UNIQLO Selvage Denim S-000 [open thread]

[M4TM]

the selvage ones were HKD 399. the non-selvage jeans were like HKD 299 or something. can't remember exactly.

i just checked the HK website and I guess they had a friggen sale!! all jeans were HKD 200 (USD 27) but it ended the beginning of August. STEAL.

[edmond]

oh thats why... thanks god i got mine! 5 of em heheh

[lestat]

On the Edge

What's the big deal about Selvedge denim, anyway?

Way back when, denim was a big hit among the working class. every farmer and every construction worker in America would buy a pair of jeans and wear it as they worked themselves to the bone under a scorching sun. whether it was a 16 hour shift in the coal mines or hammering away at a new railroad, it was time spent in a pair of jeans.

Truly something of a "trend," this denim phenomenon wasn't prompted by style, It was about practicality. when you only mad a couple pennies a day, the trend was to spend money wisely, and these guys bought jeans because destroying them was next to impossible and so they were guaranteed to get their money's worth. They wouldn't rip. They wouldn't tear, and they certainly wouldn't shred. That's because they were selvedge.

Of course, no one called it selvedge back then, since it was the only kind of denim around. but thats what it was. And selvedge meant that it was woven on an old-fashion loom that would produce tightly woven, heavy weight men's denim. It would literally create a "self-edge" that was pretty unlikely to fray on its own.

Modernity eventually got its dirty hands all over everything, though. Assembly lines, fast food, and drive-through car washes became the norm. Life got faster and, as a result, it sometimes got sloppier. In terms of denim, new looms, could make more of it at a quicker pace, but it ended up being lighter weight and less durable. Not that a pair of jeans would unravel while you were walking down the street, but there was a noticeable difference.

Over the past couple of years, people have been talking about selvedge a lot. they're tired of their jeans shredding to bits after only a couple months of wearing them, and the new selvedge denim is just as good as the old kind. It's made on the same looms, using the same techniques, so the denim comes out strong and sturdy just like farmhands used to wear.

Selvedge Denim Jeans ¥4990 $79.50 £39.99

from UNIQLO Paper N°3

[cosmicflop]

Mmmm, competition's US only

[ringring]

On the Edge

What's the big deal about Selvedge denim, anyway?

Way back when, denim was a big hit among the working class. every farmer and every construction worker in America would buy a pair of jeans and wear it as they worked themselves to the bone under a scorching sun. whether it was a 16 hour shift in the coal mines or hammering away at a new railroad, it was time spent in a pair of jeans.

Truly something of a "trend," this denim phenomenon wasn't prompted by style, It was about practicality. when you only mad a couple pennies a day, the trend was to spend money wisely, and these guys bought jeans because destroying them was next to impossible and so they were guaranteed to get their money's worth. They wouldn't rip. They wouldn't tear, and they certainly wouldn't shred. That's because they were selvedge.

Of course, no one called it selvedge back then, since it was the only kind of denim around. but thats what it was. And selvedge meant that it was woven on an old-fashion loom that would produce tightly woven, heavy weight men's denim. It would literally create a "self-edge" that was pretty unlikely to fray on its own.

Modernity eventually got its dirty hands all over everything, though. Assembly lines, fast food, and drive-through car washes became the norm. Life got faster and, as a result, it sometimes got sloppier. In terms of denim, new looms, could make more of it at a quicker pace, but it ended up being lighter weight and less durable. Not that a pair of jeans would unravel while you were walking down the street, but there was a noticeable difference.

Over the past couple of years, people have been talking about selvedge a lot. they're tired of their jeans shredding to bits after only a couple months of wearing them, and the new selvedge denim is just as good as the old kind. It's made on the same looms, using the same techniques, so the denim comes out strong and sturdy just like farmhands used to wear.

Selvedge Denim Jeans ¥4990 $79.50 £39.99

from UNIQLO Paper N°3

What IS the big deal about Selvedge denim, anyway?

Whilst I'm all for selvedge denim, and have been a long-standing and open admirer of Uniqlo on these forums, I'm concerned about the rose-tinted nostalgia expressed in that statement.

It assumes that before "Modernity eventually got its dirty hands all over everything" that the world, and specifically the world of jeans manufacturing, and the resulting product, was inherently better.

Well, William Blake didn't describe them as 'dark satanic mills' for nothing. Notorious for child labour (which incidentally 'modern' countries now won't stand for), fabric mills were deathtraps. Would the indigo dyeing have been heathier then than now?

Do we forget, not know, or are we ungrateful of just how good we have it now.

I'm sure Uniqlo have embraced modernity in their production methods, logistics, retailing, financing and almost every aspect of their business.

So are selvedge denim jeans more durable? Are consumers 'tired of their jeans shredding to bits after only a couple months of wearing them?" This forum must be one of the most populated public testbeds of selvedge jeans on the internet, and if it is anything to judge by, one can expect your crotches to rip, pockets to fall off, stitching to pop off well withing a year. I'm sure there's a huge population in their Sevens and Diesels (and pre-washed, non-selvedge Uniqlo jeans) who have none of those problems despite buying their jeans pre-distressed.

I love that Uniqlo have made amazingly cheap, quality selvedge jeans - this truly is the common thread they share with the workwear origins of jeans, but I'll celebrate modern life.

[Paul T]

I'm with ringring on this. And while I love Uniqlo and sent a lot of people to buy the selvage jeans last time around, I don't see why a thread that simply punts one brand, with the usual amount of marketing spiel, gets stickied here.

Time for a vacation, methinks.

[Guest Mayhem]

its probably stickied because its the official thread to the supercontest 004. like all other supercontests, it got stickied.

[onemancult]

its stickied because its the official thread to the supercontest 004. like all other supercontests, it got stickied.

thanks, Mayhem. i am absolutely astounded at how many people here are somehow confused by the nature of this thread, why it exists, and why it is stickied.

EDIT: also to clear things up before people get a chance to question it, lestat's post from UNIQLO Paper has nothing to do with the official thread.

[gimmegimme]

What else would Uniqlo push down our throats if they didn't have "selvage" to promote? Jeans only have so many features to promote to the general public...and "selvage" is a nostalgic reminder of how quality was more important than styling in years past.

I full agree that selvage means nothing when it comes to quality...denim, construction and wear & tear contribute to that, among other things...but what else could they say to make these jeans stand out?

"New Uniqlo SUPER jeans...as worn and endorsed by denim nerds everywhere"

[onemancult]

On that note...

UNIQLOs new selvage denim uses Line 7 single stitching, in accordance with original selvage production techniques. Line 7 was used primarily during the 1960s. As technology advanced and the denim industry shifted towards mass production, Line 7 stitching was abandoned.

Perhaps this might help anyone stumped on the contest?

[gimmegimme]

What does Line 7 mean exactly? The gauge of the thread or something? :confused:

[Charlie Delta]

Sorry, but this thread is weird...

[edmond]

could anyone translate this? thanks! tags on my s-000

[Raijin-Fujin]

could anyone translate this? thanks! tags on my s-000

yes.......

[weirdnjfan1]

I'm in for the contest.

[Tarmac]

So does Edmondd's pics have anything to do with the US version, or is it just pure noise cluttering up this thread/

[edmond]

So does Edmondd's pics have anything to do with the US version, or is it just pure noise cluttering up this thread/

do you call this pure noise? im sorry ill just have to take this pics out...

[ninjapie]

Heh, is the contest open yet? It just links me to the Uniqlo website.

Free stuff is always nice.

[ringring]

I'm with ringring on this. And while I love Uniqlo and sent a lot of people to buy the selvage jeans last time around, I don't see why a thread that simply punts one brand, with the usual amount of marketing spiel, gets stickied here.

Time for a vacation, methinks.

Thanks Paul. I hope your vacation from here will be brief, and that you'll return to illuminate this gathering of denimnerds as you have done before

I don't mind that this thread has been stickied. Pay money and get a sticky. It's a fair trade.

Regarding the marketing spiel, I guess it's this, or as Rajin put it, 'propaganda' that precipitated the kerfuffle about his censorship here.

Ironically, the truth is usually more interesting than any marketing fluff. Just as Albert Einstein expressed his 'unbounded admiration' for the universe as far as science could reveal it in preference to a worldview dictated by religious dogma. (apologies to Einstein for the lightweight use of his thoughts for this analogy!)

The most memorable case in point here being your emancipation of the truth behind the myth that Levi's shuttle looms were saved and used for Evisu jeans. The real story of a group of Japanese denim fanatics' efforts to resurrect shrink-to-fit selvedge jeans is just as, if not far more, interesting.

Discoveries like yours liberate us from being selvedge Sisyphus's, pushing myths and half-truths up and down the internet. I, for one, am grateful and appeal to the moderators here to go easy on the censorship.

Trim away the unecessary embellishment and the fact that Uniqlo have produced possibly the best value selvedge jeans on the planet should surely be more than enough?

[Tenchi]

5000 yen is pretty cheap...thats like AU$50 or ~USD35

[Paul T]

ringring you are really too kind. I've gained by so many of your insights here, without which this board would really be locked in the past.

Actually, I hadn't seen that uniqlo had placed advertising when I saw this thread. Now their sponsorship is explicit, that seems more reasonable to me. But I find some of the marketing bull I've seen here counter-productive.

(incidentally, a holiday from here just means I need to devote myself a little more to activities that pay the bills)

[ringring]

ringring you are really too kind. I've gained by so many of your insights here, without which this board would really be locked in the past.

Actually, I hadn't seen that uniqlo had placed advertising when I saw this thread. Now their sponsorship is explicit, that seems entirely reasonable to me.

(incidentlly, a holiday from here just means I need to devote myself a little more to activities that pay the bills)

How about writing another denim book? *hopes selfishly*

There's so much more left untold. The evolution of laundries, home-grown Japanese shuttle looms , denim production in Mexico, Guatamala, Brazil, India, China...sponsored by Uniqlo

And thanks, much, for the typically generous words.

[Paul T]

Ha, I'm writing the proposal now!

I've learned a lot since frequenting this place, from a lot of people.

Perhpas I've learned something reading this thread...

[onemancult]

While we all love to see two forum legends break bread, could we please try to keep the banter to a minimum and keep the thread on-topic? Losing the little jabs at certain circumstances would also be much appreciated.

[snugglepony]

While we all love to see two forum legends break bread, could we please try to keep the banter to a minimum and keep the thread on-topic? Losing the little jabs at certain circumstances would also be much appreciated.

who are you and what have you done with the real OMC?

[onemancult]

Just trying to do my job without everyone and their mom making it difficult.

Feel free to check out supertrash for your regularly scheduled dose of inappropriateness. Have you seen the dragons and cars?

[Raijin-Fujin]

Just trying to do my job without everyone and their mom making it difficult.

I feel vindicated...

[cheep]

yeah, he never claimed it wasnt... this forum is a buisness... people forget that sometimes. if a forum member wants to make some money alongside the owners of superfuture, they should be able to. if that means being what essentially amounts to a PR person on the forums for a brand, than thats what it takes.

[vincenzo]

yeah, he never claimed it wasnt... this forum is a buisness... people forget that sometimes. if a forum member wants to make some money alongside the owners of superfuture, they should be able to. if that means being what essentially amounts to a PR person on the forums for a brand, than thats what it takes.

Yeah - all that sounds good in theory.....

BUT may be they should disclose their interest(s) prior to posting.

It lets people make informed decisions about the denim they choose to buy/wear.

[spacemanvt]

all true points, but ill probably end up buying a pair of the black s-002s. i bought a pair grey non selvedge ones from uniqlo on monday and am pretty happy with my purchase (tho if i had known their were selvedge raw ones i wouldve waited)