World of denim shops

[exaptavist]

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Edited October 10, 2015 by hoggreaser

[Maynard Friedman]

Hoggy,

The MiJ 'villes lost their extra button fly by 2004. I bought 2 pairs of MiJ Waynesvilles in 2002 (with 5 button flies) and 3 further pairs (all MiJ) in 2004, 2006 and 2008 with 4 button flies. Hope that clears that up.

My guess is that LA1 have the Tunisian-made models that still use the same Japanese denim.

[exaptavist]

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Edited October 10, 2015 by hoggreaser

[Artisandenim]

One of the things that has really impressed me since getting involved here is the sense of community from such obviously diverse characters from all ages, backgrounds, walks of life, preferences etc.

All sharing knowledge, information and opinions for no other reason than a passion and interest in the subject. I have also seen brand ambassadors singing the praises of other brands, and small businesses recommending and supporting other small businesses. Iron heart even has an 'other brands' thread on its forum for chrissake!

With this in mind, does anyone else think it is shady as fuck that Son of a Stag are having a discount and beer day on the same day as rivet and hide are due to (albeit unofficially) open their new store on the other side of town? I may have to revise my opinion of them as that just feels a bit snide to me...

I work for a multinational corporation (the teenage me listening to the Napalm Death song of that name would be in turmoil if he could see me now) so am absolutely no stranger to backstabbing competition practices, but was naively hoping that something with such a shared interest would be at least partly free of this need for greed.

From the little research I've been carrying out, it really seems to go against the grain of the healthy and open competition between, for instance, the 'Osaka 5' and the general spirit of things in a specialist arena. I.e. You compete by your product choice, your knowledge, your unique specialist skills, your service, the pride in what you do, not by trying to tie the shoelaces together of a new competitor before the race has started.

Or maybe I'm just older and more sensitive than I thought and should slow down on the beers on a Saturday eve. Whatever. Just throwin' it out there...

[Davil]

 

 

I thought some of you who travel might be interested in this.  I met with Afiq from Tarik Denim today.  The first thing that I noticed about the guy was his long black hair and mustache.  It stood out to me, because the people I met in KL (until this point) were very much clean cut.  His hair signified to me a rebelious spirit right from the start.  Really, you have to meet Afiq to have a true understanding of the Tarik Denim brand.  We took the short walk from the streetside to his Nusantara Denim shop in Selangor, KL in Malaysia.  He showed me around his shop and we dove right into a conversation about the quality of denim in his store and the Tarik brand itself.

 

Afiq finished his schooling as a designer and started working in his chosen field.  He had the motivation to work hard and compete with his colleagues about who was in the office longer, or who had the best production records. At the time, even though he was working long hours at work, he still made time for his true love, being a musical performer.  Slowly the long hours at work made him rethink his position, and he decided to make his move into something different.  He became a local celebrity by performing.  And this creative spirit eventually inspired him to develop his own selvedge denim label.  A gutsy move from a stable designer job, to rocking out and designing denim.  He pulled it off!  And the results are his denim shop and his brand.

 

Tarik is basically meant for the youth of Malaysia.  Afiq started the brand with no intentions on selling his products outside of Malaysia.  The brand was more or less intended to be a middle finger at the local establishment.  Now a few short years later, it has evolved into something much more.  His denim is still done in very limited runs of premium Japanese selvedge and other mixed materials for skinny jeans with a little stretch.  Details include custom rivets, YKK zippers, vegetable tan patches, and a lot of attitude.  The actual Nusantara Denim shop houses local South-East Asian brands such as Old Blue Co, Indigo Skin, Fifth Requisite, Doku Ichiro, PMP, Field Trip, BNV and others.  Nusantara Denim shop is a must visit for any denim head dipping his head into Kuala Lumpur.  The layout and decor is going to surprise you.  The sales staff is definitely knowledgable, and if you’re lucky, you just might run into Afiq!

Edited April 24, 2014 by Davil

[Davil]

 

On my second day in Malaysia I met with Chie, the owner of The Yard, who also happens to be the proprietor of Cheese Denim.  Although I had heard of the Cheese Brand, I heard about The Yard from Aqif who walked me over to Chie’s store.  At the time, The Yard was closed, but the next day we made arrangements to meet Chie to see what denim he had on hand and to find out more about the Cheese Denim brand.

 

 It was late in the afternoon by the time our taxi arrived, so we stopped for a quick lunch of Indian rice, chicken, and veggies.  Then, we were off to the denim shop just a block away.  The shop entrance could be described as an alley.  If you plan to visit I would advise you to take a taxi. But not just any taxi company and definitely not the ‘blue ones’, since their prices are double the normal. Note, however, that taxis may get caught in traffic which makes it difficult to predict the actual cost.  On one trip we paid 35 MYR one way, on another we ended up paying 129 MYR.  Either way, you want to keep the phone number and address to the store close because you or your driver may need additional guidance finding the place.  It is a little tucked away and Kuala Lumpur taxi drivers may not be familiar with the area.  Once inside you will realize that it was worth the travel, and actually with Nusantara right around the corner, to visit both in one day is the smart way to go.

 

 My first questions to Chie were based around the denim culture in Malaysia.  I was honestly surprised that the owner of a rival denim shop and rival denim brand would bring a possible customer to his doorstep.  He just smiled and responded that they have a community here and that’s just how they do it.  He would do the same.  Can’t help but respect that.  Chie was working in retail marketing with some pretty popular brands before he took the plunge into selvedge denim.  As I listened to his story I got the impression that he felt restrained working for someone else.  He explained some of the rules for marketing different products when working for someone else and how this posed some challenges for him.  He seems to enjoy the freedom of creating his own products from his own vision, and hand picking other items to sell in his shop.  After this short conversation, we headed to the denim racks.

 

In his shop Chie carries a mix of brands from Japan, the US, Malaysia and Canada representing models from Momotaro, Sugarcane, Kapital, Flathead, Naked and Famous, Red Cloud, Unbranded, Ceremony Fine Goods, and of course Cheese Denim.  He also stocks Voyej, Tom Rich, and other accessories.  He has a few premium vintage items for sale as well.  While I took the opportunity to get a hands on look at many of the models I had never seen up close, Chie took the time to point out the features of each pair I was interested in, and to show off some of his faded Cheese models that he has on display in the store.  I’m just now realizing how much time we spent in the shop.  Quite a few groups of people came and went while we were chatting or looking through his inventory.  The price of the taxi is worth it to see just one of these denim shops, the fact that there are two of them so close, definitely makes them both a “must†visit to any denim head going to Kuala Lumpur.

Edited April 24, 2014 by Davil

[Davil]

 

Didi is a different kind of guy.  They say that still waters run deep, and this reminds me of my encounter with him.  Although Didi came off to me as soft spoken and unassuming, I had the feeling that under the surface there was more going on…a lot more.  After I heard his story, I now know I was right.

 

I had made a few attempts to contact Didi on Facebook before my honeymoon in Malaysia.  If you have followed my series of articles on Tarik, and Cheese Denim, then you will know that before this trip I didn’t know much at all about the denim scene in Malaysia.  I thought it would be cool if I could get in touch with the locals to get an inside look at the local denim culture.  Didi was not the easiest person to get a hold of.  But my persistence paid off, and I got the chance to sit down with him, talk about the denim scene in KL, and to find out more about his brand.

The first surprise Didi had in store was that he is an active duty police officer.  This explained why he was so hard to contact.  Second, Didi has done a bit of service on UN missions.  After hearing this, I was intrigued.  So what makes a guy like him decide to get into selvedge denim design?  He had spent years collecting vintage denim and other items.  This is what sparked his passion for selvedge denim.  Eventually, one day he decided to try to make a pair of jeans for himself.  What made him think that this was even possible?  His mother had been a seamstress, and he grew up watching her perform her craft.  In my mind I imagined this guy growing up around artisan seamstresses, coupled with precision and discipline honed through years of law enforcement training…and somehow the presentation of his products made a lot of sense to me.  Each stitch is exactly where it should be.  Everything looks clean, and to my eye, there is an artistic value to his design that you don’t see enough of in the selvedge industry today.  While listening to him explain the evolution of his designs, he showed me how the stitching, fasteners, and the materials he uses had steadily improved.  It is clear that he is striving for his own version of perfection.  He explained how he had to stop producing some articles because his current equipment would not allow him to produce them in the best way.  He knew that there were better processes out there, and until he was able to obtain the equipment to complete them, he refused to produce inferior articles.  I tried to listen, but I have to admit, my eyes did drift to get a good look at the interesting denim hat that he was wearing.  He casually took it off and explained that it was a test sample that he’s working on.  He let me get a good look at it, and then moved on to showing me more of his designs.  

 

Didi is in the process of moving into his new space where he is opening his own storefront in the same building where Ceremony Fine Wear’s workshop is located.  I was lucky enough to get an inside look pre-launch.  He gave me a quick explanation of what each machine in his shop is used for, showed me his selvedge stocks, and gave me a look at a few more test models.  I sat there looking at his shop and his future storefront and I have to say I was impressed that within 4 years this guy went from making jeans for himself, to becoming possibly the best known selvedge designer in Malaysia.  All while maintaining a professional high stress day job in law enforcement.  Didi is dedicated to not only designing the highest quality products, but also adding elements of the Malaysian culture, as well as his own artistic touches.  He is involved in every process and he takes ownership of every item that comes out of his workshop.  He may be starting from humble beginnings, but Ceremony Fine Wear is truly an artisan brand from start to finish.  If you are in KL on May 1st, I would advise you to stop through at his launch party. It should be something special.

Edited April 28, 2014 by Davil

[redragon]

Really been enjoying your write up of the various shop & workshop around KL,

glad to know that the denim scene is well and triving over there.

[Davil]

Thanks redragon.  It's been a very interesting experience.  I learned a lot about selvedge denim that I really had no idea about.  I would advise anyone who has the opportunity to visit a workshop to do so.  You will learn more in an hour than you will learn in a month of searching the forums.  It's kinda the difference of reading a sports page vs hanging out on the sideline of a football game.

[Maynard Friedman]

Interesting new UK-based online store selling Japanese goods, including denim:

http://seijaku.co.uk/japaneselifestylestore/

[saintkeat]

The only raw denim specific store in Malaysia.

 

I did a video walk through over the weekend when I made a trip up.

 

[st199ml]

Another loss to the London denim scene, Anthem has ceased trading as of today.

Damn shame. Beautiful shop, fabulous clothes.

[Jared_Lee]

I didn't really know where else to put this. Blue In Green just underwent a massive remodel and expansion. When I walked in and saw it on Friday, I knew I wanted to photograph it for you all. I asked Naoki if it would be all right for me to come by Sunday to do so and he graciously agreed. Here are the results. I won't clutter it with words, but if you have questions about anything specific, please ask.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 15, 2016 by Jared_Lee

[Jared_Lee]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 15, 2016 by Jared_Lee

[Jared_Lee]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jared_Lee]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Broark]

Wow, beautiful store.

One day I'll make it up there!

[garden gnomes in space]

nice.  looks like a denim oasis

[Bobbo]

Very nice Jared, thanks for sharing!

[Geeman]

Great update.

I went to the Real Mcoys store in Tokyo today, amazing shop. They had virtually every piece in stock from all the lines. The décor was great, a lot of thought had gone into it.

[Sugar Mountain]

Yup, the RMC Tokyo shop is one of the best out there. I love the Anderson shelter and the boat, haha... The staff have also been very cool both times I've visited.

[garden gnomes in space]

I saw Geeman's IG pic.  He looks as happay as a pig in shit standing in front of thr RMC store, bags hanging off every limb hahaha

[kiya]

Yup, the RMC Tokyo shop is one of the best out there. I love the Anderson shelter and the boat, haha... The staff have also been very cool both times I've visited.

 

 

Crazy story... that Anderson Shelter was originally built directly across the street from Self Edge Los Angeles by a local guy that does film sets, it was built in the empty parking lot that we use for our store.  It was there for about a year, then one day it was gone.

i walk into the new RMC store in Shibuya about three years ago and there it is.. in the basement of a building...this HUGE shelter that was built across the street from us in Los Angeles taking up half a parking lot.. now in the basement of a clothing store in Tokyo.  

Very cool of Hitoshi to buy that thing and move it to Japan. Then again it makes sense because he was spending so much time on La Brea in LA for a couple of years there, he almost opened a store down the street from us with Dr. Romanelli.

Edited May 17, 2016 by kiya

[Geeman]

I saw Geeman's IG pic.  He looks as happay as a pig in shit standing in front of thr RMC store, bags hanging off every limb hahaha

Just came from Momotaro then SDA and Jelado before hitting RMC, a heavenly day!

[Niro]

lucky *******! I wanna go to Momotaro store! I will go next year I think

Edited May 17, 2016 by Niro

[VivaMarlon]

That BiG bag is great! Did that come with your purchase? Awesome either way!

[Maynard Friedman]

Good news! DC4 is re-opening at new premises in Berlin on 30 June:

https://www.denimhunters.com/2016/06/save-date-dc-4-berlin-re-open-june-30th/

[Bobbo]

It's good to see they're back at it, wish them all the best after that horrible experience.

[P_K]

Seen on instagram that Son of a Stag in London are now stocking Freewheelers. They seem to be stocking loads of brands.

[Niro]

When i was there couple months ago, Rudi (the owner), was telling me that they stock more brands than other store in Europe