Iron Heart Jeans

[Double 0 Soul]

I love how you kicked off the discussion then stayed the hell away throughout eventually returning at the very end to sum up.

 

These are the 634s hoggy was refering too.

Edited August 5, 2013 by Double 0 Soul

[exaptavist]

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Edited October 10, 2015 by hoggreaser

[itsbenhere]

Those are just starting to look really good in my opinion.  Seeing pictures like this are what drove me to purchase Iron Hearts in the first place.  I love that you can tell that they have been faded naturally instead of seeing some insane-looking combs etc... then again this really is only completely true for their classic denim.

[Max Power]

^true. The 25 oz produce some of the most intense contrast I know. TBh, I don't recall any other denim with that high contrast potential at all (maybe the new SE 23 oz IH denim). The 21 oz denim is the complete opposite - hard to get faded, especially with strong contrast.

 

I neither fancy the one or the other much, my favorite IH denim stays the 21/23 oz.

Edited August 5, 2013 by Max Power

[Sugar Mountain]

While we're sharing pictures, here are my Beatle Busters after a year of wear. I don't think I posted them on here.

 

 

 

 

[shoreman]

I enjoy Iron Heart denim because I don't feel like I need to be a denim nerd in order to get a reliable, high quality product. 

 

If you stay away from the "motorcycle-themed"items, IH has an abundance of basics that are readily available at market prices with the added bonus of having a specific milieu whose raison d'etre is to provide potential buyers with as much information as possible prior to purchase. (Pretty awesome customer service, imo.)

 

To paraphrase Vinneus, I'm pretty fed-up with unsanforized denim and IH provides the most ideal alternative. 

[louisbosco]

this has been a very interesting discussion guys. really a good read without have any childish comments. great points made on both sides. it's been awhile that there's been such a mature discussion going on here.

 

to add in, i have to agree with you on the work G&P puts into customer interaction. these are the factors that make the people feel that the brand actually cares about them.

[Seul]

It's funny how the stubborn crew get all worked up whenever someone criticises iron heart

I honestly would not want to be associated with the Iron Heart Army if they were a bunch of narrowminded, intolerant dumbarses... I know this not to be the case though, and what you describe rarely (if ever) happens on the IH forum... So yeah: I will proudly be part of that Stubborn Crew...

You should spend some more time in our int'l circlejerk aka the IH forum, Optimus... I have very soft hands...

[Geeman]

Seul, may have neg repped your last post in error.   

[Seul]

You've + repped me. I don't know what's worse.

Anyway: time to stop feeding The Trollz. Some people like IH, some don't. Some won't, for various reasons.

In the grander scheme of things, honestly: who fucking cares... Next post will be pics of me in IH gear. Might be this week, might be next month... Back to the pile!..

[sta991]

Anyone know if the IH-1461 will show up for sale in Japan soon? (i.e. the black non-selvedge boot cut) Thanks.

[TTC]

been up for several weeks

[demonator]

woohoo cant wait for our first shipment of Ironhearts to arrive!

[poiuytr]

 

[tmadd]

 

Now, I do still think it is expensive.

 

I do feel that there is a very real compulsion to defend the brand against criticism*, far more so than any other brand on here.

(*and realise, criticism isn’t always necessarily negative – it can simply refer to systematic analysis)

 

And, I don't believe IH jeans (specifically jeans) will last any longer or are any more hard wearing than any other brand.

* Of course, I can’t speak from experience so it’s nothing more than opinion formed from the available evidence, but I’ll say I've had a pair of Nudies for about five years and the only damage has been a rip at the hem from constantly walking on them. I've seen what Licorice Noose and Kybosh do to a pair in no time at all. Perhaps not very fair, or really indicative of the jeans themselves, but to anyone who says “well they work hard in them, it's what you'd expect†- I worked as a process operator and FLT driver for a number of years in both an ink plant and then a steel factory - wearing alternately the same two pair of cheap cotton/poly work trousers, which never let me down. I've partied the arse off my Denimes, and only now are the threads going because I sized down two. And, I suspect they are cotton thread, at that.

 

 

However this all being said, while nobody ever need justify what they choose to wear to anyone else, from the last few pages I’ve been pretty impressed with how people have made an effort to point out why IH works for them. I can’t say I like it anymore, but I’m far less likely to groan in disdain as I have done when I see another recommendation for the product or image that I’m not interested in purely because of my own bias toward what interests me. That wouldn’t be fair.

 

 

This really gets at the meat of why Iron Heart is such a successful brand, with such fierce brand loyalty.  They do one thing (Heavy...often with an emphasis on soft/comfortable) really really well.  Iron Heart has a very distinct aesthetic that is highly reliant on tactile quality.  For people that this resonates with, there isn't even really a viable alternative...if you want the things about Iron Heart that IH does and nobody else does, there really isn't a grounds for comparison with something else.  Nobody is doing anything I've seen even remotely like the flagship 21oz denim.  Additionally, the 634s is one of the most universally flattering and appealing jeans cuts out there...there aren't many cuts out there that I've seen work wonderfully for skinny guys, average guys, big guys, and women.  

 

Now if you don't give two shits about heavy weight denim and fabrics, and you are more a fan of vintage style, or jeans that are known for their fading properties, it's not hard to see why you wouldn't care about Iron Heart, and might not understand why people are so into it.  When people start to talk about their perceptions of Iron Heart as overpriced or overhyped, they miss out on the fact that they are applying their own rubric of what a pair of jeans, or a clothing line should be, and basically invalidating the value judgements of the people who are super into the brand.  It's the same circular argument that always used to happen about people who would bitch about Mister Freedom being too expensive, and calling anyone who bought it a sucker...they were ignoring that it was a brand that did something that nobody else was coming close to offering competition to.  If you wanted insane details and fabrics from cleverly designed naval themed garments of the highest production, Mister Freedom was more than worth what was being charged for it.  If you want to try to find something to fault Iron Heart for...make sure it's something that most of it's fans don't consider a positive feature...that's when you can have a nice fiery debate that is actually people arguing about something other than just spouting off their opinions without any attempt to understand what the person they are disagreeing with is saying, or where they stand.  People end up defending the brand so vehemently because they realize that it's being evaluated on a scale that has no relevancy to them and the reasons they like the brand so much.  

 

The reason that I quoted this though is because it was mostly a smart post, except for the horseshit bit in the middle about some imagined idea that iron hearts jeans aren't harder wearing than any other jeans....based on...personal experience with Nudies and Denimes?  For real.  Of course no jeans are invincible, but the idea that a pair of 634s in the 21oz selvedge isn't harder wearing than a similar cut sized the same way in a more rigid, lighter weight, denser weave denim, whether it's sewn with cotton or not, is a joke.  It not only defies 7 years worth of well documented anecdotal evidence on this forum, but also basic understanding of physics, and simple application of common sense.  In no way should this make you want Iron Hearts more...as a matter of fact, the hard wearing characteristics of Iron Heart jeans is the single reason I haven't owned a pair in 5 years...that's not an attribute I particularly care for in a pair of jeans.  That doesn't make the truth any less true though.

Edited August 7, 2013 by tmadd

[Max Power]

Great post. Still, I think you are a bit too sure about the long lasting abilities of the 21 oz denim. My 634 SB is the only pair I own that got a hole from my wallet and one button hole ripped. I must say, that I wore them on the tighter side, but I own many jeans I've worn for a longer time that didn't rip at all. Not saying IH do bad quality, but to my experience other brands hold out as long (that inclues also some old nudies). I also remember one discussion, where a construction worker (?) on the IHF complained about his IHs ripping as early as Levis.

 

However, all these experience are subjective and depend on too many influences to do general judgements, neither to the one or the other side. So I'd be careful with the horeshit phrase.

Edited August 7, 2013 by Max Power

[Megatron1505]

Exactly right Flo, the argument on the lasting abilities of IH, or any other denim is always going to be subjective and anecdotal.

Unless anyone feels like springing for direct comparison testing, under a prescribed set of conditions, this is all it ever will be too.

[Double 0 Soul]

tmadd- It must be hard to remain impartial about IH while working for selfedge and being on the IH payrole?

Not a criticism i think that everything i make (and i suppose sell) is fucking brilliant therefor i have a strong bias towards it.

[alexx1976]

 

 

 

more 4 IH haters!hahaha

 

stetson

oakley

IH  9526V

random T

carhartt

Edited August 18, 2013 by alexx1976

[exaptavist]

.

Edited October 10, 2015 by hoggreaser

[Sugar Mountain]

With regards to IH's source of cotton, Giles has said they have been using US cotton for a number of years now. Haraki used to use Zimbabwe but changed (without telling anyone, he didn't think it mattered) because the supplier of Zimbabwe cotton in Japan was tinting the yarns green.

[Double 0 Soul]

Can someone offer me some clarification here? up to last week i had never lurked the IH forum its only this great discussion thats keeping me here. Mega talks of "subtlety" and a "clean aesthetic" these remarks seems at odds with the fit pics. alexx above is combining a button up vest with camo shorts and white glasses or previously a green ball cap this does not appear at all subtle to me.

Nothing against you alexx as a IH collector you know how the brand should be worn a lot better than i do.

Edited August 7, 2013 by Double 0 Soul

[alexx1976]

With regards to IH's source of cotton, Giles has said they have been using US cotton for a number of years now. Haraki used to use Zimbabwe but changed (without telling anyone, he didn't think it mattered) because the supplier of Zimbabwe cotton in Japan was tinting the yarns green.

 

 

SKANDAL.....haha

[alexx1976]

 

Can someone offer me some clarification here? up to last week i had never lurked the IH forum its only this great discussion thats keeping me here. Mega talks of "subtlety" and a "clean aesthetic" these remarks seems at odds with the fit pics. alexx above is combining a button up vest with camo shorts and white glasses or previously a green ball cap this does not appear at all subtle to me.

Nothing against you alexx as a IH collector you know how the brand should be worn a lot better than i do.

 

my opinion....everybody should be wear what he want....and mix what you want....there is no law.

 

peace

[Seul]

as a matter of fact, the hard wearing characteristics of Iron Heart jeans is the single reason I haven't owned a pair in 5 years...that's not an attribute I particularly care for in a pair of jeans.  That doesn't make the truth any less true though.

Look into the 25oz. jeans. Honestly: it's the most brutal thing out there that fades beautifully...

[Seul]

Wait: there are "rules" on how IH should be worn?.. I'm shit out of luck...

[alexx1976]

its only one rule in life....are my eggs full i need a girl!

 

bam

Edited August 7, 2013 by alexx1976

[Double 0 Soul]

I like peoples style and how they choose to coordinate an outfit rather than simply the wearing of clothes, Possibly why im just not feeling it.

There are no rules as you say its just my personal taste, as that^^^ is alex's

Edited August 7, 2013 by Double 0 Soul

[Megatron1505]

To clarify my point you mentioned above Double 0, I find that the individual garments have a clean aesthetic, obviously how they are worn and what they are combined with can alter this.

From the IH forum I would suggest anesthetist and Seawolf as examples of guys using clean line garments to get a clean line aesthetic. This, to me, is the essence of the Iron Heart "look", love it, hate it or be indifferent to it.

[Double 0 Soul]

Thanks mega i will check it out, at the moment im a little confused as to what the IH look is, not that a brand needs a defining look of course.