Two Fly Pieces and a Metal Wire

One particular "overalls improvement" detail I have never seen used on an actual jean is that of Austin Clement's 1880 patent, which was granted for an invention that connects the fly pieces together using a wire link. It is quite interesting and I would love to see it being employed.

If you are interested in my further ramblings on this matter then I suggest you study the patent illustrations above before continuing. I am about to sound very confusing.

The resulting left and right fly pieces are each double layered and very well may have four layers of denim, which is the design's greatest downfall. The extensive use of overlocking raw edges can work around this issue and make each side only two layers thick but that can create a less clean looking interior and a less practical fly piece. Yet I am sure this design can be feasible with some thought.

Warehouse x Heller's Cafe New Old Goods



The good folks at Heller's Cafe sent us some pictures to preview a couple of products from the next season of Warehouse x Heller's Cafe. The hand treatments that create the dirty looks seem quite authentic. These are no doubt faithful reproductions of beat up vintage pieces from the Heller's Cafe archive. The denim on the rivetless waist overalls seems to feature a slub that approximates the rough character of vintage workwear fabric that was sold raw and so hid many beautiful, irregular yarn characters that today we call "defects."
















Is that a lined belt loop I see? More details as I get them. Stay tuned!

To see images of their previous work see my last post on this exciting brand.

Reinforcing Laps



After Jacob Davis patented his rivets overalls improvement there was an influx of similarly-minded patents. With all these patent requests you would think seam reinforcements was suddenly fashionable after 1873. Rivets and cloth material used to strengthen a seam was of course a utilitarian idea at the time and patent would have been a great marketing tool for workwear brands and manufacturers.

Below is a drawing from an 1874 patent granted to Jacob Greenbaum, apparently for the Greenebaum Brothers outfit in San Francisco. The idea is to reinforce stress points on seams that tend to rip using a material "of any desired fabric." I wonder if using leather, as some vintage overalls have, would have infringed upon this patent.

Billiken Man Jeans Update

In the Billiken Man Jeans post I quoted the "recreation of interlock sewing machines to produce the union special stitches which was considered impossible before." I mistook this to be referring to a chainstitch but "interlock" actually refers to the overlock stitches on the pocket bags and inseam. Below are pictures that show this overlock stitch.











Big thanks to a certain Glenn from NY for the education.

Billiken Man Jeans



The Billiken Man jeans is a beautifully constructed garment. Everything from the beltloops to the button fly facing to the waistband are on point and super playful. The people behind the brand are obsessed with sewing details and offer the mind boggling "triangle" or "three point" chainstitches overlock stitches found on the leg seams, pocketing, and throughout the jeans. As they put it the goal was the "recreation of interlock sewing machines to produce the union special stitches which was considered impossible before." Did they hack their sewing machines?

In line with many Japanese business and craftsman practices they took two American icons, the Billiken Man and jeans, and applied such unique twists and enhancements that the end result is something that reflects pure Japanese artistry. And obsession.





If you have not heard of the Billiken Man you are probably not alone. A quick Google search shows that it was once a popular American pop culture icon that even had popular songs singing its praise. The original Billiken was designed by artist Florence Pretz as a symbol that evoked good luck. Pretz allegedly saw the figure in a dream who told her that good luck can be had by rubbing his feet. It is further believed that Billiken is the namesake of President William Howard Taft. The "ken" part of Billiken is likely a bastardization of the word Can in "Billy Can" as in there are those Billys who can and those Billys who can't. Billiken then is obviously meant to inspire the "can do" attitude that helps a nation get through difficult times.



The Billiken license was eventually picked up by Horsman Dolls, Inc., the American toy company that marketed the Teddy Bear named after President Theodore Roosevelt. Today the Japanese have incorporated the Billiken man into their cast of deities. If you visit the Tsutenkaku tower in Osaka you will find a statue of the Billiken enshrined there.





The makers of these jeans have invoked the good spirit of Billiken to create a jean full of playful details. The orange thread used throughout the jeans are reminiscent of Billiken's hair color and the wavy back pocket stitching reflects the overall features of the smiling, seated character. The company proclaims the jeans "will assure you of the lively and optimistic lifestyles in this challenging moment in our history."






The stitching that appears to be a bartack is actually a zigzag stitch.





If you are ever in need of a shot of luck just rub the Billiken Man's feet wherever you are.






























The button holes are beautifully executed with a hand-tied-tail look and a stitch that changes pitch towards the curve.





Billiken Man Website

Continuous Fly

A rather obscure construction detail that is not commonly used is the continuous fly. There are relatively few new jeans that uses this. Certain models of Warehouse Duck Digger and Rising Sun & Co. come to mind (the former uses a selvage continuous fly while the latter's Blacksmith jean does not).

Below is a clipped image from the United States patent granted to David Neustadter on October 30, 1877. It is widely known that the Neustadter Brothers in San Francisco manufactured the "Boss of the Road" overalls. His intention was to patent a fly construction method for overalls that was stronger without necessarily adding bulk.



Because the fly piece itself does not have seams (held by cotton threads) that can rip it is considered to be stronger. On most modern jeans your "first line of defense" is usually the stitches that rise from the crotch seam, which are generally strong enough to obviate the need for a continuous fly construction. But as a denim nerd you may want at least one pair of jeans with continuous fly for bragging rights. If you are interested enough you may want that pair to be a vintage Boss of the Road.

Below print is from the the July 21, 1899 issue of the Victoria Government Gazette, which printed various legal notifications and publicly declared trade mark and patent applications in Victoria (Australia). As you can see Boss of the Road's marketing images proudly indicate "with patented continuous fly."



Victoria Government Gazette

Momotaro Hand Loom

Below is a YouTube video of the hand loom in the Momotaro store in Japan. It would be amazing to see in person and study how all the mechanisms work. The store weaver moves the harnesses (by foot?), beats in the fill yarn, pulls a string system to shoot the shuttle back and forth, and pumps a lever to roll up the greige cloth. Is this a model of the 1890 Sakichi Toyoda patented wooden hand looms?



In the states you can buy Momotaro jeans at Blue in Green in NYC.

Special thanks to Roy Slaper of Oakland, CA for linking me to this video.

Momotaro Jeans Website

Blue in Green Website

Samuel Styles Blue Blood

Our good friend Samuel de Goede checks in from Amsterdamn where he just styled the B.B. for Blue Blood runway show for Amsterdam International Fashion Week. He plays down the responsibility he had of getting all the looks right and says, "Did things like exchanging the buttons on the jackets for bone ones, adding leather elbow patches. That kind of subtle stuff, but fun!" Good job Samuel!















Blue Blood Website

C Q WO OVERALLS

When Jacob W. Davis patented the use of rivets on pants to secure seams from ripping in 1873 he may have opened the flood gates to a barrage of patent filings that aspire to offer similar improvements to workwear. The most curious of these patents awarded was filed by Cheang Quan Wo in late 1874 in San Francisco. It is important to note Levi Strauss's business was and is headquartered in San Francisco.

The drawing accompanying the application shows a man with the front part of his head shaven and the back part tied into a long ponytail to indicate he was a Han Chinese. He would have kept his hair this way so as to be able to return home to China where people of Han ancestry were required by law to wear their hair in a queue.



He is shown wearing suspender waist overalls with pocket openings reinforced with additional material and stitching. The New York Public Library (Mid-Manhattan Library), which catalogs a physical print of the drawing (marked Apr. 24, 1875) suggests the wooden tub behind the subject as a wash tub although I wonder if we can rule out the possibility of it being a rice bucket.

Also of interest in the specific reference to previously proposed methods of seams reinforcements on pants in the section of the application where applicants usually address similar intellectual properties. Wo writes, perhaps through the attorney who filed the patent application, "I am aware that seams have been re-enforced by sewing over them separate and independent pieces to prevent ripping, but this is not my invention. By my device the re-enforcing lap, instead of being a separate and independent piece of goods sewed to the garment, is a part and parcel of the body of the garment, and cut in one piece with it, thus not only avoiding the necessity of a separate re-enforcing piece, but also avoiding one seam, which would be necessary to secure a gusset as usually cut."

In the coming days I will explore various patents related to improvements in workwear and perhaps even attempt to answer if Jacob Davis sparked an intellectual property protection trend in workwear well before jeans became fashion.

Loom Chatter 4

Today is one of those Sundays marked by imperfections. If Sundays were meant to be nurturing waypoints hidden in the thick of the weekday jungle then today was no sanctuary. Being caught in the afternoon's downpour, for example, is nobody's idea of a perfect day. But having run home to a dry towel and seeing those fluffy white clouds pushing out the dark ones with the orange sun and even a huge rainbow emerging you suddenly realize that was the most fun you two had in weeks. It sure beats last week's boring walk home after a sweaty jog around the neighborhood. I guess the point is sometimes a little bit of imperfection makes life more interesting.

That is certainly true for denim. For example what are those beautiful yarn slubs found on vintage jeans but "imperfections" in the yarn spinning process? In the world of efficient and effective manufacturing a "perfect" yarn would have no deviation from the intended outcome and inconsistencies are frowned upon. But one will find that by controlling outcomes you wind up with products looking contrived. In the case of most programmed yarn slubs you wind up with slub patterns that are recognizable as such because they repeat consistently on the fabric. Modern technology trying to capture the look and feel of vintage character, usually marked by imperfections, often fail.

One such gorgeous but mostly unappreciated character associated with vintage shuttle looms is the broken fill (weft) yarn "defect" that pops up every so often. Many workwear companies sold overalls, jeans, and jackets made with denims with broken fill yarns prior to the 70's-- before newer weaving technologies became popular. Especially since industrial fashion washes were not yet in vogue a minor broken fill yarn was not apparent on the raw, unwashed garment. You can find broken fill yarns in as wide a selection as Levi's, Boss of the Road, Carhartt, Lee, Wranglers, etc.



My favorite chore jacket by Carter's (New Hampshire), made of a 2x1 right hand twill with grey weft yarns, has several such distinctive characters. I had purchased it in near deadstock condition and after a few wears and washes these characters have begun to reveal themselves more prominently, exclaiming that this garment was made in a time when workwear were tools. These "defects" proudly say that this garment was made when factories cut cloth without worrying that some fashion brand's designers and production people would scrutinize the garments for problems that can result in expensive chargebacks.

As a result when today's cutting and sewing operations get fabric woven on vintage looms, a gloriously imperfect technology, they do not understand it and consider these characters as "defects" they cut around. Sometimes entire rolls of beautiful selvage fabrics are rejected as seconds because of these loom chatters.

Below are pictures of a broken fill yarn on raw selvage denim. The yarn was likely broken because of the rough "beat up" motion, which is when the shuttle loom pushes in the fill yarn to create cloth. The mechanics of vintage American shuttle looms is quite imprecise and creates many uncontrollable variables during weaving.





Below are pictures of the back of the denim, which shows where the fill yarn is broken and the tail is sticking out.





In the coming days I will review more of these interesting characters that haunt the dreams of vintage denim lovers.

Rising Sun: Part III

In our previous blog post about Rising Sun propreitor Mike Hodis showed off some of the treasured sewing machines he uses to produce his line. I certainly made some very good notes in case I came across any of the apparently impossible to find machines.

To get to the essence of Rising Sun --bluntly, their selling point-- I had to know whether his rare black head machines is the main difference between Rising Sun and other brands inspired by vintage workwear. "Just because you're sewing on old sewing machines doesn't mean much to me," says Hodis.

So what else is there?



It turns out that Rising Sun's philosophy on being "period correct" is more about mindset than replication. While Hodis is a long time student of turn-of-the-century vintage garments he does not show much interest in copying old clothing. Instead he has really gotten under the seams of those vintage pieces and mastered the details that show an article of clothing was made in, say, the 1920's. Just as there are certain methods and machines used for creating authentic keyholes there are nuances for pattern making, cutting, sewing, and every other step necessay up to the point of displaying workwear in the dry goods store.









Hodis explains that Rising Sun's outdoor hunting/fishing vest is sewn on the black head Singer single needle machine. Vintage pieces sometimes have the fabric selvage hidden down the back french seam, as a result of maximizing fabric utilization. I was surprised that this seemingly decadent use of selvage fabric actually minimized waste. The fabric itself is a playful twist to complement the authenticity of the construction. The 10.75 oz canvas has indigo yarns in both warp and weft and a selvage identification that manifests in the form of a ticking stripe of sorts down the center back where the actual selvage is hidden in the french seam.

It is in striving to be as authentic as possible in all these processes that makes Rising Sun so unique. And it seems that onces these constraints (of machines, methods, old timey standards for efficiency, etc) have been established Hodis is actually quite liberated to be as creative as he desires within surprisingly open boundaries.

Rising Sun's Yukon jean is an exciting exercise in being period-correct without necessarily copying a particular vintage garment.













So obsessed with the idea of crafting products as if his workshop were in an era past that Hodis recently shipped a Rising Sun order of jeans in hand-stenciled wooden crates.





























Rising Sun uses both USA and Japanese denim and offers both washed and unwashed jeans. It is currently being sold in Japan and Germany with US stores on the way.

Rising Sun Website

Disclosure: The editor of this blog continues to have a business relationship with Mike Hodis.

Rising Sun: Part II

Rising Sun makes their denim pieces in the small workshop behind their haberdashery in Pasadena, CA. To understand the significance of this we should look at the status quo of jeans production. Generally speaking in today's fashion industry designers "create" on paper and rely on factories to deliver a product that hopefully matches their specifications. To have your own cutting and sewing capability means to be empowered to produce a product that satisfies you 100%.

Talking to the passionate propreitor Mike Hodis you will see he not only holds this uncompromising stance but takes it to the next level. His workshop produces garments to his full specs completely on antique black head sewing machines.

There is a wild excitement to knowing the stitches on your jeans were created on the Singer black head single needle sewing machine. The sleek and minimalist appearance of this industrial strength machine offers stark contrast to the other black head machines with their complex, elegant motions. This black beauty was utilized between the late 20's and 50's. It would have been used for operations on Levi's buckle back garments. This would have been one of the machines that created the uneven, single needle arcuate stitches you see on vintage Levi's.

Singer Single Needle:


Next up is the Singer black head lap seam machine. "Easily from the 30's," boasts a proud Hodis. When you look at certain vintage workwear garments and observe a double needle chainstitched fell seam it was likely done on this machine. Those who study the details of vast amounts of vintage garments will notice that some double needle chainstitches have just a tad smaller width between the two stitches than those found on garments produced with more modern equipment. It is this "perfect gauge" that makes this machine so special. A small tidbit: this machine is fondly referred to by machine operators as Cabillo (horse) for its resemblance to a black stallion (where's your imagination?). It happens to also be a workhorse machine for Rising Sun.

Cabillo:


But the rarest machine of them all is surprisingly responsible for one of the most overlooked details on denim garments: the button hole. A beautiful button hole with vintage characteristics is a very tricky thing to create. Rising Sun skips all the modern interpretations and goes straight to holy grail of vintage sewing machines with his black head Singer keyhole machine. By all rights and reason Hodis should really "donate" this majestic creature to a museum to preserve for all time but instead it is in the back of his haberdashery creating keyholes for garments that only the true enthusiast can appreciate. It is nearly impossible to find in operable condition.

The rare black head Singer keyhole machine:


This antique machine is over 70 or 80 years old and creates some of the most graceful keyholes you will see. The stitches are much tighter and does not extend into the garment as much as modern button holes do. After the stitches are put down Rising Sun workers hand cut the holes required for buttons. This is done with an old hand cutting tool.

Hand cutting tool for keyholes, made by Heinisch:




Between listening to Hodis talk about the cams, shafts, and belts of certain sewing machines and studying his garments it became very obvious that it is one thing to design vintage details (hidden rivets, back buckles) into clothes and an entirely different thing to create them using period-correct methods and machines. In the next post we will explore this idea further and look at some of the clothing Rising Sun produces.

Rising Sun Website

Rising Sun & Co.

To say the least: Rising Sun & Co. makes some awe inspiring denim garments. If there exists articles of clothing that makes me wonder my worthiness of their nuances then it is likely that Rising Sun's propreitor Mike Hodis made it. The machine-obsessed genius has spent a lifetime acquiring both knowledge and sewing technology of eras past. Some of his sewing machines are so rare that any other collector in his right mind would condition them for archive grade safe keeping.

But as Hodis puts it his venture to create clothing with some of the most true-to-period construction details was born more of "passion than reason."

My initial encounter with Hodis marked my early foray into the world of sewing machines. While comfortable discussing the workings of a selvage loom's take up motion or fill change mechanism I was not equipped to talk sewing machines at this level of expertise. My proud proclamation of having acquired a 43200G Union Special bulldog hemmer was met with sober declaration that the coveted chainstitch machine is in fact not all that special in his world.

He went on to speak about his much rarer "black head" (for the machine head's color) Union Special used in production for the Rising Sun & Co. line in the workshop behind his store in Pasadena, CA. Of how it is from the 1920's and the fact that it has ornate "Union Special" lettering aligned in an arc sets it apart from the "newer" black head Union Specials.

Months pass before I garner enough courage to trade my ignorance for knowledge and find that the enthusiastic Hodis is in fact very eager to share his love for denim and sewing machines with a fellow denimhead.

In the next blog posts I will discuss important insights Hodis imparts and the philosophies that makes Rising Sun & Co. one of the most important American influence in the denim market today. Stay tuned!

Rising Sun & Co. Website

Self Edge is Coming to New York

Just got confirmation that Self Edge is opening a store in New York's Lower East Side on July 15. It will be on Orchard Street near Rivington Street.

Self Edge is one of the few places in the US to buy clothing made from rare Japanese and American selvage denim.

Updated: Grand opening is now July 24th.

Did The Stronghold Use the Ecofont in 1904?

I learned about the Ecofont at Friday's WGSN web seminar. By inserting blank circles into the text the free-to-use Ecofont helps save ink and money and aspires to help us be more green.

I could not help but notice how an old ink stamp print from The Stronghold uses similar blank spots. I doubt The Stronghold was thinking about sustainability in 1904 but whether the empty spots were employed to save ink or used as aesthetics is not certain. I vote the latter.



Ecofont Website
WGSN Website

Well Worn Foreman Blues

I have been thinking a lot about the aesthetics of tailored workwear. I am specifically interested in the "dressed up" workwear, both imagined and historical, made of unrefined materials.

In this concept we find inspiration in the often scorned, antihero foreman. His work on the factory floor necessitates clothing strong enough for manual labor in begrimed environments full of potentially hazardous equipment. To earn the trust and respect of the workers he oversees he must be prepared to roll up his sleeves in the trenches. Yet his daily business and frequent reporting to superiors requires him to be presentable in offices dominated by high-waisted jackets, waistcoats, and ties.



The internal alchemy of our protagonist consists of pragmatism mixed with a homebrewed brand of righteousness and a dash of ambition. A life of hard labor has instilled in him a proud work ethic, which has finally earned him a precarious position of comfort. His daily dealings with the politics of both labor and management at once restrains and informs his purchasing decisions.

The act of thoughtfully choosing clothing has cultivated his own sense of style, whether he is cognizant of this fact or not. The options of ready made clothing that fit his needs were limited. Levi Strauss' Spring Bottom Pants in gold back denim were popular among like-minded foremen and factory supervisors. What he could not find in stores he commissioned from a tailor versed in the dandy fashion of local businessmen. And of course he never missed an opportunity to network with other waiting patrons.

The vision of a well outfitted foreman will be an inspiration to my work in the coming months.

The Adventures of Lynn Downey: Guns, Germs, and Machetes

In the latest installment of Lynn Downey's adventuring in Panama we get to see the Indiana Jones side of her job complete with monkeys and machetes. Read on.

She has written the below for the media, employees of Levi Strauss & Co., and this blog.

TALES FROM THE ARCHIVES
"Trains, Boats and Trails: The Final Day"

When we last left Levi Strauss (and me) in Panama, he had taken the railroad partway across the isthmus, and floated for a few hours on the Chagres River. His next stop was probably the town of Gorgona and an uncomfortable trip on the only transport available for the final part of his trip: a mule.

There were two trailheads to get to Panama City from the interior: via Gorgona or Venta de Cruces. The decision on which trail to take depended on the weather. In the dry season (January to April) the Gorgona Trail was quicker, since you didn't have to stay on the river another few hours to get to Cruces. Because he arrived on the isthmus in February, it's likely Levi traveled from Gorgona, probably spending the night in town.

The next morning he had a choice: either walk to Panama City or ride a mule. I expect (and hope) that Levi could afford to rent a mule for this last part of the trip. Firms such as Hurtado y Hermanos kept stables full of the sturdy animals on hand for travelers, and once on his way it probably took him an entire day to get to the Pacific, where he caught a steamship for San Francisco.

When Gatun Lake was created by the construction of the Panama Canal, Gorgona and its trail were inundated. But the ruins of Venta de Cruces and its road still survive. My goal for this historical vacation was to experience every aspect of Levi's journey, so on the final day Hernán and I got into an Ancon Expeditions boat and zoomed across the lake to the beachhead of the Cruces Trail.

The trail is well-maintained, and the river rocks used by slaves to pave the road for the Spanish in the 16th century still littered the ground. We walked about a quarter mile to the ruins of the church of Venta Cruces, and Hernán showed me where the altar and side entrances used to be. We trekked a bit further and the road suddenly narrowed to only about twelve inches across. It reminded me of Hubert H. Bancroft's 1852 trip on the Gorgona trail: "Often we passed through ravines which had been washed out by the rain, and so narrow at the bottom that on entering at either end persons must shout in order to notify others wishing to come from the opposite direction."

As we got back into the boat I asked Hernán where the village of Gorgona used to be. We putted to another part of the lake near a tree-covered peninsula jutting into a small bay. "Most of it is underneath us," he said. Then he and the boatman Jacobo suddenly had a rapid conversation in Spanish. Hernán pointed to the nearby finger of land and said, "Jacobo has friends who've seen some old structures in there."

Well, of course we had to check that out, so Jacobo drove the boat deep into a narrow tributary, where the trees grew tall and forbidding, right down to the water line. We found a small spit of land and beached the boat, jumping off the bow and splashing into ankle-high water. Both men had machetes, and before leaving the boat Hernán slipped a 10mm pistol into his pocket.



I followed them at a cautious distance as they hacked away at the thick foliage. We walked uphill, grabbing at branches and exposed roots for balance, and I kept getting entwined in sharp vines that wouldn’t yield to a machete. The men were out of my sight for awhile, and then I heard an excited yell. I climbed faster and came upon Hernán pointing to a thirty-inch square rock and stone pillar, covered with dead leaves. There were at least six more in the same area and looked like the foundations of buildings or perhaps a bridge.



Had we found the last remains of the village of Gorgona?

The three of us wandered awestruck around the site for a long time. We couldn't get close to some of the pillars because the jungle growth was too thick, but that didn't lessen our excitement. I then noticed that I had a cut on the back of my ankle and a very bloody cut on my right index finger, which was drawing some interested insect life. But neither seemed serious, so we kept on exploring, and soon found a tiny brick arch set over what looked like a dry creekbed. Was it part of a sewer tunnel? A walkway over a rushing stream? We chatted about what we'd found as we walked back to the boat, and Hernan said he would talk to his cartographer/historian father about the site. Jacobo treated and bandaged my finger, I slapped some hand sanitizer on my ankle and we set off.

We sped across the lake for a a few minutes and the boat pulled up to another small island, where huge trees dipped over the water. Hernán and Jacobo pulled out bags of peanuts and cut-up bananas and started whistling. Within seconds the trees came alive with a family of white-faced Capuchin monkeys, who stood on the branches with their paws stretched out waiting for us to throw them some food. When that didn’t happen fast enough they leapt onto the boat, crawling along the edge or climbing onto the awning, running toward Jacobo for bananas, and also taking peanuts from my hands.

Lunch on yet another island, at a table under a thatched overhang, was next on the agenda (though Hernan had to shoo away a large flock of black vultures first). We ended the day at the Miraflores Locks visitor’s center on the Panama Canal, and I went back to the hotel to pack for my journey home.

I traveled to Panama to understand what it must have been like for Levi to make this tropical passage. I went to the same places he did, but I had to use my imagination to grasp what the experience itself was like. I spent my evenings in comfortable, clean hotels, ate delicious meals and rode from place to place in air-conditioned vans or on breezy speedboats, with insect repellant and sunscreen at my disposal. Levi was at the mercy of heat, bugs, bad water and food, and real personal danger, and I could never recreate that.

But being able to put my feet on the ground that he walked, to see the scenery and wildlife that he encountered, even just to smell the same scented air, has been the thrill of a lifetime.

By Lynn Downey

Text by Lynn Downey
Photos by Lynn Downey

Lynn Downey Website

The Adventures of Lynn Downey: Day Two

Lynn Downey sends us the following report from Panama. She has written it for the media, employees of Levi Strauss & Co., and this blog.

"Trains, Boats and Trails: Day 2"

After Levi got off the railroad about midway across the isthmus (as described in Day One), he joined his fellow passengers on a ride down the Chagres River. The Chagres was the lifeblood of historic Panama, for everyone from the indigenous Cueva people to the gold rushers of the 1840s and 1850s.



Until the Panama Railroad began running in 1851, Americans traveling to California via the isthmus had to take a multi-day river journey in small canoes. They stopped for the night at hotels which were sometimes nothing more than bug-infested canvas shacks, and during the day they sweltered in the sun or got soaked by drenching tropical rainstorms. After that was endured there was still a long walk or mule ride ahead of them. But surprisingly, many letters and diaries of isthmus travelers expressed wonder at the beauty of the river voyage and not its horrors.

Joseph Gregory, who published Gregory’s Guide for California Travellers via the Isthmus of Panama in 1850, said of his trip on the Chagres, "I received the greatest pleasure and never beheld more magnificent scenery, or luxuriant vegetation, than I witnessed while upon this river." Hubert H. Bancroft wrote of his 1852 river voyage: “Palm trees of various descriptions line the banks, and gorgeous water lilies dip their fragrant heads as the boat passes over them. Every shower of rain is like the sprinkling of perfume on the vegetation.”

On Day Two of my Panama adventure, I also got to experience the beauty of the Chagres. Early in the morning my guide Hernán and I drove into Chagres National Park outside of Panama City. There, we got into 15-foot long dugout canoes, made by the Embera people, who use them to take tourists up the river to their villages. The boats are long and narrow, with wooden slats for seats. There’s a man at each end; the one in the front has a very long pole, and the one at the back is in charge of something that would have made Levi’s trip a lot easier: an outboard motor.



Levi traveled in a flat-bottomed canoe called a "bungo," rather than the long dugout, maneuvered by native people who used long poles to push the boat along the riverbed. In February, when Levi crossed the isthmus, it was the dry season, so the river was sometimes quite low, making the transit into a crawl. It’s still the dry season in March, and we hit a few shallow spots ourselves, scraping the rocks and almost coming to a stop. When that happened the man in the front of the boat signaled to his partner in the back to cut the motor and he dug his pole into the river bottom, pushing our canoe along until we were free. It took about a half hour to get to the Embera Drua village, which we toured, and then we returned to the starting point the same way.

I thought a lot about Levi as we alternately zoomed or inched through the water. Although I was on a different part of the Chagres than Levi was, Hernán assured me that the scenery would have been the same, a wondrous green landscape which varied in color from emerald to palest jade. We saw fish of varying sizes in the clear water, and overhead flew egrets, herons and Amazon kingfishers. I could have stayed on that river all day.

Next on the agenda was a viewing of Hernán’s personal collection of historic maps of Panama. He is the son of Amado Araúz, a legendary explorer and cartographer, and Reina Torres de Araúz, Panama’s most revered anthropologist, and comes by his love of history naturally. A former diplomat, he is a naturalist and a historian, and was the perfect guide for my trip. He’s currently writing a book about maps of Panama which were published between the 16th and 19th centuries, and has been visiting archives and libraries all over the world.

Our final stop was the National Library of Panama, where the librarian, Nitzia Barrantes, let me view original issues of the Panama Herald. This was an English-language newspaper published for Americans and others making the trip across the isthmus to get to California. It had ads for hotels, bars, restaurants, and the latest news from the United States and Europe. It also – most importantly – advertised when the next steamers were headed to San Francisco.



As I wrote in my first article, Levi was able to travel by railroad about twenty-three miles inland before transferring himself and his baggage to boats on the Chagres River. From Barbacoas, where he got off the train, his boat went upriver to the town of Gorgona, a trip which probably took about four hours. He likely spent the night in Gorgona, to rest up for the final leg of his journey; or I should say, the final four legs of his journey. Details in the final installment.

By Lynn Downey

Text by Lynn Downey
Photos by Lynn Downey

Lynn Downey Website

The Adventures of Lynn Downey: Panama Day 1

After a full day of trekking and exploring Lynn Downey sits at her desk at the Panama House to recount her travels thus far.

But not before I bombarded her with eager questions. I intentionally did not pose the question I most wanted to ask until she had experienced her first day in Panama: What do you truly wish to discover on this trip?

Lynn Downey responds: “I’ve done all I can intellectually to understand Levi’s life by doing research in historical records. But what I want to do is come as close as possible to experience what his journey across the isthmus was like.

For me, history is a sense: a scent, something tangible to hold in my hand or to touch. I want to smell the air and the plant life, touch the water, rumble and rattle in the train and walk a jungle trail so that I can write more powerfully about what it must have been like for him.

He turned 24 years old on the trip to San Francisco. He had lived for 18 years in a tiny town in Bavaria and almost 6 years on the Lower East Side of New York. What must it have been like to see the tropics?”

She shares the below report with this blog, Levi Strauss & Co. employees, and other media.

"Trains, Boats and Trails: Day 1"

On this first day in Panama I did something Levi could never have dreamed of: I crossed the isthmus twice in one day.

My tour guide, Hernán Arauz, picked me up at my hotel in the historic quarter of Panama City and we spent most of the day driving through jungles and tiny towns to get to the Caribbean side of the isthmus. We saw an amazing variety of wildlife along the way: a tree sloth, howler monkeys, and a black and white anteater, which walked across the road right in front of our car and looked like a skunk with a really long nose.


[Photo: A howler monkey in the trees]

We then visited fort San Lorenzo and the town of Portobelo, built by the Spanish in the 16th and 17th centuries, when they were trying not to lose their treasure ships to pirates – a must for any Johnny Depp fan. Then we ended the day the way Levi started his: on a train.

From 1849 until the end of 1851, the only way to cross the 50-mile isthmus from the Caribbean to the Pacific side was in boats on the Chagres River, then by mule or on foot to Panama City over the old Spanish treasure trail. This trip could take days or even weeks, and along the way, travelers encountered bugs, heat and torrential rain, yellow fever, malaria, larcenous boatmen, and violent bandits, who robbed and murdered many a gold rush hopeful. It could also take weeks for a steam ship to show up in Panama City to take the miners and other entrepreneurs up to San Francisco.

But by the time Levi set foot on the isthmus around the second week of February, 1853, he was able to take the Panama Railroad to the town of Barbacoas, about 23 miles from Aspinwall, the landing site on the Caribbean. From there he took a boat on the Chagres to the trailhead for Panama City. Luckily for him, the bandits had mostly been dealt with by this time, thanks to the work of a former Texas Ranger named Randolph Runnels, brought to Panama specifically to handle the highwaymen (which he did by rounding up and hanging most of them without a trial).

The railroad had been conceived as a way to speed the U.S. Mail across the isthmus, but it turned out to be a boon to gold rush travelers, who were happy that they could ride even part way through the steaming jungle. Hubert H. Bancroft, an early historian of California and whose book collection formed the beginnings of the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley, crossed the isthmus in 1852, and also took the train. He wrote a memoir of his experience and included this comment: “Railway passengers wish the ride was longer, wish they could so ride all the way to San Francisco.”

The Panama Railroad was completed in 1855, and spanned the entire isthmus. This made the trip to California faster and more comfortable, though the Panama route was abandoned after the completion of the transcontinental railroad in the United States in 1869. The train was used by the French and the Americans during the canal building years and is now run for tourists.

We caught the train in Colón, not far from where Levi boarded. But before heading to the station we drove to an nearby area facing the Caribbean waterfront so I could see, out in the distance, where Levi’s ship from New York would have landed. Today’s Colón was yesterday’s Aspinwall, and it wasn’t hard to imagine the sight of a steamship heading toward the distant breakwater.


[Photo: The breakwater in Colon, on the Caribbean, where Levi's boat would have docked in 1853.]

We spent most of the train trip in the enclosed, air-conditioned car, but at one point headed out to a covered, open air platform, so I could come close to what Levi’s experience must have been like: hot, windy, and surrounded by dense mangroves, like being in a tunnel of leaves. Robert Tomes, who rode the railroad in 1855, described the varied scenery: “So we hurry from scene to scene, pushing on through the flood of tropical vegetation, with endless vistas of beauty that come and go like the dreams of a summer’s day.”

Today’s train parallels the old 1855 route, but many of the towns that it used to pass are now at the bottom of Gatun Lake, created by the construction of the Panama Canal. Barbacoas, where Levi got off the train to take the next step on his journey, found “a last resting place in the mud and slime” of the lake (New York Times, December 24, 1911). Hernán, a certified diver, told me that you can dive in Gatun near these places and touch the steeples of ancient churches.

Our trip across the isthmus took about an hour. In 1853 Levi took about two hours to go half as far. When my journey was over, I rode in a comfortable van to my equally comfortable hotel. But Levi still had places to go and things to do, which I’ll share with you next time.

By Lynn Downey

Text by Lynn Downey
Photos by Lynn Downey

The Adventures of Lynn Downey: Panama at Last

We checked in with our traveling historian. She has safely arrived in Panama and stayed the night at the historic Canal House in the old quarter of Panama City.

She sends us warm regards and a message. "I may be tired, but my plane flight and beautiful historic hotel suite are worlds more convenient than what Levi had to face. More on that in the coming days."

Today will be a day full of adventure.

We hope she finds what she seeks. Good luck, Lynn!

Photo from The Canal House

Who is Ande Whall? Part II

Ande Whall is one man who does not need to answer to questions of efficiency and costs associated with factory production. His dedication to giving customers handcrafted products show in the details. The usual construction points denimheads expect are present: hidden back pocket rivets, donut buttons, single needle stitching, hidden selvage on coin pocket with "peek-a-boo" detail, selvage fly, and the newly introduced chainstitched hems.















But there is more to it than meets the eye. My second pair of customized Ande Whall jeans (Raker model) shows some great details.

This jean comes with lined back pockets, which I sorely need.



The special, labor-intensive seams used to put together the back yoke and rise is particularly beautiful. This construction is found on garments from the late 1800's. Ande refers to it as the "late 1800's hand sewn flat felled seam." From inside the jean you will see only one stitch. The outside of the jean will show that two stitches were used. The second stitch is tucked under the felled seam and depending on how the denim shrinks it will cause interesting ridges and valleys inside the seam.



The subtle contrast color threads are very well balanced.



The hidden selvage belt loops were a bonus. There are lavishly extravagant benefits to supplying your own fabric and not caring about the wastage.



Even though I am partial to chainstitches I am particularly enamored with the waistband construction. I am still trying to get a clear understanding of it but it is beautiful.





The denim itself is a 14.75 oz American selvage with a khaki colored weft yarn. Because the denim is not singed it looks particularly hairy.



To get to know a designer through the products he creates is an experience that has become rare to find. Luckily Ande is upholding that tradition.

So what is next Ande Whall? The answer:



Jute twine embedded beltloops? Keep your fingers crossed for beautiful beltloop fades.

Ande Whall Website

The Adventures of Lynn Downey: Preparation

We checked in with Lynn Downey as she prepares for her expedition. In her pack are the essentials of any traveling historian: pen, journey book, and a photo of Levi Strauss. Bon voyage!

Downey begins her trip tomorrow. T minus 1 day. Stay tuned.

The Adventures of Lynn Downey: The Isthmus

Who knew Panama had anything to do with Levi Strauss? Apparently, Levi Strauss & Co. Historian Lynn Downey did. She is about to undertake an epic journey worthy of a Jules Verne novel to recreate part of Strauss's journey to Gold Rush San Francisco via the isthmus of Panama.

In the 1840s a young Levi Strauss emigrated from Bavaria to New York. When the California Gold Rush hit the news he and his family decided to open a west coast branch of their dry goods wholesale firm. Going through Panama was the shortest route but it posed dangers ranging from yellow fever to murderous bandits. Strauss made it out alive and arrived in San Francisco in March of 1853.

Denim News will be tracking Downey's progress as she rides a historic railroad, maneuvers the Chagres River and hikes an ancient mule trail. Watch for live updates and thoughts from the Historian herself.

When asked about the timing of this trip Downey replied, "It is actually my spring vacation. I am undertaking this trek as part of the research for my next book, a biography of Levi Strauss."

The adventure begins on March 25. Stay tuned!

Levi Strauss & Co Website

Written with contributions from Lynn Downey.

Image Credit: Crossing the Isthmus, from "Mountains and Molehills" by Frank Marryat (1855). Courtesy Robert Chandler.

Who is Ande Whall? Part I

When asked who Ande Whall is I usually start with He is a guy in New Zealand with some sewing machines at home (he just acquired a chainstitcher) and some awesome denim. Although that may sound like an oversimplification this usually impresses my audience of the next two minutes since he or she probably works in the industry and knows how difficult it is to put together a quality pair of jeans.



In fact one of the beauties of supporting up-and-coming designers is to see their growth through construction details. Every upgrade in sewing details is a physical manifestation of their passion and talent.

My first pair of Ande Whall jeans showed up about six months ago and the slim Grifter model was an instant success with fashion industry professionals who admired the modern fit. Others were curious about the "Ande Whall" signature I requested to be placed on the backside of the jeans near the hem. Being able to customize the jeans was supremely gratifying.



I even sent in my own fabric, which was an especially light American selvage denim. I decided on this fabric after my many visits to the beach last summer. At 11.25 oz it is the perfect hot weather weight. At the time I was also inspired by designer Thom Browne and so asked Ande to cut the inseam much shorter than I otherwise would have wanted. In this post I share the results after six months of daily wearing plus a home machine wash and dry (the jeans were originally raw).






The back pocket took a beating from holding coins at all times.




This is the first time I have experienced such interesting looking, destructed honeycombs. It is probably due to the combination of a very tight fitting jean and a lightweight denim being worn continuously.





The blue and pink selvage lines are not only appropriate for a lighthearted summer but functional too. If this material is ever bleached (eg, during industrial washing) the blue line disappears since it is not colorfast.





In the next Ande Whall post we will review some of the exciting jeans construction details Ande is working on. Stay tuned!

Ande Whall Website

Scott Morrison Leaves Earnest Sewn

Scott Morrison is no longer with Earnest Sewn. Morrison is one of the original founding members of the company and until now head honcho of design. He will retain his minority stake in the corporation.

There are speculations on why he is leaving his post but the official word is that the designer and management no longer share the same vision about the company's future.

I expect to see their number of doors grow in the next year or two. Nobody is certain if product quality and brand equity will be affected as a result of Morrison leaving.

The Denim Book



Lightning's new "The Denim book" has turned out to be a mighty "Who's Who" of Japanese denim. The editors interviewed and photographed over 70 brand owners and designers and retail managers, giving them the opportunity to present their favorite denim pieces (ranging from vintage garments to the brand's sales samples).



This format of profiling brand owners and designers is a departure from previous Lightning denim-focused publications, which usually amount to little more than glossy catalogs of Japanese denim brands (many of whom are really good advertisers).

I am happy to see some familiar faces as well as learn about more obscure brands and the owners who usually do not see the limelight.







The book is available now. East-coasters can purchase from New York's Kinokuniya and West-coasters can purchase from Self Edge.

Rodeo

After Levi's and before Evis there existed a brand called Rodeo.

Best Friends Forever

Found this ad in an old Evisu magazine and thought it was worth posting.

On the trail of Indigo Artifacts...

For designers and vintage aficionados like myself, some of the most satisfying and inspirational moments come when you find a piece of clothing seemingly forgotten by time. It can hold a remarkably functional, yet entirely archaic detail. It can be made of a fabric whose quality, weave, or pattern is lost to a bygone era. Or it can be the sheer beauty of something that has aged and gathered complexity like a fine wine.

Many of us spend countless hours combing flea markets, vintage stores, and dusty warehouses to uncover those few treasures that some other hunter has missed or left behind. Inevitably, much of these treasures end up in the archives of personal collectors, vintage houses, or big apparel companies like Ralph Lauren, Levi's, and A&F as reference material for the many new items created every season. But only rarely do we know the origins of these finds or the story behind them.

In a fantastic article that came out this month, Outside magazine profiles Mr. Brit Eaton, a true hunter and tracker of that elusive and near extinct creature, the vintage American Garment. Kudos to Outside magazine for this wonderfully accurate, well researched, and thoroughly enjoyable article.

The Brotherhood of the Very Expensive Pants

Made in America - Addendum

Further to the topic of the decline of American made products, I found this interesting article from MR Magazine:

Made in America

I can recall a time when there were TV commercials urging consumers to buy products made in the USA. They featured an ever vigilant, label inspecting shopper exclaiming "you better believe it matters to me!". In these crazy economic times with our Auto industry crumbling and our country in need of jobs, is the "Made in America" brand ready for a triumphant return?

The Future of American Made Denim

Many of us in the Denim world have been watching as the options for American made denim have steadily decreased over the past few years. The steady demand for higher profit margins, lower costs, and the rapid advancements in quality from Mexico, China, and India have all contributed to the gradual migration of denim fabric and garment production away from our shores. At the end of 2008, we’re beginning to wonder, will US made denim exist for much longer? We all hope the answer will be yes, but there have been alarming signs this year that future of American denim mills is in jeopardy.

With the news that Belgian producer UCO shut down its US operation earlier this year, that left only a few key players in the American-made denim business. These include Denim North America, Mount Vernon, American Cotton Growers, and Cone Denim.

The oldest and largest of the remaining denim producers is the legendary Cone Denim, founded in 1891. In November Cone announced a series of layoffs at their famous White Oak plant, which has produced some of the best US made denim since 1905. Cone continues very successfully to expand its overseas ventures, such as their China operation and a new plant in Nicaragua. However, the market for its higher priced, US made, wide and selvage denims is now indelibly tied to the volatile Premium Denim market. It remains to be seen if demand for high quality, American made denim can sustain the operations of the White Oak plant.

Earlier this month the parent company of Cone Denim, ITG (International Textile Group), announced a further consolidation of their businesses, effectively merging Burlington Worldwide with the Cone Denim division into a single integrated business. Fiber2Fashion reported:

“We are moving to the next level in ITG’s evolution as a global provider,” said Joseph L. Gorga, president & CEO of ITG. “Our strategic initiatives over the last couple of years have focused on globally expanding our capabilities, which today span across China, Vietnam, Nicaragua, India, Europe, Mexico, and the U.S.

“Combining our apparel resources into a single business provides a simpler, more robust platform to leverage our strengths and offer customers greater support within a more flexible, cost-competitive structure.”

See the full article here

Let us hope that Cone Denim and the remaining American made denim producers can weather the current difficult economic environment and carry on the legacy of this uniquely American product.

Weil Brothers & Stern to Cease Business

Today we received more troubling news when Weil Brothers & Stern announced it will exit the cotton trading business. The fact that such a concern with over a century of experience in the cotton business is forced to cease operations adds to mounting fears that rough times are ahead for cotton textiles and apparels industries.

Spokesmen for the company blame the situation on the high level of risk and unpredictability that has been introduced into the cotton market. Analysts cite inflated prices that reached a 12-year high in March 2008, fanned by commodities traders and cotton shortages (as farmers switched to profitable crops like corn), and came crashing down to a six-year low this month.

About Weil Brothers & Stern, from their website: "Together with our US affiliate, Weil Brothers-Cotton Inc. of Montgomery, Alabama, Weil Brothers & Stern Ltd. buys cotton from virtually every growing country and ships and sells to virtually every consuming country, utilising our world-wide network of offices and agents, with many of whom we have been working for several generations."

Bloomberg News

Weil Brothers & Stern Website

UCO to Shut Down USA Mill

Raymond UCO has announced it will discontinue operations of its North Carolina denim mill. Close to 200 people will lose jobs by Christmas.

The joint venture between Raymond of India and UCO of Belgium has been quietly looking for a suitor for some time without success. In the current cash-crunched economy any remaining potential buyer is likely be foreign and looking for a steal during a fire sale.

Heller's Cafe by Warehouse Officially Here

The Heller's Cafe x Warehouse collaboration garments are now available. If you remember from a previous blog post this highly anticipated project brings together one of the most knowledgable vintage dealers, Heller's Cafe, with one of the best most authenticity-loyal garment makers, Warehouse Company.

The gorgeous pieces are currently available from Warehouse's website.

BB pants "Rip-proof" (28,350 Yen)













"SALT CITY" Jacket (35,700 Yen)










Never "Rip-proof" coverall (34,650 Yen)









Brown Duck pants (28,350 Yen)












Warehouse Company Website

XX: The World's Oldest Known Pair of Levi's 501 Jeans



The Levi's archive garments are something to behold. The oldest known pair of 501's are dubbed "XX" and exude an aura that is difficult to describe. Dated to be from 1879 its denim is full of loom chatter, vertical striations of both shade and yarn character. Careful observation of areas where the indigo did not chip off (behind the buckle and inside the back pocket) reveals how rich and red the cast of the original shade must have been.

Besides the XX several other 501's were on display (1920's, 1937, 1950's). A careful enthusiast can study the differences in details among 501's from different periods. After all the event is to showcase the new Premium 501. The pair I tried on was a dark washed, whisker crunched, redline selvage jean with an updated, slim, low rise, fit. A raw version will apparently be available. Word is Barneys on Madison Avenue in New York already has them. Unlike the vintage 501's of yesteryear these modern jeans do not have workwear details like hidden back pocket rivets and back buckles. But the LVC line (Levi's Vintage Clothing) can give you that fix if it's your cup of tea. It is probably Levi's most researched, well-informed line in terms of understanding its own heritage and history.

Looking at archive pieces with Lynn Downey, Levi's in-house historian, is a unique experience one should not pass on. In fact it should be on every denimhead's list of things to do before you die.

So rare is the XX that it is stored in a safe and is guarded by a sentry when taken on the road. Here is Lynn showing off the oldest surviving pair of 501's as Evan from Meyerson Security stands guard. I was tempted to warn him about the suspicious-looking Blue Man Group peering over their shoulders.



Studying a fill yarn defect with Lynn. Is it defect or character?



Confirming it is not a mispick by looking at the underside. I was honored to have been offered the white gloves to handle this precious relic.



Levi Strauss & Co. Website

LaLa Land Dispatch:
Japanese Denim Showcase – Part II

DenimTech Laundry - Vernon, CA – Part II in my coverage of the Japanese Denim Showcase that took place September 30th - October 2nd at DenimTech. For Part I, featuring Kaihara denim, scroll down or click here.

After meeting with Kaihara, perusing their fantastic collection, and taking up way too much of Nakano-San’s time, I was ushered over to visit with the team from Nihon Menpu. This is probably my favorite textile mill on the face of the planet and I consider it a true honor to witness their creations. They are true artisans. It’s a small operation in Okayama prefecture that began in 1917 and is keeping the indigenous, handcrafted techniques and aesthetics of Japanese textiles alive. Much of their fabrics are custom designed and made for my favorite Japanese brands like Kapital, 45Rpm, and Hollywood Ranch Market. For all the Sugar Cane fans out there, 95% of the Sugar Cane fabrics are made on Nihon Menpu looms. When I visited Japan with Suzuki-San I had the pleasure of visiting this mill and seeing all their old selvage looms and machinery. Truly a privelege!

Super narrow selvage wallet (also works great as an Iphone caddy!)

Nihon Menpu had several racks overflowing with fabric headers and a table showcasing some of the latest and greatest items. Having been to the mill and visited them at the last Japanese Fabric showcase, I had seen much of their selection before. However, with such a bounty of gorgeous fabrics, each one more intensely beautiful than the next, I always feel like a kid in a candy store looking through their line. They are masters of beautiful selvage fabrics, especially when it comes to heavier weights, loose and irregular weaves, neppy surfaces, and natural dye stuffs. They also offer wide goods that are just as rich and full of character as their selvages. From the below brochure, you can see the products they are known for and continue to market:





With fabrics like these… the quality speaks for itself.

Raw Japanese goodness (not sashimi)

Gorgeous selvages, note the subtle neps

More beautiful neppiness

Green cast indigos.. looks similar to the special Kapital denim

A bit of washed down denim with subtle variance in warp yarn shades...

My pictures surely don’t do these textiles justice. If you have a chance to see them and especially if you can afford to use their fabrics in your line… definitely seek them out. A few more random snaps of more unique items....

Colored denims, Hick'ry stripe, novelties...

I think I spied this at Okura, in Daikanyama, on an indigo robe a while back...

After drooling over sample after sample of indigo artistry and lamenting that I can’t use any of their fabrics…. I bid a fond farewell and sayonara until next time.

Lynn Downey in New York

East coasters will at long last get a chance to see some important Levi's archive pieces in person. This Saturday, October 11th, Lynn Downey herself will be present to show rare garments like the oldest 501 jeans in the world, pictured above. This pair of "XX" is dated to be from circa 1879. You will have the opportunity to ask all the burning questions and get the official word from Levi's in-house historian who has dedicated a large part of her life to understanding and documenting the company's history.

The event will be held from 2-6PM at Barney's CO-OP in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan and is meant to unveil the new Premium 501. You can expect to geek out on denim history, check out some archive pieces, and score some free t-shirts.

Barneys CO-OP Chelsea
236 West 18th Street
New York, NY 10011

See you there!

Photograph courtesy of Levi Strauss & Co.

LaLa Land Dispatch:
Japanese Denim Showcase – Sept 30 – Oct 2

DenimTech Laundry - Vernon, CA – For a few days last week, beneath an unassuming wrapper of industrial concrete, Japanese trading group Mitsui was invited to showcase some of the most fantastic textile goods ever to grace this indigo aficionado’s eyes. A parade of denim’s best and brightest passed through the Denim Tech offices to sample this divine product.

On the miraculously hot afternoon of September 30th, I made my way over to DenimTech. Beneath a scorching smoggy greenhouse gas dome just south of Downtown Los Angeles, Denim Tech Laundry lies smack dab in the middle of the glorious city of Vernon. Close neighbors to such illustrious tenants such as “Forever XXI” and Farmer John Pork products. DenimTech is a joint venture by Mr. Shinzo Suzuki (formerly of uber-laundry Caitac) and Matsuoka, a leading Japanese apparel manufacturer that fabricates much of Uniqlo’s quality goods.

For some time Suzuki-San has presented these showcases in the interest of connecting American designers and companies with purveyors of amazing Japanese textiles. I recall one event several years back when he organized a large event of many mills and trading companies including Nisshinbo, Kuroki, and Kaihara (if memory serves). While the scope of the presentation has become smaller and more intimate, the quality and selection is no less impressive. This time around he has have chosen to focus on two of my favorite fabric mills on earth, Kaihara and Nihon Menpu.

After the lovely DenimTech receptionist mercilessly butchers my name, I take a seat and prepare myself… lazily admiring the wear patterns on my Nihon Menpu selvage denim jeans.

First up I was ushered in to visit with Nakano-San from Kaihara. Kaihara is an amazingly modern, top of the line mill with roots firmly embedded in the history of Japan’s Textile industry. Originally established to create traditional indigo textiles, especially Kasuri cloth, in the early 20th century, they began making denim in Japan sometime after WWII, when the demand for surplus and vintage American jeans became so great that enterprising Japanese businessmen realized the need for indigenous denim cloth and brands. Today they are the largest denim mill in Japan and supply many of its domestic manufacturers, like Edwin, with much of their fantastic goods. With proper research and fact checking, I may write up something a bit more extensive down the line…

Kaihara is well known for its quality, consistency, and exceptionally rich indigo shades. If you stare at enough fabric samples of denim like I do (hundreds and hundreds every season), you begin to really appreciate the subtlety of how good or bad the execution of indigo dyeing can be. Kaihara is one of those mills that has something of a magical formula and some serious gurus on their dye range that consistently turn out gorgeous indigo creations.

In the Kaihara room, two double decker rolling racks chock full of fabric headers greeted my eyes. Along the wall they had two immense patchwork fabric blankets draped from the ceiling and collecting in blue folds on the floor. The fabric blankets, one raw and one sanded and enzymed, showcased the great variety of weights, shades, constructions, and character in their denim selections.


In addition to the perpetually wonderful selection of classic rich indigo wide denims and selvages, Kaihara had some interesting new things worth mentioning. They had some really nice lighter shades of indigo achieved through fewer dips on the dye range rather than extended washing. These were developed specifically with the USA market in mind and I think could be great for the 70’s retro vibe we’ve been seeing in brands like Dittos and Current Elliot. These lighter sky blues make a nice alternative to deep dark indigos that have been so prevalent these past few years. But, of course you don’t get the intense chip off and high/low you will see on your raw 14oz pure indigo super dark goods. Nakano-San feels this lighter denim trend will be big in Japan for coming seasons.

Another really interesting product I saw was a cotton/rayocell blend denim in a very light (circa 8oz) 2x1 construction. This rayocell is a similar fiber to rayon and tencel, being made from cellulose fibers processed down into a yarn that is soft and has a great sheen to it. Further they referenced its low impact ecological process that uses a recycling system to utilize the same water over and over again during processing.

In perusing the racks I also found some really interesting hidden gems.

Colored Weft denim (Red and Green Pictured). They also had Yellow.

As with much of the industry in the past couple years, Kaihara was showing many organic fabrics and more eco-friendly products. However, they were saying that the demand for organic products has been steadily decreasing and they wonder if the trend may be on its way out. This desire for organic, eco-friendly, sustainable, and similar marketing monikers to attached to denim, seems to be relegated to America and Europe. Japanese and other Asian customers apparently aren’t willing to pay the extra money for this type of product. With the economy in freefall, I wonder how much longer Americans will buy into this trend as well?

Lastly, no surprise, business is down. The depressed dollar to yen exchange rate is also making importing Japanese goods all the more costly.

To be continued...

Enter Kairo

It is with unprecedented enthusiasm that I introduce Kairo. He is the correspondent that Denim News has chosen after months of shortlisting candidates. We share a passion for denim, studying its intricacies, and broadening our collective understanding of it. With him as a contributor of articles and curator of news items we can expect to see many exciting and enlightening stories.

Welcome Kairo!

Some Things Money Can't Buy





Christmas came early this year. Look at what arrived in the mail from Self Edge and crew.

First up is the one-of-a-kind, custom-made, Self Edge tweed denim jacket. Just in time for the advent of cool weather.





It is made of 14 oz recent deadstock Cone denim woven on antique American-built Draper shuttle looms. I believe only 3 or 4 people in the world still have yardage of this special selvage denim. It contains a weft yarn spun in America with colored nubs. The resulting cloth is a sturdy denim that pays tribute to the Harris Tweed.





The styling and specs are by Kiya Babzani, proprietor of Self Edge.









Constructed by the infallible Al's Attire.


Selvage hanger loop.




Pocket watch chain button hole front.


Pocket watch chain button hole back.




The pocket flaps nod to another classic.


The entire jacket in general and the collar stitching and pocket flaps in particular are inspired by the Flat Head x 092707, which is Kiya's wedding suit (also by Al's Attire).



The other item I received is just as special and unique. It is a beautiful cap handmade by Samuel de Goede, Wild Child designer, Superfuture Supertalk moderator, Mister Freedom model, and by all indications a renaissance man.



The material is a vintage, soft wheat flour bag.






Samuel's alias is Cotton Duck.


The cap is reversible. One section uses a different denim from the rest of the cap. Over time the difference will become more apparent as the two denims fade to contrasting colors.




Phenomenal work guys!

Sorry for the long tease but these pieces are not available anywhere. There are plenty of other superb articles to buy at Self Edge.

Self Edge Website

Wild Child Wild Tee Thing

Ok, considering my close association to Cone Denim I probably shouldn't do this but I can't resist. Self Edge's Wild Child label took some of the best Black Seed denim from Cone and turned them into t-shirts. That's right, lightweight denim tees made from extra long staple Black Seed cotton. It looks so good.

From Self Edge:

After almost a year of edits and changes we're proud to announce the first release from Wild Child & Company.

The famous denim t-shirt by Wild Child, if you're here reading this, you probably have been following the progress surrounding this release. Almost one year of edits and remakes later, Wild Child delivers the world's first denim t-shirt.

[...] pima cotton White Oak Black Seed Cone Denim with a tan leather hang tag make up this first product release from Wild Child & Co.

Two versions are available, a crewneck version and also a V-Neck Edition by Sidney Lo.

The denim really comes to life and softens up quite a bit with some wear and washing, and will fade and age just like a pair of jeans (and so will the tan leather tag). Due to the weave and shade of the denim, this t-shirt doesn't look as crazy as it sounds once you've worn it.

The shirt's fabric was cut on a bias and therefore the weave of the denim appears diagonally as opposed to vertically, this was done so that the denim would stretch sideways just like a normal t-shirt does.

Self Edge Website

Takumi Transformed

Every time I meet Takumi Clothing owner Luis Pedroza he is bursting with enthusiasm for his denim line. After several seasons of fine-tuning he delivers what can only be called an artisanal jean.



The new Takumi denim has more texture. It has more interesting yarn slubs and is hairier. While it still has that luxury pliability that gives the wearer assurance they will break in soft it is certainly stiffer than the first Takumi denim. Consider it a compromise between the immediate gratification of comfortable, soft jeans and the security that only armor-stiff denim gives.

But it is perhaps the new construction details that will win over skeptics and let Takumi (artisan in Japanese) earn its name.

A ridge built into the back pocket opening serves as a raised section that will chip off more readily than the surrounding area, creating higher-contrast high/low fades.



I understand the Japanese call this effect "atari."



The inserted beltloops also have this detail.



The one thing I quite dislike is the shiny, ink-black leather patch.



The one detail I love so much is the three waistband stitches. The bottom two stitches are chain stitches. The run off are tucked inside the waistband before closure. You can even see one of them peeking through the button hole.









As usual the indigo print yoke lining and pocketing adds a nice touch.





With such attention to construction the other details like hidden rivets, button flys, and lined back pockets suddenly seem hardly worth mentioning.







Takumi Clothing Website

201 Spotlight


The Levi's 201 has long been the forgotten step child living in the shadow of the much more famous 501. With the recent ebay transaction of a 201 going for over $36,000 several people have emailed me for comments and background information. I can think of no better person to turn to than renown Levi's historian, Lynn Downey.

The jeans "date to the period 1890-1901. They are Lot 201 which, as most people know, was the 'value' version of the 501 jeans. 201 jeans were made with 9 oz. Amoskeag denim, just as the 501 was," says Downey.

So what's the difference between the two?

According to Downey "the 201 didn't get the 'XX' denim that gave the 501 its original name. That is, the XX denim was the top-of-the-line fabric from Amoskeag, and a less expensive denim was used for the 201. However, they are still sturdy, that's for sure!"

This is an interesting point. It is worthwhile to compare early 201 denims to 501XX denims. I wonder if the "XX" designation signified a lower level of "defects." Without having studied the two fabrics side by side I will venture the guess that those lots of denims classified as having high "irregularities" like mispicks and popcorn fills did not make the cut into XX and instead were used for 201 and other workwear.

Downey continues, "I have 3 pairs of 201 jeans from the 1890s in the Archives, plus 1 from 1915 and another from the early 1920s."

Below are pictures of a pair from the Levi's Archives. They have two back pockets, no beltloops, buckleback, and waistband suspender buttons.

Photograph courtesy of Levi Strauss & Co., taken by Lynn Downey

Photograph courtesy of Levi Strauss & Co., taken by Lynn Downey


Photograph courtesy of Levi Strauss & Co., taken by Lynn Downey

Below are pictures of the Levi's 201's that sold for over $36,000 on ebay. This pair shows less wear pattern contrast than the Levi's Archive pair but it is an exciting find nonetheless.

According to the auction description:

This old pair of LEVI'S were found in a mine in the Rand Mining District, on the Mojave Desert,. California. They are covered in candlewax from the candle's the miner was using to light the tunnel he was working in. They were found with and old paper bag with the name of a mercantile store which operated between 1895 and 1898 in the town or Randsburg. Their was also a gunny sack with the initials A.P.K. and Randsburg marked on it. A.P.K. is through to be Adam P. Kuffel who was a partner in the mercantile store.

These pants have the cloth label vice the leather label. The label (pictured) indicates that they are size W34 x L33, They are copper riveted with the rivets marked L.S. & Co. S.F. They are buckle back (pictured) with suspender buttons. Buttons are silver in color and are all marked LEVI STRAUSS & CO. S.F.CAL. Tthe pants were made with just one back pocket on the right hand side.

The pants are in excellent condition with two small flaws. One hole just above where the left hand back pocket would be, which can be covered by a Quarter and one missing piece of cloth measuring approximatley 1/2 "by !/2" on the band just to the right hand side of the fly.

Levi Strauss & Co Website

Ended Ebay Auction for Vintage Levi's 201s (Link May Expire)

Amoskeag XX

The Amoskeag Manufacturing Company holds a legendardy-- sometimes mythic-- status in the hearts of many denimheads. It is then no wonder that a new workwear label would carry the Amoskeag name. At the height of its glory in the early twentieth century it was the largest textile mill in the world (Hareven), vertically integrated to finish fabric from cotton gingham to denim. In fact the fabric Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis used on their first blue jeans were Amoskeag denim.

Today all that is left of Amoskeag are various relics on ebay and the shell of a building that was at one time the greatest mill on the planet.

Inspired by the stories and the heritage of the mill two veterans of the Japanese textiles industry created Amoskeag XX, a workwear company that hopes to carry on the spirit of American manufacturing and what they call the "unyielding commitment to quality."





Here are some pictures of Amoskeag XX's first collection that should have been uploaded on this blog many months ago.

Balloon pants - denim used on front leg panels have higher shrinkage than denim used on back leg panels. The results after wash and shrink look surprisingly good. If anyone knows of a historical precedence for this please drop a line.



Seamless denim - the fabric was woven as a tube. Alas, due to the way garments are constructed jeans and shirts still require some seams. Very interesting concept, nonetheless. To weave this kind of denim you need to either have very good friends in the industry or own a mill.











Construction porn - hidden rivets, bucklebacks with quality hardware.









To view some very inspirational pictures taken at former Amoskeag Manufacturing Company facilities visit the Amoskeag XX website.

Amoskeag XX Website

Amoskeag: Life and Work in an American Factory-City by Tamara K. Hareven on Amazon.com

Tokyo Eye on Denim

Tokyo Eye is the Japanese TV show for expats that brought us special features like Maid Cafes, Gothloli, Akihabara Idols and now "Japanese Jeans...Curry Rice." The first half of the program features Blue in Green's Gordon Heffner giving the viewer a tour of Japan through the lens of a denimhead. Particularly interesting is the visit to Yoke Design whose artisans custom distress jeans using sponges and towels.



If above video does not load you can see the full denim segment on my Google Video here.

Google Video Link

Yoke Design Webpage

Blue in Green Website

Tokyo Eye Website

Heller's Cafe X Warehouse Preview

With the Heller's/Warehouse crew working day and night to get everything perfect for the launch it has been difficult getting any shots of samples.

I did manage to get us a teaser of what to expect. The idea behind the the Heller's Cafe by Warehouse collection is to challenge our ability to distinguish between vintage deadstock and new repro. We can expect to see 5-12 styles (based off workwear from 1870's - 1880's). While denim (yes, raw) will play an important role we will also see workwear tops and bottoms.

A crucial theme for Larry McKaughna, founder of Heller's Cafe, is the hopes of changing the status quo. His vision is to raise the bar on what quality is for the average consumer. He intends to attract even consumers who may otherwise may not be interested in vintage details and fits (often anti-fits).

Check out some of the materials targeted for the first release.











While certain design aspects are still quite secretive I will venture the prediction that the duck canvas (first 2 pictures) will be used for reproducting a brown duck, v-back waist overalls in the Heller's Cafe collection. Dated as late 1800's it is one of Heller's Cafe's most prized pieces. Here is a previously published photo of the piece.

Heller's Cafe x Warehouse

Word is out that Heller's Cafe is doing a special collection with Warehouse Company Japan. Both names are reputable in their respective trades and there are high expectations for the line to consist of amazing garments that are vintage-inspired and faithfully, painstakingly reproduced.

There will be an event July 1 - July 3 to showcase this collection at:

Pangea Solarium
1-24-1 Ebisu-nish
Shibuya-ku
Tokyo
Japan
03-3463-3482

More information to come.

Invitation Link

Japanese Indigo Morsel

I discovered a fascinating tidbit of history regarding Japanese indigo in a recent conversation with Luis Pedroza, founder of Takumi Clothing. In Japan indigo dyeing is an art perfected and mastered through centuries of practice (though not always for denim). The circumstances that proliferated the use of this dye can be attributed to the Tokugawa Shogunate who restricted the clothing of certain Japanese classes to being made of indigo dyed cloth. Pedrosa directs me to Sadako Fukui’s book, "Japanese Indigo Design."

In 1628, the Tokugawa Shogunate regulated the costumes each class could wear and inhibited ordinary people from wearing anything except indigo cotton or hemp. Within this restriction a great variety of patterns was created.

I am sure a great variety of methods and rituals were created as well.

Thanks to Luis Pedroza, who has proven himself to be a great student of indigo and denim history and an artisan in his own way. Please visit his website for the goods.

Takumi Clothing Website
Amazon.com Page for "Japanese Indigo Designs"

Five Four

Five Four's coated denim exemplifies the direction that the coated look has headed. The aesthetics has gone from an oily, waxy, heavy residue and slick or sticky hand feel (mostly achieved by applying the coating in garment form) to a more refined, sometimes sheen-driven, and subdued look (mostly achieved by using fabric that already has a less intensive overdye or coat).

From Five Four:





Note the blue blossoming through:



The coated denim idea captures my attention. There is not much in terms of historical significance. Instead it adds another level of complexity for you to think about denim wear. Imagine breaking through the coating to find the blue bloom through. Further break in will reveal the white under the indigo. With even longer wear in the white will be cast yellow.

Five Four Website

Naked & Famous Part Deux

Given the increasing interest in the Naked and Famous brand I am including some additional pictures and information. I truly believe that the attractive retail prices will introduce many uninitiated to not only selvage but quality raw denim. The market currently purchasing raw denim in the $120-140 price point can use Naked & Famous as a stepping stone to higher priced jeans like Sugar Cane, Samurai, and Full Count.

Blue in Green in NYC will receive their first Naked & Famous shipment in the next week or two.

This is their standard Indigo Selvage (13 oz; approximately $120 retail):



Big Slub Indigo Selvage front and bank (18 oz, high flame character, approximately $150 retail):





Black Selvage (13 oz, approximately $120 retail; my apologies for the bad photo):



Vintage Blue Selvage (15 oz, approximately $130 retail):



If one thinks of these as fashion items then the Vintage Blue is probably the most fashion forward (to take it further I think this shade and its variations are very trend right). But at the end of the day what Naked & Famous offers is a wearable showcase of beautiful fabrics at amazingly low prices. One of the reasons for that, as I understand it, is the Canadian factory where these garments are sewn is owned by the family of Brandon Svarc, proprietor of Naked & Famous. Nor are the garments washed (a huge cost contributor). The other reason is the construction, though solid, is not superbly complex (the current collection does not have hidden rivets --but neither does it have expensive, loud embroideries). Some of the details found on $200+ garments are not present. But did I mention their entry level indigo selvage Japanese denim jean is targeting a retail of $120?? Isn't that more easy to swallow for your True Religion-wearing friends?

When asked about the where the funky name and artwork comes from Svarc replies:

The name Naked & Famous is meant to be a satirical view of our celeb obsessed society. The owner wants to make fun of "Hollywood" and "glamor" brands that cost $300 and up only because Jessica Simpson wears them and not because they are higher quality.

The logo is reminiscent of 1950's Pop-Art. Lichtenstein and Warhol made satirical paintings of mass media and the "ideal blond" to make fun of society. Naked & Famous aims to do the same.

Naked & Famous Website

Hippies Era Orange Tab Big E Levi's











Edit: Here is what Lynn Downey, Levi's Historian and Archivist (and dare I say friend in the industry?), has to say about these:

[These are a pair of] juniors jean from the Levi's For Gals line, 1970ish. [...] would have been sold in junior departments of specialty clothing stores. We didn't sell in the big chains like Penneys or Macy's until around 1979. Marketing was mostly at point of sale.

When asked about the logic behind the non-red tabs she replies:

Orange was for fashion jeans, white was generally for Levi's For Gals except it was also for corduroy. Black Tab with gold lettering meant the pants had undergone the STA-PREST process.

Thanks Lynn!

Hippies Era White Tab Big E Levi's

American Shuttle Looms

This scan is taken from a 1904 Draper Company publication. The now-famous XX denim used on the original Levi's 501 production were woven on Draper looms at the Amoskeag Manufacturing Co. In fact, Levi Strauss & Co. historian, Lynn Downey, notes that the denim from their "first waist overalls came from the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company in Manchester, New Hampshire, on the East Coast of the United States." ("A Short History of Denim," Downey).

In as early as 1904 the Amoskeag Manufacturing Co. owned 1261 Draper Northrop looms (this does not even include other models of Draper looms Amoskeag had; please note not all Draper looms were used for making denim but to the extent of my research evidence most or even all denim looms at Amoskeag were from Draper who practically had a monopoly in loom-building at the time in America).

Today you can see the Model E at Cone Denim in Greensboro, North Carolina. I have not received full clearance to publish detailed info and media but here's a teaser.





Lynn Downey and LS&CO's "A Short History of Denim" (PDF Alert)

Cone Denim Website

USA Denim Mill Shake Up

There's major news regarding an important domestic denim mill coming your way. Keep your eyes peeled.

All my sources remain anonymous. Email me at pacioli@gmail.com

Signed Pure Blue Japan XX-005

Had these jeans for maybe 2 years now. They were worn hard for over a year. Wearing these jeans brings back memories of a time when I was reminded that life can be tough. During this period they were washed initially by hand twice and then eventually by machine 3 times with gentle detergent (Wool Lite, if I remember correctly).

Some specs: 14.5 oz, high shrinkage, nice blue selvage. Super slubby. Japanese denim.



















They were recently signed by Mr. Pure Blue, who gave me the flattering compliment that these are the most beautifully faded pair of XX-005 he has seen to date. Arigato Iwaya-san.

Special thanks to Yuji Fukushima.

Purchased at Blue in Green in NYC.

Stripping Off the Frills

Naked & Famous is not Paris Hilton's new label. Look past the pop art naked woman graphic and you'll find something remarkable: quality Japanese denim at eyepopping price points (more on that later).

The Canadian brand made its USA debut at the Blue show recently and I had a chance to meet the owner and see the goods. Brandon Svarc is quirky in an earnest-and-friendly way. The type who wouldn't shy from admitting to being a denim geek. His enthusiasm can be infectious with the right crowd. He talks excitedly about the denim he uses.

The collection is tight and concise. The jeans are wearable showcases for gorgeous denim fabric. There are no funky washes, prints, embroideries, or trims (but for the leather patch).

We begin by checking out the "Super-Thick Indigo Selvedge." It is Japanese-made, weighs in at 21 oz, and has a fat twill line.



Next up is the "Natural Indigo Organic Selvedge" that Svarc seems particularly proud of. They are working with their mill to weave the denim with a green selvage ID.

Three other notable jeans for both mens and women include the black stretch, vintage blue, and the silk denim.









The "Big Slub Indigo Selvedge" is something to behold. It is so flamy/streaky as to be recognizably Japanese denim. It weighs in at 18 oz beautiful.






With their basic selvage jean retailing at only $120.00 (indigo or black; 13 oz) Naked & Famous is an important player to watch. Already in place is a growing segment of the mens market ready for raw denim thanks to 1) the excessive use of the word Raw (ie G-Star) and 2) the constant reminder for consumers not to wash their jeans (ie everyone; read your care labels). Although the typical customer may not be attracted to the idea of breaking into a pair of jeans for months without washing them we also know that there is an existing customer base for this type of denim.

Throw in the fact that Naked & Famous is $20 less expensive than the retail price of APC and we have a compellng reason to believe that something important is happening. The price barrier to raw, selvage, Japanese denim is being broken. Granted these jeans are made in Canada and contain no frills (hidden rivets, back buckles, suspender buttons) but they are solidly built and the fabrics alone are beautiful enough to command even higher prices.

The FULLCOUNT Grand Slam

First of all FULLCOUNT is a fashion brand complete with fashion shows and photoshoots. Now let me say they make some fine jeans that would make any denim purist wake up sweating indigo. Part of it comes from the fact that founder-owner Mikiharu Tsujita (humbly self-introduced as Miki) is well versed in denim.

We sat down for tea last week in New York where I showed him the book, "History of Japan Jeans." While flipping through it he points out various veterans he's worked with (some he calls masters) over the years. He begins to tell stories. The one I found especially interesting is about the company he forged with sweat and tears.

FULLCOUNT s one of the Osaka 5, a group of five pioneer brands (Studio D'Artisan, Denime, Evisu, Warehouse, and FULLCOUNT) founded in Osaka for the pursuit of the best denim as seen through their respective lenses.

Tsujita recounts his younger days in the 80’s working in the famous vintage shop Lapine and traveling in the US with co-worker Hidehiko Yamane (of Evisu fame) to hunt for vintage denim garments. At the time vintage Levi's and the likes were already exchanging hands (American to Japanese) at hefty sums and it was difficult finding enough right pieces at the right prices to stock popular "used stores" like Lapine across Japan.

As a result in '89 Tsujita and Yamane launched the brand Rodeo backed by Lapine's owner. It offered raw denim with details that nodded homage to the vintage jeans they loved. Rodeo was famously different from existing brands like Studio D'Artisan and Denime, who pushed similar products but were supported by strong financial backing. It was known as a homebrewed label that distributed in vintage stores for likeminded individuals.

But in 1991 the ambitious duo splintered off and formed Evis (later renamed Evisu). I could not help but ask him to talk about the rumors of Evisu having purchased a vintage American-made shuttle loom (having heard this myth repeated as legend twice the prior day was strong motivation). It is reassuring to hear that the rumors are indeed not true. Evisu began making jeans using denim made on Japanese-built Toyoda looms.

Due to differences in brand direction (Evisu is now known for its colorful handpainted logo's that cover the backpockets; its mascot is the god of money) Tsujita sets off on his own purist's path. He stares off to the side with a distant look as he recalls what went through his mind at the time. Without substantial funding he knew that his next move would either make or break him. It was this feeling of being up at bat with 3 balls and 2 strikes that led him to name his lifework FULLCOUNT.

Since making that swing FULLCOUNT has become a popular Japanese brand offering both knits and wovens for men and women. Jeans from the line have features like natural indigo, Zimbabwean cotton, hidden rivets, back buckles, 100% cotton threads (for vintage purists) and of course selvage. But it is the essence of the vintage jeans that he wore as a youth that he tries to capture. In describing the FULLCOUNT denim he mentions soft and comfortable as being the most important points. As he models the jeans he's broken-in over 5 years he tells me this is the point when the jeans are the most comfortable. He emphasizes the belief that fashion trends change but comfort does not. Their brand concept states "FULLCOUNT is not influenced by fast-moving fashion trend."


Caption: Miki in his 5-year FULLCOUNT jeans standing next to his collection.

Yet he insists FULLCOUNT is a fashion brand. His customers, while appreciating the vintage details, use his products to primarily fulfill fashion needs. This contradiction leaves me a bit perplexed. But after only half a minute I decided I don’t need to fully understand it. Balances and struggles between ideas contribute to denim’s character. You can analyze it all day long (and we do sometimes) but in the end all you need to do is wear it to get it.




Caption: The jeans ripped on his recent travels; New York is a tough city.





We talk about his arc designs post and pre Levi's cease-and-desist letter (sized like a book but doesn't read like one).





FULLCOUNT Website
Special thanks to Kotaro Tanaka
Special thanks to Lat40N

Tom McKenna Named President of Cone Denim

Reports are coming in that Tom McKenna has been chosen to be President of Cone Denim. McKenna, who succeeds John L. Bakane, has been with Cone since 1981 when he began as a sales representative in their New York office. In 2004 he served as President of Sales and Marketing.

Source: News-Record.com

Loom Chatter 3

In the last Loom Chatter post I envisioned a future in which fly shuttle weaving is practically a lost art and rapier and air jet looms are coveted, rare machines that have been replaced by cutting edge equipment driven by nano-sized robots. This far-fetched yarn of fancy was spun to convey an important point.

To my fellow purist denim head: did you know that when the now-revered power shuttle loom was introduced there were strong sentiments against it? It was denounced by the trade and enthusiasts for weaving characterless fabric that was too uniform and mass-produced. Proponents of the hand loom were so vehement that in 1790 a mill was destroyed by a mob to show their dissatisfaction. Granted the trade had great economic incentive (power looms enabled reducing the labor force to half) but the general feelings are similar to what we have today when preferring the shuttle over air and rapier looms. I provoke this point to have us question, and perhaps reinforce, our appreciation of vintage fly shuttle weaving, looms, and denim.

To give us an idea of what was going through the minds of the people introducing new loom technology below is a sampling of advertisement quotes from the Draper Company.

In 1895:
"We believe that certain improvements we are soon to introduce will divide the cost of weaving by two..."

"Textile workers should be interested in all inventions that make their labor easier, cleaner, or healthier."


In 1896:
"The majority believe in progress. They favor inventions that relieve human labor by transferring operatons from fingers to levers and cams."


In 1897:
"Before the year is over the Amoskeag Mfg. Co. will have nearly 10,000 looms changed to take our motions."


In 1898:
"What do you think of a loom that requires but half the labor, weaves more perfect cloth and will run over time without need for attention."

"The only hope for our cotton mills in these critical times lies in the prompt adoption of improved machiner."


In 1900
"Every new idea meets the same opposition...In the first few years this machine had to bear the brunt of criticism, antagonism, doubt, fear, and mis-representation."

Disclaimer: While above applies to cotton weaving history in general I have yet to establish the extent to which this applies to denim. If anyone comes across any text related to this matter please leave a comment or shoot me an email at pacioli@gmail.com

Source: "Labor-Saving Looms" by Draper Company (1904)

Iowa Jeans Drive

Those in Des Moines, Iowa need to drop by Iowa State University with their old, unwanted jeans.

Habitat for Humanity and Iowa State Univeristy is running a drive to turn collected jeans into home insulation for victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

The denim that is donated is recycled into denim blue bales of insulation called Ultra Touch, which is a natural cotton fiber insulation.

...

"They take those foam blocks and they feel them and they're just like, 'This is denim? These are the jeans I have on? This is crazy,'" said ISU student Marjorie Smith.

The idea of using denim for insulation is not new. Stories of vintage collectors finding overalls inside walls of old homes circulate in many circles. The "From Blue to Green" drive last year by Cotton Inc. helped insulate 12 homes that now shelter Katrina victims.

The goal this year for Habitat for Humanity is 70 homes. Being the average home needs approximately 500 pairs of jeans a target of 35,000 garments will be needed. If you are in the area feel free to pitch in by visiting these drop-off locations below.

Hamilton Hall - ISU Campus
Agronomy Hall - ISU Campus

Bethesda Lutheran Church
Memorial Lutheran Church
First United Methodist

Visit website of KCCI, Des Moines's local TV station, for more info and a video on denim Ultra Touch.

KCCI Website

Loom Chatter 2

I have my eyes set on an antique Harley Davidson and must consider selling some of the jeans in my collection. Can I interest anyone in a pair of deadstock True Religion jeans from the early 21st century?

The denim was woven on air jet looms, which were superior to our modern nanobot looms. While factories today prefer nanobot looms for their ability to make stronger and more consistent denim fabric (due to nanobots automatically tucking in loose yarn fibers along with programming the correct shade while weaving) only air jet looms can yield the imperfections that are a characteristic of vintage denim. There are very few of these looms left and even the European repro brands who use denim made from vintage air jet looms cannot claim they are delivering an authentic product because of the nanodye used to color the yarns.

The denim on these vintage True Religion's were dyed in real indigo, which fade with wear, whereas nanodye sticks on to the entire surface area of yarn fiber. Finally the most impressive aspect to this collectible item is that actual people operated the sewing machines and grinding tools, ensuring no two jeans are EXACTLY the same. Comes with real cotton patch. Made in Mexico. 20 million Euros or best offer.

Loom Chatter 1

In contemplating denim my mind is a Northrop loom in constant chatter. One yarn of history crosses another in seemingly endless lines with no obvious direction to follow.

This thought came to me as I struggle to research for an important publication.

On a separate note here is something interesting you may or may not know. While one of the first things we look for on vintage jeans is the sideseam that clearly reveals a closed selvage remember that the busted sideseam is not the only seam construction to spot narrow, fly shuttle loom denim. Many old jeans and overalls used the felled seam construction, which hides the selvage line. Seasoned collectors who’ve sifted through damaged garments surely have noticed that when the felled seam is opened often a pristine selvage line (often natural/white color) springs out like a newly blossomed flower.

I discovered this recently on a solitary mission confined in a small, temperature-controlled room attempting to deem which pair (sometimes rag) of denim was worthwhile. While this finding shocked me at the time I am now sure it is common trade knowledge. It’s one of those things that you learn on the job.

Going forward all ramblings and theories related to weaving technique, history, machinery, etc. will be posted with title "Loom Chatter" and I invite anyone interested to contribute to this column.

VF to Acquire 7FAM and lucy

VF, home to Wrangler, Lee, Riders, North Face, etc. just inked a deal to bring Seven for All Mankind into the fold. The deal for 7FAM is $775 million financed through a mix of existing cash, VF credit lines, and long-term debt. Along with this VF is also picking up lucy, a rapidly growing women's activewear brnd with approx. $57 million in annual sales, for $110 million

It is important to note that Mike Egeck, 7FAM's CEO, used to work for VF. He is now expected to be President of VF Contemporary Brands (to be made up of 7FAM, lucy, and future additions) and report to VF President and CEO Eric Wiseman.

Here's the PR:

VF Corporation (NYSE: VFC), a global leader in lifestyle branded apparel, announced today that it has signed definitive agreements to acquire two dynamic and growing companies, Seven For All Mankind, LLC and lucy activewear, inc. The two companies will form the foundation of a new lifestyle brand-based coalition, VF Contemporary Brands, which VF intends to build with additional contemporary brands over time. VF's other coalitions are Outdoor, Jeanswear, Sportswear and Imagewear. Upon closing these transactions, VF will name Mike Egeck as President of VF Contemporary Brands, in addition to his current role as Chief Executive Officer of Seven For All Mankind, reporting to Eric Wiseman, President and Chief Operating Officer of VF Corporation.

"Our ability to identify, acquire and grow brands has been a key driver of shareholder value over the past several years, and we're clearly maintaining this momentum," said Mackey J. McDonald, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "The acquisition of these high growth, high potential brands marks another milestone in the continuing success of our Growth Plan. These brands extend our reach to important and growing consumer segments, broaden our presence in healthy and growing channels of distribution, provide us with additional vehicles to expand our direct-to-consumer business through owned retail stores and online sales and offer the potential for continued growth internationally."

Added Wiseman, "The formation of the VF Contemporary Brands coalition, with over $350 million in annual revenues, marks our commitment to building new platforms for sustainable growth. We will invest in the potential of both the 7 For All Mankind(R) and lucy(R) brands, and also plan to acquire other brands that will enhance the portfolio of this new coalition."

Press Release

People's Liberation Fashion Deal Deal

Off the press:

People's Liberation Signs New Distribution Agreement for the William Rast Brand in the Benelux Region

People's Liberation, Inc. (OTCBB:PPLB), the designer of high-end casual apparel under the brand names People's Liberation and William Rast, today announced it has signed an exclusive 2-year distribution agreement with Fashion Deal BVBA for the distribution of all William Rast-branded men's and women’s denim, knit and woven apparel in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Fashion Deal BVBA, is an exclusive importer and distributor of brand name clothing and shoes in the Benelux Region of Europe. Included in Fashion Deal's impressive list of brands it represents are Juicy Couture, Trovata, Kenzo, Martin Margiela, See by Chloe and Biya. Fashion Deal will commence marketing of the William Rast apparel line with its spring/summer 2008 collection.

"We are very pleased to have partnered with Fashion Deal BVBA in support of our continued international expansion effort," said People's Liberation, Inc. Chief Executive Officer Colin Dyne. "Fashion Deal BVBA brings the William Rast brand to a new, previously untapped market for us. We will continue to actively seek additional distributor partners in order to increase our reach for both of our brands on a global scale."

Press Release from Business Wire