Full Count Denim Thread

[iamstarwars]

http://item.rakuten.co.jp/bears/fullcount-0105na/

It looks like Full Count released a natural indigo version of the 0105. The price seems very good for what they are.

[ringring]

daaaammmnnn!!!! And they have one in my size too. Though, as much as I like that greencast hue, I like the colour on the 1108 better than these 15th anniversary ones.

The 15th Anniversary jeans aren't as green in natural light as those photos might suggest. The denim is lovely, and the details, as usual, are amongst the most refined of all 501 style jeans. I also prefer the cut of the 1108s. The 15th Anniversay jacket is also very nice.

[gimmegimme]

The 15th Anniversary jeans aren't as green in natural light as those photos might suggest. The denim is lovely, and the details, as usual, are amongst the most refined of all 501 style jeans. I also prefer the cut of the 1108s. The 15th Anniversay jacket is also very nice.

The jacket is beautiful...I wish I could pull of the denim tuxedo look.

[nightdeposit]

wow, these are gorgeous... i wonder how long their arcuate will last...

[poly800rock]

fullcount online store is having a sale now. so decent pieces, weird sizes....

[edmond]

fullcount belt onsale

http://page6.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/f60849021

[viv1984viv]

Yeah, i mentioned in another thread how great value the natural indigo anniversary ones are. They have 3 or 4 anniversary jeans, some with yellow or red or blue buttons and the natural indigo ones.

[nightdeposit]

yeah, there are a few nice things up there in that sale, i never thought to look in their online store. im kicking myself for not getting more things when i was in the real store last summer.. i even had a deep discount. oh well.

some black jeans that are looking good up there... must. try. to. resist.

[gimmegimme]

If anyone's interested...BiG has FC natural indigo model in a few select sizes.

http://blueingreensoho.com/site/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=3409&category_id=&manufacturer_id=34&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=28

Only $315.

[Chponglasia]

If anyone's interested...BiG has FC natural indigo model in a few select sizes.

http://blueingreensoho.com/site/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=3409&category_id=&manufacturer_id=34&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=28

Only $315.

I saw these in the store and they look beautiful. a very rich, lighter shade of blue compared to the 1108.

[indigo_junkie]

Fullcount 105NA. Natural Indigo. I wasn't going to buy any more jeans for this year, but I was kicking myself for missing the green cast 15th anniversary pair, and I wasn't going to miss this one. So I bought it ahead of time, probably going to keep in nice and folded in the closet until sometime next year (probably when I get bored of wearing my WH contest jeans). Props to chutes for the proxy.

The denim is just awesome. The natural indigo is light, almost a blue-grey with different hues of blue streaking vertically, sort of like the denim on a SC40400, but more subtle. The cut is not as loose as I thought it would be (definitely cut slimmer than say the SDA D01). It's definitely made me rethink the cuts for FCs. I might get a 1101 next time and not a 1108 like I planned to a few months ago. Buttons up well raw, I won't be too worried unless the waist shrinks more than an inch post soak (and I've got my bakertowne if I need to stretch it out a little). Some pics.

[indigo_junkie]

It also came with this cool catalogue. It's got all the styles available and the prices of all the different washes. I wish I had a camera with better macro. These are all taken off a cellphone.

[moykky]

Nice! Are those some heavier denim also? And 36" inseam -when did that happend? I needn't know that...

[indigo_junkie]

Nice! Are those some heavier denim also? And 36" inseam -when did that happend? I needn't know that...

BiG says that they are 13.5oz, though they feel heavier than that. Don't know if it's the starch in it or not. Other 13oz jeans don't feel as heavy as these. Not as heavy as a 15oz pair of sammies though.

[chantheman]

awsome looking jeans indigo

[moykky]

^^ Yeah, waiting for the fit pics (even if its next year!)...

[Tyro1]

Do full count do a selvege slim (tapered, not natural flare) jean?

[ExileOnMainSt]

the 1108

6543213849

[Chponglasia]

Has anyone bought the 15oz 1108?

[Chicken]

this guy has.

he's been rocking the regular 1108s for 8 months with 8 washes. then if you scroll down you'll see his new 14.7oz 1108s he just started wearing.

[nightdeposit]

a friend brought me back a pair of the 0105NAs from tokyo, which i picked up tonight. he picked up that same catalog as well...

they really are a gorgeous color, and the fit was perfect pre-soak. giving them a warm soak now. definitely agree that the cut is really really good on these, best fit ive had with FC.

hopefully they wont shrink too much.

fit picks if i can get it together later in the week...

[pacioli]

For anyone interested in this brand in particular and Japanese denim history in general below is the text from a recent post on my blog.

The FULLCOUNT Grand Slam

First of all FULLCOUNT is a fashion brand complete with fashion shows and photoshoots. Now let me say they make some fine jeans that would make any denim purist wake up sweating indigo. Part of it comes from the fact that founder-owner Mikiharu Tsujita (humbly self-introduced as Miki) is well versed in denim.

We sat down for tea last week in New York where I showed him the book, "History of Japan Jeans." While flipping through it he points out various veterans he's worked with (some he calls masters) over the years. He begins to tell stories. The one I found especially interesting is about the company he forged with sweat and tears.

FULLCOUNT s one of the Osaka 5, a group of five pioneer brands (Studio D'Artisan, Denime, Evisu, Warehouse, and FULLCOUNT) founded in Osaka for the pursuit of the best denim as seen through their respective lenses.

Tsujita recounts his younger days in the 80’s working in the famous vintage shop Lapine and traveling in the US with co-worker Hidehiko Yamane (of Evisu fame) to hunt for vintage denim garments. At the time vintage Levi's and the likes were already exchanging hands (American to Japanese) at hefty sums and it was difficult finding enough right pieces at the right prices to stock popular "used stores" like Lapine across Japan.

As a result in '89 Tsujita and Yamane launched the brand Rodeo backed by Lapine's owner. It offered raw denim with details that nodded homage to the vintage jeans they loved. Rodeo was famously different from existing brands like Studio D'Artisan and Denime, who pushed similar products but were supported by strong financial backing. It was known as a homebrewed label that distributed in vintage stores for likeminded individuals.

But in 1991 the ambitious duo splintered off and formed Evis (later renamed Evisu). I could not help but ask him to talk about the rumors of Evisu having purchased a vintage American-made shuttle loom (having heard this myth repeated as legend twice the prior day was strong motivation). It is reassuring to hear that the rumors are indeed not true. Evisu began making jeans using denim made on Japanese-built Toyoda looms.

Due to differences in brand direction (Evisu is now known for its colorful handpainted logo's that cover the backpockets; its mascot is the god of money) Tsujita sets off on his own purist's path. He stares off to the side with a distant look as he recalls what went through his mind at the time. Without substantial funding he knew that his next move would either make or break him. It was this feeling of being up at bat with 3 balls and 2 strikes that led him to name his lifework FULLCOUNT.

Since making that swing FULLCOUNT has become a popular Japanese brand offering both knits and wovens for men and women. Jeans from the line have features like natural indigo, Zimbabwean cotton, hidden rivets, back buckles, 100% cotton threads (for vintage purists) and of course selvage. But it is the essence of the vintage jeans that he wore as a youth that he tries to capture. In describing the FULLCOUNT denim he mentions soft and comfortable as being the most important points. As he models the jeans he's broken-in over 5 years he tells me this is point when the jeans are the most comfortable. He emphasizes the belief that fashion trends change but comfort does not. Their brand concept states "FULLCOUNT is not influenced by fast-moving fashion trend."

Caption: Miki in his 5-year FULLCOUNT jeans standing next to his collection.

Yet he insists FULLCOUNT is a fashion brand. His customers, while appreciating the vintage details, use his products to primarily fulfill fashion needs. This contradiction leaves me a bit perplexed. But after only half a minute I decided I don’t need to fully understand it. Balances and struggles between ideas contribute to denim’s character. You can analyze it all day long (and we do sometimes) but in the end all you need to do is wear it to get it.

Caption: The jeans ripped on his recent travels; New York is a tough city.

We talk about his arc designs post and pre Levi's cease-and-desist letter (sized like a book but doesn't read like one).

FULLCOUNT WebsiteSpecial thanks to Kotaro Tanaka

Special thanks to Lat40N

[tweeds]

pacioli, edited your post to add the pics in...hope you don't mind

plenty of interesting stuff in there. thanks! slowly browsing through your archives as well, haven't been keeping up to date with your blog.

[iamstarwars]

Pacioli, thank you for a very informative post and an amazing job. I had no idea Full Count and Evisu were linked in any way.

[moykky]

Thanks, nice one!

[pacioli]

It's my pleasure. I really enjoyed hearing the story straight from the horse's mouth. This was only one cross section of a larger picture and I look forward to getting a full view in the future. This particular conversation exposed an important dynamic that led to the rise of "repro" (big quotes; inspired by more than reproductions of) Japanese denim brands: the dwindled supply of vintage American jeans led to a growing demand for Japanese jeans inspired by Levi's-type denim. The appreciation for (obsession with, even) Americana is already a given.

All this is of course based on anecdotal evidence and should be verified with multiple sources. But I'm not a real journalist.

Pacioli, thank you for a very informative post and an amazing job. I had no idea Full Count and Evisu were linked in any way.

Indeed...but it would be more accurate to say Miki and Yamane share a history as the brands are not related. It's more interesting to note that they continue to make [denim] history. From what I understand they are all drinking buddies. I was told the Osaka 5 get together from time to time to argue about denim, plot world domination, etc. But the Warehouse twins are more younger members of this cartel and so have junior status before the OGs.

But for the most part from what I can see the denim circles in Japan are pretty friendly towards each other, viewing one another as contemporaries more than anything. The smaller mills in Okayama often dye yarns only to have it woven at another mill or finished at another.

[cmo]

When were these released? I'm not keen on the "WABI-SABI", apart from that, the jeans look good..(can't find no information on these)

Just came back from town and was in a store which had heaps of these all reduced to £10. They also had some with just the design on the front and plain at the back. Picked up a pair of the plain ones and going to try and remove the design at the front.

[edvianco]

OWN seems to carry some FULLCOUNT denim. Have anyone purchased from them? 0105s cost only $228. Don't know about shipping costs tho.

https://own-magazine.com/store/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=30&products_id=549

[indigo_junkie]

I feel it makes up for missing the Warehouse WWII model. I was worried I wasn't going to be able to get a pair.

Put my camera away before realising that I didn't take any full shots of the actual jean. They're here anyway.

http://www.rakuten.co.jp/vintage/814586/826844/#905922

Some pics:

[indigo_junkie]

For the Japanese literate who might want to translate it (or just have a read), I put a link to the back of the label here:

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z116/sixquid/fcwJP.jpg

Way too busy this week to soak (came dry, which was a complete surprise, since I thought it would have been a one-wash). Will give them a soak and put some fit pics up soon.