so, i'm having a pair of jeans made . . . .

[snuff_daddy]

one of a kind jeans miz, great thread, cant wait to order a pair

[Bigyen]

2 questions.

when hemming, do we know if BiG reinforces the seam and puts a brake in the chain stitch?

2nd, can you ask Kuniyoshi-san if there is a certain brand he feels is superior or even a certain pair, in terms of getting all the details right.

DOMO!

[shibuya-kun05]

Most fascinating and interesting thread I've ever read on sufu, Miz.

May I ask what brand of jeans Kuniyoshi-san wears when not his own brand?

And considering the fact that these could be customized jeans for online orders, are there other brands that provide similar cuts to his that we can gauge? Or did he really customize your pair by taking your measurements?

[raWorkshop]

when i look at the picture of the tank, the brown stuff is at the bottom and the pipe leading out to it is clear. so, it probably is some kinda filter.

BUT, the water is not brown because of algae. why would a guy who spends this much attention to detail use a water tank with crappy brown algae in it? come on, man!

he says he goes through the water so frequently that he really doesn't need to use the chemical, but he does it anyway to be on the safe side.

Nonono I know it's not algae, it's probably just the sandy chemical filter (which settles on top of a much larger, nylon mesh filter right above the hose) that catches all the microbes. I've seen tanks green with algae, it's just got to do with how fast you go through your water and how good your local water processing plant is.

That fit is bomb. Enjoy them.

[salaami]

not to shit up this thread, but the belt loops on the 47s i saw and held were flat, especially when compared to the FC and WH i brought to the store with me. and the craftsman ship wasn't comparable imho. to me the stitching on FC is even prettier than WH on the inside...

[PeterParker]

The jeans appear to have been soaked here. Didn't see any info about the soak though. Not that the soak info on your custom pair of jeans is relevant to most of us, but for the sake of documenting every step of making your jeans, how were these soaked? Does kuniyoshi-san soak all of his jeans after he's finished making them (the unsanforized ones, at least), or does he leave some of them raw?

You mentioned that kuniyoshi-san doesn't find a significant difference in hemming pre- or post-soak, with respect to roping. It appears like he hemmed them after they were soaked; is this his preference so that the final hemmed length is exact?

[rnrswitch]

not to shit up this thread, but the belt loops on the 47s i saw and held were flat, especially when compared to the FC and WH i brought to the store with me. and the craftsman ship wasn't comparable imho. to me the stitching on FC is even prettier than WH on the inside...

I think I documented this lack of raised belt loops on the LVC in the SC47 vs. LVC 47. I really wonder if Levis ever "raised" their belt loops anyways. If the purpose of LVC is to reproduce vintage levis, and vintage levis did not have raised loops intentionally, then it would seem that LVC should not intentionally raise the loops. The raised loops may very well be something the Japanese have added. Also, they could have gotten the raised loop idea from vintage jeans which have been washed over and over, so in effect an LVC may actually over time acquire the raised loops.

[mizanation]

lots of questions here.

about the diagonal belt loop on the back. many of the old jeans had a diagonal belt loop because if you put the belt loop straight on the seam, the machine has to go through a lot of material. i had him do this to give it a little vintage flava. you know how i do.

2 questions.

when hemming, do we know if BiG reinforces the seam and puts a brake in the chain stitch?

2nd, can you ask Kuniyoshi-san if there is a certain brand he feels is superior or even a certain pair, in terms of getting all the details right.

DOMO!

reinforcing the seam is a detail that probably doesn't make that much of a difference--since the chainstitch will seal the seam together. however, it's something kuniyoshi-san does anyways. gordon puts a brake in the chainstitch by tying a knot on the stitch. kuniyoshi-san says both ways are acceptable (tying a knot or cutting the stitch). he cuts the stitch because it saves on time, but both ways achieve the same thing.

Most fascinating and interesting thread I've ever read on sufu, Miz.

May I ask what brand of jeans Kuniyoshi-san wears when not his own brand?

he hasn't bought a pair of jeans in over 10 years. but, since he was making some of the top brands, you could say that he has worn many brands, along with his own brand of jeans.

And considering the fact that these could be customized jeans for online orders, are there other brands that provide similar cuts to his that we can gauge? Or did he really customize your pair by taking your measurements?

he has two cuts right now, a regular straight cut and a slim cut. the slim cut was too tight for me in the thighs. and the regular straight was somewhat baggy. but, since i asked for lap felled seams, it slims the jeans a little, since his pattern is for overlocked seams. so, the jeans are in between a regular straight fit and a slim fit.

The jeans appear to have been soaked here. Didn't see any info about the soak though. Not that the soak info on your custom pair of jeans is relevant to most of us, but for the sake of documenting every step of making your jeans, how were these soaked? Does kuniyoshi-san soak all of his jeans after he's finished making them (the unsanforized ones, at least), or does he leave some of them raw?

You mentioned that kuniyoshi-san doesn't find a significant difference in hemming pre- or post-soak, with respect to roping. It appears like he hemmed them after they were soaked; is this his preference so that the final hemmed length is exact?

ok, after he makes the jeans, he gives it a temporary chainstitched hem. he does this even though he knows he will cut it off later because he doesn't want the pant legs to unravel. then, he just throws them in the washing machine without soap. japanese washing machines usually do not have an agitator, so they are a little easier on the fabric. after he washes the fabric, he hang dries outside. after they are dry, he takes measurements, then hems the jeans.

he one-washes almost all his jeans. but he will keep them raw if someone wants them raw. most of his customers prefer a having more accuracy on the hem.

[mizanation]

about the raised belt loops, i am not sure if they were an "accidental" feature on the old levi's, or if it was done on purpose. i'm not even sure if kuniyoshi-san knows what the deal is with this. anyways, they're just belt loops. i like the raised ones because they look cooler.

[Broke_folk]

+ rep Miz.

Now can wait for the evolution of those jeans.

[Turntabloid]

congratulations miz!

[erk]

any raising on the belt loops of my LVCs has been noticed after a couple washes. I think rnrswitch has got it right.

I think its similar to what Ring Ring talked about in the thread about leg twist. How the japanese denim makers can make the leg twist happen no matter what (opposing blah blah cant remember). Anyways, a japanese exaggeration of a vintage aspect.

cool fit miz. love the thread.

only negative is I hope this isn't the end to your updates on kuniyoshi-san.

[mizanation]

only negative is I hope this isn't the end to your updates on kuniyoshi-san.

no, i'm planning on documenting any new projects he works on.

[Kregg]

no, i'm planning on documenting any new projects he works on.

This is good.

EDIT: You must spread rep blah blah blah.

[Charlie Delta]

this how the back looks.

Looking at these again, what these remind me most of are 45rpm's, think it's the shape of the backpockets combined with the "plain-ness" and the crumbled/washed look...

[headtowall]

Looking at these again, what these remind me most of are 45rpm's, think it's the shape of the backpockets combined with the "plain-ness" and the crumbled/washed look...

I was thinking the same thing. Eternals also have that look when new.

Great thread.

[rnrswitch]

That leather tag looks so supple. Like a pig's ass right before roasting... I ain't talking about the animal pig. The type that roll in black and white.

[SOLARIS]

Where did your back pocket stitching go?

[M.O.A]

that was a different pair of jeans i believe

[mizanation]

Looking at these again, what these remind me most of are 45rpm's, think it's the shape of the backpockets combined with the "plain-ness" and the crumbled/washed look...

good observation...

that was a different pair of jeans i believe

yeah, i decided not to go with any back pocket stitching this time. well, really, i didn't have time. i plan on getting a few more jeans made by him so i will definitely do the stitching next time.

[TLCA]

So how can you order jeans from kuniyoshi-san? and typically how much do they cost?

[PandaDenim]

Please read the thread.

Thanks.

[mizanation]

so, i'm in paris now. the jeans are great. the denim is quite rigid and creases very well. also, they are very, very dark. the surface is generally smooth with a bit of fuzziness. i can see why kuniyoshi-san picked this particular fabric. reminds me of the warehouse 1000XX denim, which is one of my favorites.

the more i look at these jeans, the more i see that every stitch is perfectly in place. every detail is slowly revealing itself as the jeans get more wear. i am appreciating little things already, like the extra room he adds for the front pockets. no more bleeding knuckles!

also, i really like that the inside pant seam is lap felled on the inside but has the appearance of having one single stitch on the outside. i dig the simple aesthetic of the single stitch and the clean support of the lap felling.

also, the length of the jeans is perfect. this is the first pair of jeans that i've had hemmed after washing and i am an advocate now. before, i would err on the long side with raw jeans and would have jeans that were a little too long. with this pair, since they were already washed once, all kuniyoshi-san has to calculate is the amount that creasing would shorten the leg.

so, pretty satisfied so far! i will be back in okinawa in about a week and a half. i will be posting some wear pics occassionally.

[Turntabloid]

paris only, or europe in a week and a half?

[mizanation]

paris only. and a little bit outside paris.

[stewiegriffin]

ncie fit miz :)

[goat]

Miz - jeans are great

Great process too.

I'm not in the market for jeans as of yet, but definitely will consider this in the future

[milosz]

Miz, if we're in the market for a pair can we PM you, or would you rather we wait til the website is up?

[mizanation]

Miz, if we're in the market for a pair can we PM you, or would you rather we wait til the website is up?

no, you can go ahead and pm me. the website is going to take a little bit of time, so pm'ing is going to be the way to go for now.

[ChuckO]

also, the length of the jeans is perfect. this is the first pair of jeans that i've had hemmed after washing and i am an advocate now. before, i would err on the long side with raw jeans and would have jeans that were a little too long. with this pair, since they were already washed once, all kuniyoshi-san has to calculate is the amount that creasing would shorten the leg.

so, pretty satisfied so far! i will be back in okinawa in about a week and a half. i will be posting some wear pics occassionally.

This confuses me. I thought the length on selvedge denim takes up to 10 washes to shrink completely.