Unknown Japanese Brands

[Double 0 Soul]

I remember posting about Toyo Enterprises 'Gold' brand many years ago in the Sugar Cane thread over at DB.. they used to be called 'Gold & Co'.. i've not seen anything from them for years until i spotted these recently..  i read they were 'recycled denim' so did a bit more digging to see what supported those claims..

The material is a sustainable fabric developed by the brand, "Recycled Waste Subin Cotton Yarn Denim".
The cotton that fell during the combing process of the rare ultra-long cotton Subin cotton is collected and retwisted as yarn, using 100% Subin cotton yarn for the weft yarn, and the warp yarn No. 7 and weft yarn No. 10 are used as an old-fashioned shuttle. Woven on a loom.
It is a very inefficient fabric, and although it is possible to weave about 25m in a day, it is characterized by the unevenness of recycled cotton (fallen cotton) and the texture unique to Subin cotton, such as NEP.

Images taken from http://rhythmyokohama.com/?pid=171711903

More digging found an extensive calalogue from what was once a tiny sub-brand

https://toyo-gold.com/

 

[unders]

Some info from a recent post on the Junky blog on Gold

The denim looks very interesting and the jeans are gloriously wide. 

I’m presuming subin and suvin cotton are the same (?) and grown in India.

Someone buy!

[Double 0 Soul]

It was actually Junky where I first spotted them.. on the shop page, the images weren’t great so instead of checking the blog I opened a new tab and searched, I’m getting rusty y’know.

Id really like a pair.. I’m all about super voluminous pants cut short or with a rolled cuff atm..

Dont check the fit pics on ARKnets tho.. it looks like they’ve sized up typically but unnecessarily, wearing them unhemmed/uncuffed like a pair of Droors, which was no bad thing.. in 1994 

 

[unders]

Crikey, I’m not sure those arknets fitpics are what the good folks at Toyo had in mind when they designed these 

[indigoeagle]

Quick search gave me 22A/W and that looks pretty good in my opinion.
https://www.arknets.co.jp/wwwroot/ext/22aw_gold_look/index.html

You're probably talking about the product pages. Have to have a look.

Edited April 24, 2023 by indigoeagle

[Double 0 Soul]

3 hours ago, indigoeagle said:

You're probably talking about the product pages. Have to have a look.

Yup..

Roll them or hem them but you're only going to stand on them

[indigoeagle]

Ah, I know what you mean.

 

Like this

[Double 0 Soul]

My old Oki's

I'm not sure you could get a Union Special chainstitched hem in the UK back in those days?.. If you could.. I certainly didn't know about it

[unders]

12 hours ago, indigoeagle said:

Ah, I know what you mean.

 

Like this

+rep for the Co-op top

[Maynard Friedman]

Agreed, that was a real coup.

[Duke Mantee]

more interwar years inspiration 

https://blurred-clothing.com/collections/all

Edited June 3, 2023 by Duke Mantee

[Ahlvahroe]

i just did a quick search and there was only 1 post, but does anyone have much experience with west ride denim?

these just popped up on my IG, and they really caught my attention.

https://www.instagram.com/p/ByHyKu8h6HG/?img_index=1

I'm not really in the market for another pair yet, but the detailing on these looks great. that reinforced crotch!

[Maynard Friedman]

There’s a West Ride thread. I think @unders has that model.

[Ahlvahroe]

completely missed that. thanks @Maynard Friedman

[DC2020]

 

Hot soaking in the tub now. Really happy with these right out of the package. Pre soak fit feels spot on where it should be. I’ll post pre / post soak measurements so the info is available for everyone. Super easy ordering process.

[DC2020]

Pre soak

waist: 18.75”

thigh: 14”

hem: 9.25”

inseam: 33.75

 

Post 1hr hot soak / hang dry

waist: 17.75”

thigh: 13.25”

hem: 9”

inseam: 32”

 

The fit is exactly what I hoped for. The denim darkened after the soak - the color in the photos is pretty accurate. All in all really happy with this pair.

[Hopethisoneisnttaken]

Anyone has any experience with a brand called Ends and Means? 

[reallypeacedoff]

Where did you get the Rocket Saddles from @DC2020? They look great!

[DC2020]

1 hour ago, reallypeacedoff said:

Where did you get the Rocket Saddles from @DC2020? They look great!

I sent them an instagram message and they got back to me with info… it was pretty easy. Shipped EMS. Took roughly 10 days from ordering until I had them. 

[zachary12]

I also bought rockets and was painless, paypal and they were landed in aus a few days later...

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cvbtt4EPNFe/?img_index=3

[Hopethisoneisnttaken]

I was looking for an “entry level” ecru denim 5 pocket jeans and came across one where I like the fit on Marrkt. Name of the brand is Ends and Means, which I was not familiar with. Came a few days ago, here are some first impressions - overall construction seems great, and roping effect is surprisingly nice. The fabric is pretty nice as far as ecru denim fabrics go, but not as nice as warehouse/resolute etc. I don’t care much for the zipper fly, the snap top button or the front pocket material (which seems very nylon-y but tag says 100% cotton). The fit is very much to my liking - high rise, wide with a small taper. 
 

After doing some research on the brand it seems like some of their stuff are pretty nice, leaning a bit towards outdoor fashion. 
 

[Disharmony]

Where do you get your Rocket Saddles? I'm coming up empty on Google

Edit: I see, just through IG huh?

Edited August 13, 2023 by Disharmony

[Duke Mantee]

On 4/24/2023 at 6:42 AM, Double 0 Soul said:

It was actually Junky where I first spotted them.. on the shop page, the images weren’t great so instead of checking the blog I opened a new tab and searched, I’m getting rusty y’know.

Id really like a pair.. I’m all about super voluminous pants cut short or with a rolled cuff atm..

Dont check the fit pics on ARKnets tho.. it looks like they’ve sized up typically but unnecessarily, wearing them unhemmed/uncuffed like a pair of Droors, which was no bad thing.. in 1994 

 

Must’ve just glanced past this but a lot of Korean brands have been pioneering the volume fit for a few years - basically been part of the influence to some Japanese brands and a lot of other ‘streetwear’

Most likely that’s been developed from all that old baggies stuff from the 80s

Anyway the Duchess has got a sweat from FrizmWORKS and for the money - faultless. Super heavyweight and really well constructed. Their website is https://en.frizm.co.kr but the stuff is available from the likes of The Hip Store, End and stores with that customer base.

I’ve often thought to try out something like that but I have trapped myself into the corner of my own collection so I’d just be wasting money

 

Edited August 24, 2023 by Duke Mantee

[beautiful_FrEaK]

1 hour ago, Disharmony said:

Where do you get your Rocket Saddles? I'm coming up empty on Google

Edit: I see, just through IG huh?

They do have a website

http://rockets-usa.com/vintage/online/bottoms.html

But yeah you have to order via IG

[wmb]

Anyone familiar with this brand? I don’t remember when or where I bought these!  A nice linen denim chino style

They are very blue, not grey as the pics picked up 

[chicote]

Yes, needles is a sub-brand of Nepenthes, and I believe is mainly known for making frankenstein’d patchwork shirts, such as below, out of repurposed vintage garments. 

 

brief bio from here:

Needles is the creation of Keizo Shimizu, owner and director of Japanese fashion umbrella company - Nepenthes. Initially a fashion distribution firm started in 1988, Nepenthes expanded to retail operations in Aoyama (1989) and established US offices in Boston (1989) and New York (1996). He became discontent with what was not available in the market. This vision led to the establishment of Engineered Garments (designed by Daiki Suzuki), and Keizo’s own designs in Needles, South2 West8, and Sonic Labs.

Drawing from historical magazines, past experiences and travels; Needles is Shimizu’s personal viewpoint on what garments should be, resulting in a bohemian/west-coast centric inspired direction. Built through the strong network and accumulated operations of the parent company, Needles is produced with no compromises, fully representing the aesthetics of Keizo and the creative source of Nepenthes. The Rebuild by Needles project is an extension of Shimizu’s unique aesthetic and presents an innovative interpretation of repurposed vintage. Deconstructing mostly American military garments, the collection is assembled in Japan, reworking pre-owned garments into original new pieces, transforming the deadstock into the avant-garde.

[Broark]

I've been giving my FW 601XX-C's a break, so I've been wearing the LB 40s jeans recently.
Really enjoying them, the shade of indigo on this denim is interesting and I enjoy the muted color of the stitching used throughout.
I'll probably wear for another month or so and give them a wash and see where they're at.

[mlwdp]

@chicoteNeedles is also famous for their “butterfly” on their garments.

[rockon99]

Anyone know if Neatstyle.jp ships to the states?

[Broark]

1 hour ago, rockon99 said:

Anyone know if Neatstyle.jp ships to the states?

I don’t think they do, but could easily use a proxy service.