consistent, which  doesn’t sit right for obvious reasons. 

[julian-wolf]

^ That was the main thing that felt off about the TCB war jeans, to me at least…

[beautiful_FrEaK]

And that's also the same with RMC and probably these FOB ad well.

Agreeing with Duke, CSF is the most convincing in that department as it is not designed.

I just found it funny that more and more brands do this now 

[Duke Mantee]

41 minutes ago, unders said:

I think part of the problem is that the imperfections are often consistent, which  doesn’t sit right for obvious reasons. 

I think there’s something right and something wrong with that. It’s a scale issue fundamentally. CSF makes a pair each day (I dunno, I’m just guessing) but Levi’s factories were producing a pair every 30 seconds.

Point here is that a machinist repeating a task hundreds of times quickly is more likely to find efficiency through consistency. The variations then would be that each machinist would be slightly different to his/her colleagues making the same part.

As I said elsewhere the cutting would have an influence because the machinist would be working to join parts that don’t match the way they should, but the repro folks have never figured that or decided it’s too difficult to account for so they focus on the ‘wonky-ness’ of stitching because it’s easier, then screw it up by using excellent machinists in good conditions making jeans ‘slowly’ giving them too much time to think about their ‘mistakes’

Edited July 19, 2021 by Duke Mantee

[Maynard Friedman]

29 minutes ago, Duke Mantee said:

I think there’s something right and something wrong with that. It’s a scale issue fundamentally. CSF makes a pair each day (I dunno, I’m just guessing) but Levi’s factories were producing a pair every 30 seconds.

Point here is that a machinist repeating a task hundreds of times quickly is more likely to find efficiency through consistency. The variations then would be that each machinist would be slightly different to his/her colleagues making the same part.

As I said elsewhere the cutting would have an influence because the machinist would be working to join parts that don’t match the way they should

Some good points here Duke. Surely they’d be relevant to Levi’s (and other) jeans of all eras though and not just WWII, which seem to be the only repro models they appear on?

[Duke Mantee]

19 minutes ago, Maynard Friedman said:

Some good points here Duke. Surely they’d be relevant to Levi’s (and other) jeans of all eras though and not just WWII, which seem to be the only repro models they appear on?

Thank you. Yes, I think it is relevant to other eras too. I guess the focus was just on war denim given the popularity over the last few years. If nothing else perhaps manufacturers (and buyers) are becoming more focused as to what genuine reproduction should be?

[Broark]

These look heavily inspired by the Junky SC 1946s with the super long excess stitch runoff.
Those were the first pair I saw with the suuuuper exaggerated runoffs throughout. The thread color even looks really similar.
I agree that these look a bit too over the top, especially with so many brands already trying to reproduce this style.

Seeing more brands experiment with style of sewing makes me wonder what the next "trend" will be in our niche hobby.
More 20s-30s era? Maybe even earlier and jump into the waist overall repros? Is it time to repro 80s era acid wash jeans yet? (I really hope not!)

[JohnM]

^ maybe Valley Dad Comfort jeans -- distressed, baggy, with stretch.

[Duke Mantee]

I’m surprised no one takes much notice of denim styles beyond the 60s … and even the 60s stuff that is looked at is fairly limited.

[beautiful_FrEaK]

^true.

Most major brands have their 501 '66 model and that's it. Some do some late 60s model. The Denime 20th anniversary is sometimes considered an 80s model but who really knows?

[Maynard Friedman]

My LVC 76s have quickly become one of my favourite pairs - great cut, no frills and an interesting slightly lighter blue denim.

[Thanks_M8]

5 hours ago, Broark said:

Seeing more brands experiment with style of sewing makes me wonder what the next "trend" will be in our niche hobby.
More 20s-30s era? Maybe even earlier and jump into the waist overall repros? Is it time to repro 80s era acid wash jeans yet? (I really hope not!)

Looks like 1910s and the likes are coming, if you look at warehouse's and TCB's offering with the 1915 models and the olympic model. 

Edited July 20, 2021 by Thanks_M8

[Dr_Heech]

Prefer the 'in between the war years' stuff, especially for  the cuts (thinking of Levis rather than Lvc; Warehouse triumph in that dept imo).  Loved the WW2 denim back in 2016 but am a little over its' general saturation within the market atm.

Reading back through the last few posts l have to agree with you lads, CSF have that individually made feel to them that others do not, and can't because of the scale, although imo there is less of a  guarantee on a pair actually fitting you!

 

[Dr_Heech]

19 hours ago, Duke Mantee said:

I think there’s something right and something wrong with that. It’s a scale issue fundamentally. CSF makes a pair each day (I dunno, I’m just guessing) but Levi’s factories were producing a pair every 30 seconds.

...

Is that an actual Levis 'fact'?

I thought it was more to do with growth: One factory going into the (American involvement into the) war, and four factories when they emerged from it in 1946. I think that That catalyst made for some interesting denim pieces being made at the time. Alot of trainees, a mixture of jean parts depending on year and factory (army worker, labourer ect..) - the perfect wonky storm 

[Duke Mantee]

1 hour ago, Dr_Heech said:

Is that an actual Levis 'fact'?

I thought it was more to do with growth: One factory going into the (American involvement into the) war, and four factories when they emerged from it in 1946. I think that That catalyst made for some interesting denim pieces being made at the time. Alot of trainees, a mixture of jean parts depending on year and factory (army worker, labourer ect..) - the perfect wonky storm 

Aye, a ‘fact’ I read somewhere about or by Levi’s. I’ll see if I can find it again. What would that be? Maybe 1500 pairs on a 12 hour shift? Hopefully you can give me better details but the purpose was to demonstrate the difference in scale.

And I totally agree with the trainees, mixtures of components etc, but I still think even a trainee being pushed (by necessity or greed) in production will find a way to become efficient quickly and that brings consistency. I’ve seen that in every type of business, including the offices I ran.

Edited July 20, 2021 by Duke Mantee

[Dr_Heech]

^maybe.

[Duke Mantee]

Here’s said ‘fact’ https://clickamericana.com/eras/1900s/unlikely-history-of-levis-jeans

I’ve not bothered to try and verify (like most stuff most folk read), it’s just something I’ve found browsing the interweb and may or may not be nonsense. Hopefully @Dr_Heech can verify the details. It’d be interesting to know the reality if this is made up bullcrap.

[Dr_Heech]

I cannot verify the details any more than you @Duke Mantee but it's an ok read. Thanks for sharing.

Anyway don't want to derail this thread any longer, so let's get back to fob factory, whatever that is.

Edited July 20, 2021 by Dr_Heech
To get back on topic

[DC2020]

Recently saw the Bears IG post this type 2 in stock and I picked it up. I wasnt familiar with the brand before but I’m really happy with the jacket. The denim feels and looks great in person.

 

 

[indigoslaves]

got myself a F157 and here's the fitpic

[Maynard Friedman]

New in, Fob Factory F198, size 33, one wash and unworn.

I’m not sure what year these were made but they feel old and have a slightly musty odour and plenty of loose threads (which I’ve been removing), which is something I’ve found on some of my pairs from the 90s and noughties. I’m not sure about the weight either but they feel about 13-13.5oz. Colour’s a bit darker in real life than my crappy photos.

Notable features:

• World Jeans International buttons (very matte)
• Scovill rivets, unbranded at the front
• Offset rear belt loop
• ‘F’ on red tab
• Storage crease on crotch!

Measurements (BiG style)

• Waist: 32”
• Front rise: 12”
• Back rise: 15.5”
• Thigh: 13.5”
• Inseam: 34.5”
• Hem: one is 8.5”, one is 8.75”