Tender Co. Denim

[rodeo bill]

Just received this fantastic photo from a customer and friend of the brand. In his own words "Just back from a cycle ride from Leh to Manali, taking in a few of the highest road passes in the world along the way. Not the best picture of the Himalayas, but a mighty fine pic of your woggle & bandana!"

 

Edited July 29, 2013 by rodeo bill

[st199ml]

Bill, have you dyed him with verdigris?

[cool_hand]

Now I'm folding shirts ready to be packed. Sneak preview of a couple of new colours!:

 

are you still using the 'banknote/cambric' fabric for the shirts?

[snozepp147]

just purchased a pair of Tender Co. woad-dyed denim jeans. ^^ can't wait. great job @rodeo bill

[rodeo bill]

^^thank you!   please let us know how you get on

 

are you still using the 'banknote/cambric' fabric for the shirts?

Nope, there's a new shirt fabric for this Autumn/Winter 2013 production. I'm just getting everything together to send out to stores, then I'll put up some photos and more information. Sorry to keep you waiting!

[jyoni]

I was fortunate enough to receive a leftover hem of Tender overdye from satchelbmoore, for patching purposes.  I used half as an inside patch on my Ooe Yofukuten contest jeans.  Those jeans already need more patching so I will probably use the rest of the overdye as an outside patch to enjoy the fades.

 

Here is the hem torn open, showing the difference between dye jobs.  I apologize for the crap lighting.

 

 

 

The patchwork

 

 

[rodeo bill]

^brilliant! Thank you  I especially like the last photo. Jyoni's Ooes are looking amazing- well worth checking out the contest thread anyone how hasn't seen it

[rodeo bill]

The Autumn/Winter 2013 production's nearly finished, and should start appearing in shops over the next few weeks. This morning Lineage of Influence has put up a nice preview post with some images. Here's Rob's write-up:

 

 

Tender Autumn/Winter 2013 collection

AUGUST 14, 2013

tags: Denim, Mens fashion, Tender

 

Autumn/Winter 2013 sees Tender reach their seventh collection and with it comes a concentration on historical construction and materials, as they begin to pull away from the workwear feeling of past seasons into something a little softer and less uniform.

 

[rodeo bill]

As always, everything is made in England with some new fabrics woven on these shores, especially for garments in this range – jackets are cut from natural grey Shetland wool or a blue/black mixed tweed, and there’s a specially-developed new reverse twist 18oz cotton twill, which is very heavy but has the handle and drape of a much lighter cloth.

A subtle military reference runs through the collection with narrow-wrap double breasted jackets worn with natural white and woad-dyed turkey feather cockades  (made by hand in England for military bonnets’ decoration) and unstained wattle-tanned leather sidings boots which are cut on a ‘George’ pattern worn by officers. Shirts are cut from a specially-woven lambswool and cotton mix, and from cotton woven in England for use on screen printers’ tables, with two lines of blue stripes running through to help align artwork.

Another trademark of the label is their ever-changing seasonal dye colour. Autumn/Winter’s natural dye is cochineal, a bright pink made from crushed-up insect shells and used for the red coats worn by the British army around the turn of the 19th Century. Another new colour is a yellowy brown produced from iron rust.

The last new thing for the label transcends seasons – in fact, with Tender’s intent that their products remain relevant for much longer than just a season, William and his wife, Deborah are launching the Tender Stores  to stock pieces from past seasons, samples which never made it into other shops, and remade garments from earlier collections.

The site goes live in the next few days, and will sit beside Tender’s mainline stockists, where the new collection will arrive over the next few weeks, and the Trestle Shop, which stocks special projects and products. For more information go to the website here: Tender.

 

This also brings up a new project we've been working on, and which is now up online, Tender Stores. There are still a few bugs to iron out, and quite a bit more old stock to put up in the next couple of weeks, so please bear with us! I won't mention it here especially in future, as it's all items that have been seen before, but it's worth a look if there are pieces that you've missed from past seasons 

[kellybear]

nice fit, nice pics

[rodeo bill]

Thanks!   the pictures are taken in the Sussex hills on the site of an old Victorian branch line railway. THere are lumps of old concrete and even bits of rail (the shoes are sitting on a rail) just sticking up out of the grass. It's an amazing place, and was a fun shoot! The photos are by Flora Mclean, using a digital camera body but a manual lens, which she holds on by hand as she takes the photo- giving some weird random distortions. Flora's shot the last few seasons' books, and she's really great to work with. I'll post up some back-stage pictures soon!

[UkeNo]

Looks great William.

Any hints as to which items your bringing back in the Tender Stores?

I'm afraid you can't have the Logwood 900 jacket sample back!

That's mine now still can't wait for it to cool down so I can wear it daily!

[rodeo bill]

^thanks! Nope, that's all yours  . Actually, it was requests like yours that gave us the idea for the Stores. I'll be putting some more things in tomorrow and Friday. Keep a look out!

[UkeNo]

Thanks.

Im looking forward to seeing the one offs especially. Will keep an eye out.

[snozepp147]

awesome work! great choice on the cochineal, I'll definitely keep my eye on the Store *(keep us smaller builds in mind too, please)

 

[Youthxattak]

Awesome to see that TenderStore concept! I swoon over that lambskin vest every time I see it.

[nachtelijk]

 

^need this in a size UK5

 

 

 

 

 

[rodeo bill]

^^thank you for all the enthusiasm! Nachtelijk, I'll PM you. 

 

Just got a copy of this month's Popeye magazine:

 

it's a great issue, and Tender's in it! top left:

[rodeo bill]

Here are some photos taken over breakfast a while ago at the Stockpot in London, of Tender's Japanese agent Akira's notepad cover, in unstained tan oak bark leather:

 

 

Akira may be the only person in the world who carries a calculator around 

 

 

This version will be appearing in shops any day now, and a black version is up on the Trestle Shop today, here:

[rodeo bill]

I got a lovely email today from Jon, a motoring journalist who has a few Tender items and sent me a link to a really nice video he's done about his Paul Smith edition 1998 Mini Cooper:

 

In the film, he's wearing a Type420 white cambric shirt!

Edited August 22, 2013 by rodeo bill

[rodeo bill]

Last week I did some photos for SLEEPER Spring/Summer 2014, and they've just gone up on Lineage of Influence, with a nice little write-up:

 

 

Hot on the heels of Tender’s Autumn/Winter collection comes sister label, SLEEPER and their Spring/Summer 2014 range, which consists of Japanese-made reproductions of vintage British Railway uniforms from William Kroll’s own personal collection.

The collection is envisioned as a simpler and easier affair, but one that’s nonetheless carefully made from top-quality materials and features unusual and subtle detailing. This second collection includes a 1960s mechanic’s suit made from English-woven broken twill in either Coal, Flying Scotsman green, or Mallard blue, and there’s also a pair of high-waisted wide-legged 1950s overall trousers

Also in the range are Chambray uniform shirts, and an interpretation of an early 1970s rubber signalman’s raincoat but made in a more technical nylon. The brand is predominately sold in Japan, but Peggs & Son in Brighton, and Hickoree’s in New York will also be carrying the brand.

For more information on the label, go to the website here: SLEEPER.

Edited August 28, 2013 by rodeo bill

[onionknight]

Sleeper looks good! Might have to put my hand in my pocket for those!

Edited August 27, 2013 by onionknight

[CityPickin']

That Mini Cooper video is fantastic. Thanks for the post, William!

[rodeo bill]

^thanks! I agree 

 

Another exciting little recent project is a popup area in Isetan in Tokyo (a big, old-school department store) with The Taste Makers

 

 

 

[Youthxattak]

I spy a coffee pot in cobalt... Will there be another chance for us to grab up one of those bad boys?

[rodeo bill]

could be! 

[merzbot]

kink put up some smudges of their recent haul - http://kinknagoya.exblog.jp/20264636/

 

 

[orangetrousers]

Sunspel appear to have been "inspired" by you...

http://www.sunspel.com/uk/mens/indigo-and-woad.html

[rodeo bill]

merzbot, thank you for posting and linking these! The guys at Kink rare really great, and they've photographed these very well, I think. There are some more garment images in the link above. I wish more stores had ordered the cochineal jeans (I think Kink were the only ones)- I'm so pleased with how they came out 

orangetrousers, what can you do...?   

[Aries]

Giving the indigo-dyed socks a bath…!