Poly-cotton thread

[Blackplatano]

I'm tired of seeing jeans lose and break their threads. Everytime I see a good piece of denim with 100% cotton stiching all i think is "WHY?"

What are the jeans that have poly-cotton stitching and why doesn't everyone catch up?

I'll start

Flathead

[Dex_star]

some people will take nostalgia over reliability?

i dont mind the small breaks everywhere.... i kinda like it.. i never had a huge break tho

[synthi]

I think in this context the durability of the cotton is more a result of the close fit rather than the cotton per se. Leather jackets and shoes for instance were also traditionally sewn with cotton and as historical items have proved, the stitiching has stood time and wear just fine.

[denimdestroyedmylife]

who needs their jeans to last forever?

[Dex_star]

bums?

.....

[Blackplatano]

who needs their jeans to last forever?

I do...and at $250 a pop they better last a long time.

I really don't see the fun of breaking in a pair of jeans for a year and FINALLY when they look good, they die.

[sidneylo]

Odd thing is... my FH3001 haven't ripped at the crotch yet but the pretty wear on it is from the deterioration of the cotton thread... I see your point though. If the thread blows, you can always get it restitched in poly/cotton thread for a few bucks at your local tailor I suppose.

[andewhall]

Core spun is the way to go, Coats Polyfil....the core is strong polyester and the outer is wrapped in 100% cotton. I don't have a problem with 100% poly either.

edit: not sure on the price per cone of 100% cotton, but corespun is 2 x the $ as pure poly.

[homme.homme]

The only brand I have that uses 100% cotton are my PBJ and I like the breaking threads but I wouldnt want it on all my denim.

[habia]

Pretty much the only wear in my 3001s is in the thread. I have been wearing them constantly since June, and in September the right hem started to come out and a couple weeks ago the back pocket started to come off in one of the corners.

At the same time though, I am glad I have the 3001 and not the F310, not really sure exactly why. Probably more because of the discontinuation than the change in stiching.

Interesting dilemma though. Are Japanese denim companies going more for the tradition of using 100% cotton, or do they want the best performance materials? One way to look at it is if Levi Strauss had poly cotton thread in the 1800s I am pretty sure he would have used that with his first pair of metal rivet pants.

[Souper]

I seriously wish my jomons had poly-cotton. They're barely 2 months old and I have had a front pocket blowout, and the back yoke has a stitch or 2 loose. I can only imagine how many blowouts will occur over the life of these jeans

However, I get em repaired at 45rpm as soon as the stitching comes out; the uneven stitch patterns over time will look kind of cool IMO :-\

[kiya]

Personally i like 100% cotton thread because of the way it looks when it starts to break down.

I had a two hour long conversation with Hiro, the president of Skulls, over this exact matter. He was saying how he gets constant requests to make his jeans with cotton/poly stitch and he refuses to because he wants the buyer to form a strong relationship with his or her local dealer.

I agree with him fully, i'm into the idea of having a person come back into the store for a repair and forming a long standing relationship with a customer.

It adds a deeper dimension to the entire process.

These jeans aren't for everybody, you must love it to wear it, and buying something knowing in advance it won't last as long is part of the passion.

[bustinxjustin]

Personally i like 100% cotton thread because of the way it looks when it starts to break down.

I had a two hour long conversation with Hiro, the president of Skulls, over this exact matter. He was saying how he gets constant requests to make his jeans with cotton/poly stitch and he refuses to because he wants the buyer to form a strong relationship with his or her local dealer.

I agree with him fully, i'm into the idea of having a person come back into the store for a repair and forming a long standing relationship with a customer.

It adds a deeper dimension to the entire process.

These jeans aren't for everybody, you must love it to wear it, and buying something knowing in advance it won't last as long is part of the passion.

That's an interesting way of looking at it Kiya. However, not everybody has an awesome shop like yours in which to create a relationship with .

[drainpipe]

Right now, it's pretty inconvenient for me to get to any shop to do repairs being in college without a car and all. That, and the fact that these jeans are still a significant money investment, definitely makes me prefer something that won't break down.

Also, anyone know if Dior uses polycotton threads?

[kiya]

I totally do understand that it's not a easy process if you're not local to a place that's a denim specialty store.

But at the same time a person knows what they're getting themselves into, there's always the choice of buying a pair that's cotton/poly stitched.

We explain to every person the difference between the stitches when they're in the store so that there's no surprises three months later when the stitch starts to break.

I'd say 30% of the jeans in the store are 100% cotton, and the rest are different versions of cotton/poly blend.

I think Iron Heart uses titanium laced stitch from the way the stitch looks after my pair that i've been wearing for 18 months.

[habia]

I agree about building the relationship with local dealer and I would love to live in the bay area and come by Self Edge whenever I have problems.

I go to school in New York though and feel bad getting Gordon to repair small stuff since he won't let me pay him and I don't plan on getting jeans from him any time soon.

Just wondering, Kiya, do you ever talk with Blue in Green about chainstitching or repairing eachother's stuff?

[thoran]

Personally i like 100% cotton thread because of the way it looks when it starts to break down.

I had a two hour long conversation with Hiro, the president of Skulls, over this exact matter. He was saying how he gets constant requests to make his jeans with cotton/poly stitch and he refuses to because he wants the buyer to form a strong relationship with his or her local dealer.

I agree with him fully, i'm into the idea of having a person come back into the store for a repair and forming a long standing relationship with a customer.

It adds a deeper dimension to the entire process.

These jeans aren't for everybody, you must love it to wear it, and buying something knowing in advance it won't last as long is part of the passion.

Not everyone has the luxury of a great denim dealer like you. Frankly it's cool in concept but the majorty that don't live in Japan or the US are going to have a tough time. I personally don't trust your average repair shop not to fuck up my jeans so i'd prefer the stiching to last.

There is the option of buying other jeans but a lot of the jeans with 100% cotton thread are the "most desirable" from a purist standpoint, it just kinda sucks for those purists without a local tailor they trust/denim store.

[kiya]

Just wondering, Kiya, do you ever talk with Blue in Green about chainstitching or repairing eachother's stuff?

Yup... We chainstitch jeans that were bought at BiG all the time and i know Gordon does jeans bought from us, but i have no idea how often.

[hungryalien]

i think thats part of the charm of "repro" jeans.. its like you dont put modern day high performance tires on a vintage/classic cars.

[theetruscan]

I had a two hour long conversation with Hiro, the president of Skulls, over this exact matter. He was saying how he gets constant requests to make his jeans with cotton/poly stitch and he refuses to because he wants the buyer to form a strong relationship with his or her local dealer.

I agree with him fully, i'm into the idea of having a person come back into the store for a repair and forming a long standing relationship with a customer.

It adds a deeper dimension to the entire process.

These jeans aren't for everybody, you must love it to wear it, and buying something knowing in advance it won't last as long is part of the passion.

I completely disagree. Your shop is awesome, Gordon's shop is awesome, but I would rather visit because I want to than because I need to rely on you often to fix avoidable problems. I already have a pair of jeans with Gordon because I wore through the fabric on the crotch. I've visited him twice for hemming (I live in Nashville), I don't need to have random failings to make there be a bond.

Having cotton thread just makes for infuriating problems. Having had both pockets come out on a pair of jeans because the all cotton thread broke within a week was just shitty. A strong bond is nice, but will come in time whether or not my jeans are made with thread that will inconvenience me over time. You and Gordon running fantastic shops with fantastic merchandise and immaculate customer service will make that bond happen.

[Action Waffle]

Personally, I'm cool with cotton thread when its on a distinctly repro-style jean, it really does add to the classic feel. On more modern styled jeans, skulls in particular though, I much prefer polycotton, the tradeoff just doesn't seem worth it, particularly for those of us nowhere near a good tailor and too poor to keep more than a couple pairs of nice denim.

[willy p]

so if/when my skulls start falling apart, can i mail them back self edge to get them repaired? considering i live in florida right now and will be moving to atlanta in june... i wont be around a reputable denim shop.

oh, and i bought them from self edge... so how much do these repairs cost?

[kiya]

so if/when my skulls start falling apart, can i mail them back self edge to get them repaired? considering i live in florida right now and will be moving to atlanta in june... i wont be around a reputable denim shop.

oh, and i bought them from self edge... so how much do these repairs cost?

Repairs are free if you bought the jeans from us.

You just have to pay for shipping both ways.

In the end it'll probably cost the same to take them to a good local tailor of yours.

[andewhall]

Been meaning to make a pair with linen thread, one day. Does anyone know why they stopped using linen? I image cost, etc.

[Pandemonium]

Flax linen? Yeah, that shit comes in small quantities.

Good thing about it is that it's stronger wet than dry, so your jeans won't tear apart (at the seams at least) in the wash. Oh, and it's stronger than cotton overall anyway.

But, yes... expensive.

[hungryalien]

just curious.. how/what do you guys do with your jeans that makes those pockets fall apart in weeks? i've had torn jeans in knees, butts, hems. but never had those stitches coming off yet.

[cheep]

broken stitches have never bothered me... i just pick up a needle and thread and fix em. i like the hand repaired look after they are worn in.

i think my sam contest jeans have 3 or 4 different kinds of thread on repairs... some poly cotton fom walmart, some unknown from a pair of mid 70s 517s, some that i just fond at my girls house.

[batorizer]

like i said in the warehouse thread: it's about the wabi sabi, kinda of like kiya was alluding to. I personally really enjoy the authenticity of 100% cotton thread.

It's almost like buying a Harley, especially an older one (I know, I've got an '86). Things are gonna break that are gonna have to be fixed. You can either take it to the shop to fix it, or do it yourself. A home job may be more rough, but it makes it (jeans or bike) more of a part of you.

[Blackplatano]

Personally i like 100% cotton thread because of the way it looks when it starts to break down.

I had a two hour long conversation with Hiro, the president of Skulls, over this exact matter. He was saying how he gets constant requests to make his jeans with cotton/poly stitch and he refuses to because he wants the buyer to form a strong relationship with his or her local dealer.

I agree with him fully, i'm into the idea of having a person come back into the store for a repair and forming a long standing relationship with a customer.

It adds a deeper dimension to the entire process.

These jeans aren't for everybody, you must love it to wear it, and buying something knowing in advance it won't last as long is part of the passion.

The fact that a lot of you buy this weak excuse makes me lose faith in humanity.

If Honda released a commercial that stated that they would construct all cars with iron parts that are sure to break down sooner than say, stainless steel, because they want you to "build a relation$hip with your local mechanic"...how many of you would be happy about that???

It's essentially the same logic. This is no different than companies making microwaves that are design to break down in a certain amount of years so you have to buy another one.

Of course they want you around the shop for repairs, that way you could be tempted to buy more. And eventually if the jeans get messed up a lot you will have to buy another one.

The reason a lot of people buy Japanese jeans is because they think they are of higher quality. In fact, they are paying for perceived quality that isn't there. After all, denim heads look down at designer denim because it is "bad quality", so what makes Japanese denim any different?

All this talk about abstract qualities that Japanese denim supposedly posses like authenticity, character, passion, etc reminds me of nudies' marketing strategy. At the end of the day they are a piece indigo dyed cotton trousers and all the romanticizing is bullshit to cover up it's faults and improve sales.

You either buy the propaganda or you don't.

I for one will NEVER buy anything from skull, and will start looking for real quality jeans.

Badly constructed Japanese jeans are the new nudie.

[denimdestroyedmylife]

don't be so reactionary

people that want repro jeans will want them made the old-fashioned way, with old-fashioned materials; skull may not be in the business of making strict repros, but i expect their buyers are the same people that also buy repro jeans; these buyers have the same expectations when they shop around for modern takes on the standard bearers, i.e. all cotton thread, selvage, ringspun denim, hidden rivets, etc.

if durability is the bottom line, maybe jeans are not the answer. maybe all-polyester pants with elastic waistbands are calling your name