Jump to content

Tender Co. Denim


braille_teeth

Recommended Posts

^thank you Broark! I wear all three, but I personally always seem to come back to the 208 spiral buckle. The flipper (210) is the longest, and it's really nice to be able to reverse it. The 200 wire buckle was the very first style, though, and is still probably the most popular.

Speaking of belts, a very good customer and great friend of the brand, Alex, just sent me a link to his photos of a beautifully worn 201 S buckle belt, with the red enamelled buckle. I've seen a few of these after some wear, but never as nicely aged as this:

tumblr_omrt6jXGC01r1lghso1_1280.jpg.93385dee1d4d033bbb834d24d8380c07.jpgtumblr_omrt6jXGC01r1lghso3_1280.jpg.bd8d23535fb639f27ddbdddb827d467a.jpgtumblr_omrt6jXGC01r1lghso4_1280.jpg.51127839c764827e3b0a0d578feba6dd.jpgtumblr_omrt6jXGC01r1lghso2_1280.jpg.9d8eb94637638975d15af1d5cf2f0278.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In separate news, Whooper is now live, and available at whooperjeans.com! This project has been mentioned a couple of times already, but it's a separate, very small, line of jeans made in Japan, based on lesser-know jeans brands of the later 20th Century (70s/80s, but pre fashion jeans). The denim is custom woven, 12oz, full width, and comes as a right hand twill, left hand twill, broken twill, or plain weave- it's been really interesting, and fun, to see how the same base yarn comes out differently by varying the weaving structure. Lots of details in the site, but here are a few images:

BROKEN_V_05.thumb.jpg.2533c994ac39fd8e4030792a3de3fb64.jpgLEFT_V_07.thumb.jpg.ce5fab73769e3f71143f5972a06f026a.jpg

V_01.thumb.jpg.ae77252727208c1e346d1726164fbe31.jpgLEFT_V_04.thumb.jpg.b5d994040dd53e48a7fa549427d77c0b.jpg

arc.thumb.jpg.6655b251a30c7f08f9a7a0be8a318427.jpgoutseam.thumb.jpg.3f91f4684a8013ec09794b5cfa9dd8e2.jpgoverlock.thumb.jpg.4bc8fa1f38cd59a65cb695954104a00d.jpgpenney.thumb.jpg.9808e72f222b0793240b31305bd4d5bb.jpgthreads.thumb.jpg.c28fc145d83ac4e45ac30fc0be2d4ba3.jpg

I've been wearing a pair of broken twill 'Backwoods' for a couple of weeks, and I'm really enjoying them. It's a totally different type of garment to Tender, but I'm looking forward to them being my summer jeans. Please let me know if anyone has any questions, or would like more photos/descriptions etc

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do you happen to have any photos of your 208 belt?
I think that one may be leading for me at this point, I like that the buckle one cast piece of brass.
I'm guessing if I'm a 36 in most jeans I'd go for a size 6 belt?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^the only photos I can find on my computer are from when it was pretty new, a couple of years ago:

19393933258_dcda40ef12_b.thumb.jpg.83885c46714143764ee77a8e90b57e61.jpg19575026932_3c526ef8d1_b.thumb.jpg.bd18290a7522a0f853915033645e9966.jpg

The leather's aged a lot and got much darker since these were taken- I'll do an update tomorrow.

Depending on the brand of jeans you wear you could go for a 5 (measured 37" to the centre hole) or a 6 (39"). Generally I'd err on the side of too big, if you;'re between sizes, as the leather's pretty thick. Feel free to email me with any questions. Thanks again!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great, thanks for those photos! Looking forward to seeing how it looks now.
I think I'll go with the 208, and to be safe I'll go with the size 6.
The other belts I have are labeled 38 and I think I'm closer to the end of those.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, Broark said:

Great, thanks for those photos! Looking forward to seeing how it looks now.
I think I'll go with the 208, and to be safe I'll go with the size 6.
The other belts I have are labeled 38 and I think I'm closer to the end of those.

Thank you for your order! Your belt will go out today. Here are some photos a couple of years on:

IMG_1136.thumb.JPG.07d1e20f67b29bc635fa61869ca4706f.JPGIMG_1137.thumb.JPG.e30c849a0450b0857856c875bad1cfdf.JPGIMG_1138.thumb.JPG.bcb46f73f1b161ba1eea9a06ca1aa8f5.JPGIMG_1139.thumb.JPG.4dff46797fee7841a4ec3168ffb75a4d.JPGIMG_1140.thumb.JPG.89549f6765afb4cca94cea3a7b48ed55.JPGIMG_1141.thumb.JPG.45cb9e7b8eae8d4c9ee1ab77b8b83cfc.JPG

while we're on the subject, I received an email a little while ago from a customer who'd noticed marks appearing in the leather where it comes into contact with the end of the buckle spiral. Here's my reply:

I know exactly what you mean, I have this belt myself and I have the exact same gouge. I was thinking about this before the buckle was cast, when I was playing around with the master for the design. The spiral idea is a way of holding a cast brass pin onto a cast brass frame. Cast brass can crack if it’s bent severely, e.g. to bend a pin over a buckle frame, so most brass buckles have a solid brass frame with a brass-plated steel pin. This design came about by looking at how the split rings on keychains work- the pin is hooked onto the frame as you’d fit a key onto a ring. 

Doing this securely meant having an overlap somewhere on the buckle, and I didn’t want it to be sticking out at the top or bottom, where it might dig into the person wearing it. If it was hidden away under where the belt is sewn on it would be too bulky under the leather, and anyway I like the idea of having the concept be visible. It was with this in mind that I decided that I quite like the gouge you get in the leather. Various other Tender buckles make different marks on their respective belts, and I quite like that over time you’d be able to tell which buckle was worn on which belt.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, JoFo said:

Whooper looks awesome. Really interested in the broken twills. 

 

9 hours ago, jigsaw said:

Backwood look so simple and plain yet so many intresting things goin on, no hustle,no bustle, no BS. I might give it go

Thank you! Really appreciate it. Here are some photos of my own pair of Backwoods (36"):

IMG_1148.thumb.JPG.4d58107462adb41f336e882c16e8e1ed.JPGIMG_1152.thumb.JPG.219e3e0b705b74c788807bcc0a53ef5f.JPGIMG_1155.thumb.JPG.711d1d954c318eaee2fd2264f5996e28.JPGIMG_1157.thumb.JPG.abed965c8e75c406dd482f5317d2cb10.JPG

and here's a closeup:

IMG_1158.thumb.JPG.cc4cc75b6b894fc5b15ece16666c62d5.JPG

We're only a few days in, but they're forming some nice soft creases, and they're extremely comfortable right away.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Backwoods look good, a super-simple, no-nonsense jean. It'll be very interesting to see how they fade over time - I didn't catch that if it was on the Whooper website...

But those boots, damn, they're beautiful! Are those Tender boots from a previous season? I still miss an old pair of natural suede chukkas that wore into complete submission like that (though they were not as well-made to begin as those appear to be), and finally bit the bullet a couple years back. They were actually the sole footwear that people have come up to me to compliment.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've worn these 129 wattles for about a month and they are already starting to fade, not a bad thing I've just always heard Tender is stubborn as hell. They do get washed pretty often since I mainly use them for bouldering and more casual days at the office.IMG_0637.thumb.JPG.a6e4eeaad4f78c1bd328659f60df4c9e.JPGIMG_0639.thumb.JPG.9e77ddda607b068c9fa0fcfececf03e9.JPGIMG_0641.thumb.JPG.7493aa3e9c540ace7a30531d3bfcf2de.JPGIMG_0643.thumb.JPG.de02f216766cfe57459aff79dfeddc49.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^thanks for the pictures! It's really great to see the indigo start to appear through the wattle. Looks like there's a nice bit of leg twist happening, too. I've not found my Tender jeans to be especially slow to fade, either, but again I have a fairly active lifestyle and wash them reasonably frequently. Keep us updated!

On 14/03/2017 at 9:14 PM, FeloniousMonk said:

The Backwoods look good, a super-simple, no-nonsense jean. It'll be very interesting to see how they fade over time - I didn't catch that if it was on the Whooper website...

But those boots, damn, they're beautiful! Are those Tender boots from a previous season? I still miss an old pair of natural suede chukkas that wore into complete submission like that (though they were not as well-made to begin as those appear to be), and finally bit the bullet a couple years back. They were actually the sole footwear that people have come up to me to compliment.

Thanks so much for this Monk, I'm delighted you like the look of Whooper. I was out in the sun today, and I can already see some nice highlights on the creases of my Backwoods, so I'm hoping there'll be something good to see pretty soon. Thanks for the boot appreciation too- these are a totally trashed (much loved) pair of Ducker's chukka boots, bought I'd say 10 years ago, resoled countless times and now pretty much relegated to going up and down the garden. I have another pair, a year and a half old, which are slightly more respectable, and which are just about ready for their first resole. Sadly Ducker's closed down in January, so I'll have to look elsewhere once these are finally past it. Here are some photos (balanced on my Whooper Backwoods, to keep things mildly on topic):

IMG_1299.thumb.JPG.701b7fa723ef04f4deb99d9442f0438b.JPGIMG_1300.thumb.JPG.6944ca50ae97b7c8efff8f6039023250.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another semi-off-topic post, yesterday was the hand-in for this year's Central St Martin's menswear BA course denim/workwear project. I really enjoy doing these projects, and this was a very strong year. As well as considering some aspect of traditional workwear and/or denim history, the brief this time recommended looking at sustainably making and reduce waste pattern cutting. Some students took this further than others, but it was really interesting to work through these things. Here are some highlights:

IMG_1201.thumb.JPG.96c73ec872722a82c121cd201e135598.JPGIMG_1202.thumb.JPG.8980b87d4d83e23a59df8e92c71a3ca2.JPGIMG_1203.thumb.JPG.7a15e73c2df7b457945d7fc173dc2b62.JPGIMG_1216.thumb.JPG.33e9ee4ab88e6b7a8108a3cbff3a4804.JPGIMG_1215.thumb.JPG.dc904e435577021eb76530036db25c96.JPGIMG_1198.thumb.JPG.652cf7d9454f51e52b0724a42fb7f707.JPGIMG_1246.thumb.JPG.9ca59885cf378c29928829fbd119e96e.JPGIMG_1251.thumb.JPG.957091d34168b5fe79aa6684b32d7b30.JPGIMG_1253.thumb.JPG.858eab53bed95e9e12a6f53d62ecdac7.JPGIMG_1205.thumb.JPG.05f6b052ed272f9d41a5cd50b685daba.JPGIMG_1195.thumb.JPG.044c95fd66a2a141bfaacac643bcd021.JPGIMG_1212.thumb.JPG.b76d439c7a00d738177322f9abca0a62.JPGIMG_1219.thumb.JPG.58a693763e63672236df274e2e71e246.JPGIMG_1220.thumb.JPG.08ef61721b2205c2d994cf124c41b30c.JPGIMG_1221.thumb.JPG.b99845f4004321a40d9d04b94df2349a.JPGIMG_1226.thumb.JPG.2139eef5a55fa9cf9214058a3ff6beb5.JPGIMG_1228.thumb.JPG.013125093a35e99345e342e9149e8007.JPGIMG_1230.thumb.JPG.033eb5c0c293ce70138c717ff914f919.JPGIMG_1243.thumb.JPG.0892941c5e42cfba2f8b78d411098d8f.JPGIMG_1234.thumb.JPG.960f128ea1a4b076504b56eee2673266.JPGIMG_1237.thumb.JPG.2a416f942c1caa5597fd6702ef878bbe.JPGIMG_1266.thumb.JPG.bb91b2ace04b0a651a1ca5e05ccab6d0.JPGIMG_1270.thumb.JPG.219e63aec7f202faa9da03022462d8cf.JPGIMG_1275.thumb.JPG.e53d74ff042c0f0a14e91531d2846da6.JPGIMG_1282.thumb.JPG.f63a7b337fe7fee7ee35432f2022df70.JPGIMG_1284.thumb.JPG.ee4e5a6fd64de238335e7ed9b9333ccc.JPGIMG_1287.thumb.JPG.547c3da51af6ba17152e7e3db9d8a4dc.JPGIMG_1291.thumb.JPG.2ca2184a9f1574a4b642e1529c1a05a4.JPGIMG_1294.thumb.JPG.89a099f591d0067dbf594522282efbd8.JPGIMG_1290.thumb.JPG.467b4366a6b9d47720190269329fe560.JPGIMG_1255.thumb.JPG.56004764f083d9cfff6b9d4d1ba37cf7.JPGIMG_1256.thumb.JPG.38c5d71bb2ab514c7a278b48fe13c868.JPGIMG_1257.thumb.JPG.9dfce422ee4f2b7090a221170bafc47b.JPGIMG_1259.thumb.JPG.c9356705a9302f4ccdf6b40a543372f2.JPGIMG_1263.thumb.JPG.d1e35b3228a21363aa4ca7f6608cfc2a.JPG

this last jacket, in particular, I thought was really exciting- the pattern came out from a single rectangle of cloth, with no wasted fabric at all, and there were no sewn seams- the pieces are held together entirely by hand-needle-felting woollen fabric across the joins in the cotton. The edges were painted with latex, so there's no hemming anywhere, either. It was inspired by satanic cults among Bolivian asbestos miners, and dyed with the designer's own blood... As with a lot of these projects, all this may not be to everyone's taste, but it's really exhilarating seeing new approaches to menswear, and introducing people to concepts that they haven't necessarily considered. Pictures above from some names to watch: Luke Derrick, Colleen Allen, Jerryl Joseph, Hee Lee, Trixie-Pepper An, Céline Schubert, Josephine Sidhu, Tancredi Vimercati Sanseverino, Jules Davies, Fabrice Desvaux De Marigny, Johnny Evans, Chano Jeong, Shunichiro Naka, Chan Hee Park, Kamine Kolanen, Andrea Quaglia. 
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey, I was wondering whether I could get some sizing advice for the Wallaby shirts (both long and short sleeve). I'm typically a size M or 3 in shirts, but not sure what I'd be in these particular shirts. For reference, if I'm purchasing online, I usually go with shirts that measure 20"-21" across the chest, 17"-18" across the shoulders and preferably 30" or under for the centre back length.

Do y'all reckon a size 2 would be the size I'm looking for? I'm a rather short bloke at 5'7" and that's why I prefer my shirts to not go over 30" in length otherwise I tend to look too top heavy. Understandably, the shirts are supposed to be loose fitting, but I'm okay with it not being as loose on me as it's intended to be. I should probably double check what my typical armhole measurement would be since I have had shirts in the past where the seams cut into my armpits. 

Looking to maybe pick up one short sleeve and one long sleeve in different colours.

Thanks guys!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 always love your annual St Martin's denim project. it does seem like a particularly strong year group.

of course, I like anything that's been inspired by satanic cults among Bolivian asbestos miners, and dyed with the designer's own blood'.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 18/03/2017 at 7:49 PM, rodeo bill said:

Another semi-off-topic post, yesterday was the hand-in for this year's Central St Martin's menswear BA course denim/workwear project. I really enjoy doing these projects, and this was a very strong year. As well as considering some aspect of traditional workwear and/or denim history, the brief this time recommended looking at sustainably making and reduce waste pattern cutting. Some students took this further than others, but it was really interesting to work through these things. Here are some highlights:

IMG_1216.thumb.JPG.33e9ee4ab88e6b7a8108a3cbff3a4804.JPG

Nice to see the use of one of your Tender customers, @chicote as one of the models! :D

Edited by Maynard Friedman
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 20/03/2017 at 0:12 AM, propellerbeanie said:

Hey, I was wondering whether I could get some sizing advice for the Wallaby shirts (both long and short sleeve). I'm typically a size M or 3 in shirts, but not sure what I'd be in these particular shirts. For reference, if I'm purchasing online, I usually go with shirts that measure 20"-21" across the chest, 17"-18" across the shoulders and preferably 30" or under for the centre back length.

Do y'all reckon a size 2 would be the size I'm looking for? I'm a rather short bloke at 5'7" and that's why I prefer my shirts to not go over 30" in length otherwise I tend to look too top heavy. Understandably, the shirts are supposed to be loose fitting, but I'm okay with it not being as loose on me as it's intended to be. I should probably double check what my typical armhole measurement would be since I have had shirts in the past where the seams cut into my armpits. 

Looking to maybe pick up one short sleeve and one long sleeve in different colours.

Thanks guys!

Many thanks for this! From what you say I'd recommend a size 2, but please email me if you'd like specific measurements. There can be differences between styles and fabrics, but I think you'll be a solid 2.

18 hours ago, slowdownarthur said:

 always love your annual St Martin's denim project. it does seem like a particularly strong year group.

of course, I like anything that's been inspired by satanic cults among Bolivian asbestos miners, and dyed with the designer's own blood'.

 

Glad you like the look of them! I also should have called out Tancredi's work, the all denim kimono jacket and floor length jeans. These were also totally zero-waste cutting, there were no cutouts anywhere, just folded back flaps, topstitched down. The entire garment is lined with its own toile, so he didn't even waste the calico used to check the patterns, and the quilting stitches are a direct reference to vintage flight suits.

18 hours ago, Maynard Friedman said:

Nice to see the use of one of your Tender customers, @chicote as one of the models! :D

he get's around!

back on topic, I'm going to try to put up some fabric details and information. First, here's a closeup of the freshly made 'low tension cotton sateen':

FullSizeRender.thumb.jpg.a8d0a207090229718478a0f78a3f38c1.jpg

A sateen weave is normally very tightly woven, of fine yarn (typically silk). This cloth is woven in the same pattern, but using a much thicker natural cotton yarn, woven at low tension. The result is very soft and drapey, but with quite a lot of substance. It almost feels like a cellular Aertex-type cloth, and will wear cool in summer and warm in winter. Here it is compared to a standard sateen (the top cloth is one of the bandanas that Tender sunglasses come wrapped in, the bottom is this shirt):

IMG_1335.thumb.JPG.f5b20b8af69ab081c54cbbafec7267f4.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just got my Tender belt in, it's perfect! I haven't bought a belt in quite some time but this is definitely the nicest I've come across.
Some quick, bad pictures since I'm about to head out for work.
Nice packaging:
g9E8ngZ.jpg
The leather is really heavy duty and so is the brass on the buckle:
202KNuM.jpg
ioBD86R.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@rodeo bill Thanks for your advice! I measured a few of my well-fitting shirts and the armholes ranged from 9.5"-10". The shirts that I'm interested in are these ones:

https://www.superdenim.com/row/tender-co-type-423-wallaby-tail-dyed-shirt-laundry-bag-cloth-red-wattle.html

https://www.superdenim.com/row/tender-424-wallaby-pocket-ss-tail-shirt-rinsed.html

Obviously there are more items that I'm interested in though ;) Chipping away at a uni degree, so I gotta pick and choose what I really (really) want.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 16/03/2017 at 10:10 PM, Hendsch said:

I've worn these 129 wattles for about a month and they are already starting to fade, not a bad thing I've just always heard Tender is stubborn as hell. They do get washed pretty often since I mainly use them for bouldering and more casual days at the office.IMG_0637.thumb.JPG.a6e4eeaad4f78c1bd328659f60df4c9e.JPG

Here's a preview after ~3 years!:

IMG_1448.thumb.JPG.80463c2294e385b26e2011f7b104a37b.JPG

IMG_1449.thumb.jpg.66320d50cb17ed7a48e16bf1f81784b2.jpg

IMG_1452.thumb.JPG.d89531e579a1e3b0c051139533ee4449.JPG

IMG_1453.thumb.JPG.c60361b76ed48d5fc076c5f2825628e0.JPG

These 130s just came back from Japan for a little TLC, and they're the best worn-in pair of wattle jeans I've seen so far.

Edited by rodeo bill
Link to comment
Share on other sites

^^thanks Jason! ^diesel, thanks for this. The khaki dye is a mix of fermented indigo (greenish blue) and turmeric (yellow), and reacts slightly differently on each fabric. Here's a selection:

IMG_1543.thumb.JPG.9c21cf4cba6cb19b98aa603b2571bf70.JPG

On top is khaki onto laundry bag fabric, which is the greenest as the base fabric is sky blue to start with.  Next is the calico that the lightweight jeans are made from, then insulating linen twill, then low-tension cotton sateen. 

Over time the brighter green will mellow to the more yellowish khaki tone. I have a theory that early uniform khakis, which were made with similar recipes, may have started out greener and faded to more of a drab over time, so that what remains isn't necessarily how things started out (this is certainly true of natural dyes used in tapestries, for example).

Another thing about this dye, particularly, is how it shades and tones slightly differently even across a single garment. Here's a cotton sateen shirt:

IMG_1544.thumb.JPG.c76291ace617a3d66c26739236355678.JPG

you can see it has a warmer tone across the sleeve than on the collar, say. It's a really interesting colour, difficult to photograph or describe. I'm excited to see how it ages!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Speaking of the lightweight calico jeans, here's my own pair of ecru 132s:

IMG_1590.thumb.JPG.32664dea79a59f4008d80d6f2440437f.JPGIMG_1588.thumb.jpg.d1813a93418e2fb4f348e4543d3b0058.jpg

as it's getting warmer I'm really looking forward to spending a lot of time in them. They're really light to wear, but fully constructed as a pair of Tender jeans, so don't feel insubstantial or flimsy at all. I'd recommend sizing up with these- they do fit to a standard spec by measurement, but I think the fabric suits being worn a little loose. On top in these photos is a red wattle dyed low-tension cotton sateen short-sleeved wallaby shirt. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here are some photos of the linen insulating twill. This is woven from 100% linen yarn, in England, to be set in resin, like this:

IMG_3275.thumb.JPG.c591ad93da38be098bbc635be6e6e937.JPG

While the resin is still soft, it can be pressed into shapes for pieces of sports cars. The material is as light, flexible, and easy to work with as carbon fibre, but has much better vibration-dampening properties. For this purpose the raw natural brown linen is used, but I wanted something a little bit fresher, which would show the dyes better, so I've gone for a bleached version of the fabric. Here's the unbleached and bleached versions of the same cloth:

IMG_3271.thumb.JPG.876f635c32fd9bd4de7fa1dd5dbd4676.JPG

and here's a closeup of the finished fabric:IMG_1546.thumb.JPG.39a1d778a349384c5accb758f17b8812.JPG 

It's got a great weight and bounce to it, as linen does, and is extremely substantial- I've never come across linen this heavy elsewhere.

Incidentally, the pullovers, knitted from the same weaving yarn that's used for the calico and sateen fabrics, are constructed in a stitch that's intended to mimic the twill of this fabric:

IMG_1547.thumb.JPG.829c6485471ef584885144cb77e18eb3.JPG 

Edited by rodeo bill
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...