S-Double x Gitman Vintage

I've been searching for two shirts for a long time. Of course there are many shirts that I can think of that I would like to add to my rotation, but there are two shirts that I particularly want - a denim shirt and a chambray shirt. They both have to be button down shirts because that's basically all I wear. And other than that I want certain details, a good fit, a country of origin that I can support and lastly I want a hearty and solid fabric. This is something that I just can't seem to find.

However I may just have found a descent solution from Shawn Stussy's most recent project - S-Double. For this shirt he has teamed up with Gitman Vintage to produce a very wearable shirt. 

This shirt fits the bill in many aspects, but I'm not really sure about the tap on the pocket. Good thing I've got plenty of scissors in my workshop.

READ MORE - S-Double x Gitman Vintage

Livid Jeans

Denim culture in Norway used to be as poor as it is in Denmark, but then along came Jens Olav Dankertsen of Livid Jeans and changed that. Sweden is still without a doubt the leading country, but Denmark is now bordering pathetic, although Thomas Bojer of Denimhunters is doing, what he can to change things.

Livid Jeans recently put out this little video, and I can't believe, I haven't shared it yet, as it's very nice and I should be showing more support to my Scandinavian brethren. I won't write more about it, as I think, you'll more out of just listening the Jens Olav speak. I like the fact, that he speaks his mother tongue instead of doing it in English. It makes it seem more real and relevant to me.

READ MORE - Livid Jeans

One Month of Denim - Day 23

I have been posting a lot of videos the last couple of days, and how I wish I could continue doing so. I know, I can't do so for all eternity, but I'll keep going for another day.

Here are some good denim-related videos in a mixed order and with a mixed quality or relevance.


























If you have some denim videos, that you want to share, feel free to do so in the comments or send an e-mail and I'll them to the list

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One Month of Denim - Day 22

There are some factors to what makes a great denim fabric and one of these factors are besides what cotton type, also how the cotton or rather cotton yarn is spun. When speaking of yarns used for denim there are generally three ways. The first being Ring-spun denim, second Ring-Ring denim or double ring-spun denim and finally Open-end denim.

Ring-spun denim was the most common method used up until the 1970s. In this method the cotton yarns are twisted together for a stronger and harder-wearing product, which will also fade like the actual vintage jeans.

The Ring-Ring denim creates the best quality denim, as it employs Ring-spun yarn for both the warp and the weft. This is the traditional way of producing denim.

Open End was introduced in the 1970s and it reduced the cost of producing denim, as well as reducing the quality in many ways. The cotton fibres are mock twisted by blowing them together. This creates a fabric that is more coarse, dark (because it absorbs more dye), bulkier and it doesn't wear or fade as well as Ring-spun denim because of the extra dye.

It is possible to create a denim using a Ring-spun warp and an Open-end weft. This gives the fabric some of the strength and the look of Ring-spun denim, but it is still cheaper. It should be said, that just because you are paying large amounts for a pair of jeans doesn't mean you are getting a quality product. Some of the biggest designer brands are known for using Open End denim...

READ MORE - One Month of Denim - Day 22

One Month of Denim - Day 21

Roy Slaper of Roy Denim is an artist. No doubt about that. Just like Blue Highway, he is making his own jeans one by one, but he has got a bigger and better selection of machinery. The cool thing is that he makes everything himself and he does all of it on old machines from Singer and Union Special for instance. Before reading anymore you should just watch this video done by Self Edge.

When he started out he offered made to order jeans for customers through Superfuture and they were definitely in demand, so much that he decided to focus on making jeans and selling them online exclusively through Self Edge.

I think I could write a lot more about Roy and his one man operation, but I think many people have done so and done so with a great angle in the past, that I would much rather turn your attention to them. But may I just add, that I love the scalloped stitch, he uses.

Grain & Gram

Denim News

Revolver

Superfuture

Did I mention, that he makes a pair of fantastic jeans in duck cotton? Well, he does.

And did I mention, that there is another movie of his jeans-making-goodness floating around? Well, there is.

READ MORE - One Month of Denim - Day 21

One Month of Denim - Day 19

The thing that makes denim quite special and the thing that makes denim fade so well is the fact that it consists of a warp and weft of a different colour.

The construction is pretty simple. The "warp" - in denim - is the yarn that runs parallel to the selvage. This is the yarn that is vat-dyed blue and this is what gives denim the blue appearance. The "weft" runs from selvage to selvage at right angles to the warp yarn. The weft is also what gives denim a noticible different colour on the back side, which is often cotton yarns of a natural, un-dyed colour. The weft is also known as the filling or the filling yarn. It should also be said that the weft may sometimes be vat-dyed, like the warp, and this creates a fabric with a very dark blue appearance and some spectacular fading abilities.

And you can find denim with a weft that is of a different colour than blue - like in this instance, purple.

READ MORE - One Month of Denim - Day 19

One Month of Denim - Day 18

"Ok, here's a question for you: I go to thrift stores a lot but tend to avoid the jeans section, I have trouble determining the age of a pair of Levi's for example. Can you share a few pointers on what to look for? The patch? The brand of the zipper? The rivets?"

I received this question from an anonymous reader, and I figured that it could be answered in an entirely new post. I'm very grateful for this question, so thank you very much and if I didn't answer your question in full, let me know and I'll try to add more information.

First of all, do not avoid the jeans section.

Secondly there are some give aways. Here are some in non particular order. 

1) Do the jeans have selvage? Turn the cuff - it's fast and effecient.

2) If they are Levi's jeans, does the red tab or orange tab on the back pocket spell LEVIS and not Levis. I'm refering to a thing known as "Big E", which was how LEVIS was spelled until 1971, when they changed the capital E to a small e.

3)Look for defunct jeans brands like Foremost (a JC Penney brand), Ranchcraft (Also a JC Penney brand), Key, Washington Dee Cee, Can't Bust 'em, Buckaroo by Big Smith, Roebucks - the list goes on and on.

4) If you are looking for zippers, the zippers you should be looking for are Talon (especially Talon 42), Scovill, Ideal, Gripper Zipper. 

This post may be of some help

5) Knowing this timeline from Levi's is good when you need to date jeans. Just look at the differences in arcuates (the iconic stitching on the back pockets) for instance.

This post may be of some help. And if you need some help, I'll gladly give some in depth explanations to understanding it. But please remember that there can be variations depending on the factory used even back then.

Finally I would recommend you look on the inside tags. If they are "made in USA", they are vintage and probably a lot more interesting than most new Levi's jeans. But try them on, so you don't end up in a pair of boot cut jeans - unless you are rocking a full "Freaks&Geeks" attire....

READ MORE - One Month of Denim - Day 18

One Month of Denim - Day 17

My Internet connection is very poor and I have no time. This is of course a poor excuse for not writing some of the denim posts in advance, however I like to write in a more spontaneus way.

Hence you have to settle with another short post on denim. However I would like to remind you that there are still 13 days to go. Lastly I would like to encourage any readers out there to ask any question about denim, that you might have. I have enough subjects to write another month, and probably more, but if you have any subjects, that you want me to cover, then please let me know. No question is too small or dumb.

Today we will be covering the term "jeans". There are some speculation to etymology of the word. One of the most widely accepted explanations is that jeans is derived from the french word "genes", which was used to describe certain indigo coloured pants worn by sailors from the Italian city Genoa. As a more fun fact it must be mentioned that denim remained in use in the navy for sailors for a long time. If you dig into the history of denim and the navy, you'll discover that denim is a very versatile fabric that can be used for a multitude of different garments. As if you didn't know this already...

Speaking of which. The term "denim" is believed to have been derived from the French term "Serge de Nimes", which refers to a heavy twill or serge fabric made in the French city of Nimes.

READ MORE - One Month of Denim - Day 17

One Month of Denim - Day 15

Due to very limited time today you'll have to settle for three iconic denim related pictures - Enjoy. But do know that I'll be back with vengance soon.



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One Month of Denim - Day 12

Let's keep it short today. The cinch back was a widely used up until the Second World War. It was used instead of a belt to tighten the waist on pants, hence the lack of belt loops on early jeans. Belt loops were added by Levis in the 1920's, but the cinch back remained for another good 20 years, until it was scrapped.

The cinch back seemed like an archaic and slightly boring detail, but after having read the book "Jeans of the Old West", I got a totally different perspective on that detail. Now, I still find it quite costumey, but I now find it quite inspiring and I may just get a pair of jeans with a cinch back one day.

Some time ago I discovered, that the author of "Jeans of the Old West" and denim hunter/collector, Michael Harris has an amazing Flickr account. You should check it out here - and by "check it out", I mean, spend some hours soaking in the stunning images - there are small movie clips too.

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Crafts - Selvage Denim Laundry Bag

Some time ago I bought several yards of selvage denim from Cone Mills in the US. I passed some on to a friend and the rest have just been sitting in the basement waiting for me to do something about it. Well, I haven't found the courage to make more jeans, though I have done that in the past and I will do so again in the future, so today I spent some hours making one handsome laundry bag with the caring guidance and help from my girlfriend. Or actually it was more of a collaborative effort.

I decided to make this piece out of necessity. I needed something to stow my laundry away in, but I couldn't find anything I liked. But I remember seeing some laundry bags from the American army or rather the navy which were made of a thin denim - possibly chambray. So they were the inspiration for me on this piece, which is why I will possibly add some stencils, once I get around to buying some stencil ink. I already have some amazing Hanson brass stencils, that I would like to use.

For the bag we used some selvage denim (broken twill of approximately 14-15 oz) from Cone Mills, some vintage nylon fabric (I think the term is beaver nylon), a couple of solid brass grommets, some good rope and it was assembled on the Singer 222, that I received some time ago. The same thread was used throughout the project and it was a Saba 50 by Amann - unfortunately not the Rasant type of thread, which I have had troubles finding a good source for.

I did most of the sewing, which is why the stitching isn't entirely straight, though it is pretty good, if I may say so. 

It was the first project I ever did on the 222, and I have to say, it has surpassed my expectations. It plows through whatever you throw at it, and it isn't even an industrial grade sewing machine, but I guess they just made some things better in the old days.

I wish I had taken more pictures of the process, but the light in the basement was poor, so I didn't bother taking that many. Furthermore I was too focused on keeping up with the pace of my girlfriend (who is a tailor's apprentice and has a degree in pattern making), that I found myself forgetting to document the process in pictures.

In short, the bag is made from selvage to selvage across the fabric. Then the grommets were set, but before doing so the leather reinforcements were put in. After that the drawstring hem was sewed, and the sides were connected. We intended to do a flat felled seam, but some miscalculations were made, so it was just a felled seam. Lastly the bottom piece was put in. I decided on the orange fabric because I felt it was a nice contrast to the denim, and orange colour had a navy-ish feel to it. Furthermore I'm sure it will last a bit longer, as it wears harder than the denim and it sheds water. I'm pretty sure that this bag will last a lifetime and improve with wear.

The rope was put in and the ends of the rope was secured with some melted beeswax. This is a very practical way of ensuring the rope doesn't unravel and furthermore it smells deliciously. What I hadn't anticipated was that the rope is already taken on some bleeding from the denim. I'm sure this will get beautiful in some time.

The design is basically too simple to be called design. It is very functional and it will carry a months worth of laundry and possibly more.

You can see the pics in a slightly better resolution on ATD's Flickr. 

And lastly, I would like to thank my girlfriend for the help and support - I'm glad you decided to give my old sewing machine a go, even though you are used to industrial grade sewing machines, which are probably a lot better and easier to use. You did one hell of a job here and I will treasure this bag for a long time and honour it by throwing my dirty clothes in it.

READ MORE - Crafts - Selvage Denim Laundry Bag

One Month of Denim - Day 11

Denim is graded in by weight in ounces. This means its weight per yard of fabric at a 29 inch width. But keep in mind most shrink to fit jeans will increase in weight when washed, as the fabric contracts.

Early Levi's  jeans were around 9oz, which has since increased through the years. Most modern jeans are around 11-13oz, but you can get them a whole lot heavier.

There is one particular company, that has taken pride in producing some of the heaviest and toughest garments on earth, and that company is Ironheart. Their regular jeans are 21oz denim. But they aren't producing the heaviest jeans on earth. At the moment that record is being held by the Canadian denim company Naked&Famous with a pair of 32oz jeans, that could stand on their own (you don't need to 32oz denim to see jeans standing on their own, by the way). Now, I'm glad I don't have to wear that pair of jeans. I don't think it would be very comfortable, but then again once they are broken in, I think you would be covered for a good amount of time. Naked&Famous is a very untraditional denim company. They produce everything to a high standard in Canada using some very special, cutting-edge fabrics. The 32 oz denim, which is probably only usable in bags is a good example, so are the jeans made of glow-in-the-dark denim and cashmere denim.

They do not look particularly well-sewed, but I read that they were quite a mouthful for the company, that was contracted to sew them. They put their machinery to the test and I think a lot of sewing needles were lost in the battle.

READ MORE - One Month of Denim - Day 11

One Month of Denim - Day 10

There are many ways to classify or differentiate denim. One of the most important things you can talk about are shrink to fit versus sanforized. I'll not be discussing, if one fades better than the other, or if one is better than the other in general. Again, I would like to say that buying jeans is personal. You have to figure out, what works for you and what you appreciate. Before writing about the two, I would like to correct a common mistake, the difference is not between raw and sanforized. Sanforized can be just as raw as shrink to fit denim.

In the old days all cotton materials -including denim - would continue to shrink after the first couple of washes. They were shrink to fit so to speak. The cotton was untreated, which made the cotton fibers constrict after washing. Therefore the general rule was that the fabric would shrink 10%, meaning you would probably have to go 2" up in the waist and 3" in the length, when buying jeans.

Sanforization is a process to treat the cotton fabric, that was invented by Sanford L. Cluett in the late 1920's. The process was first used by Erwin Mills in the 1930's to make denim for workwear. Shortly hereafter many companies started using the sanforization process and you will often see it advertised on old clothing when the tag says sanforized or sanfor-treated. Many denim companies started using the sanforization process because it could reduce overall shrinkage to about 3%, which meant you didn't have to take shrinking into consideration, thus allowing the consumer to buy the exact size. Levi's however remained true to the shrink to fit denim until the 1970's - and they still make an shrink to fit 501 model in their main assortment (indicated by the XX after 501), plus most of the jeans in the LVC range are made of shrink to fit denim (with the exception of the 505 - and jeans from the Orange Tab range).

Nowadays the denim purists demand shrink to fit denim and there are many rituals connected to it. There are millions of ways to soak your jeans. Some soak them in the sea, some in a bucket of water, some wear them in the tub and the list goes on. Some people prefer to wear their jeans without ever washing them, but that is for the extremists, although recent studies show no health risks concerning the no-wash method.

READ MORE - One Month of Denim - Day 10

One Month of Denim - Day 9

I foresee, that I will have very little time to do some blogging today and you will probably have very little time to read the blog. Now this is just an assumption, of course. If you find yourself with a lot of time on your hand with the urge to read, please go to the library and read a Raymond Carver book. Alternatively Hemingway, Bukowski, Steinbeck, Thoreau, Fitzgerald or whoever you prefer.

This is another good insight to the understanding of jeans*

*Though the info on the 501z is crap. The actual model didn't feature narrow legs FYI.

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One Month of Denim - Day 8

Our neighbouring country, Sweden, seem to be more into denim, than we are in Denmark. That is unfortunately a fact. They have Indigofera, Nudie, Acne Jeans, Pace and Denim Demon for instance. Personally I don't find any of them too interesting, but they are all putting out denim related goods and jeans. What I do however find very interesting is the Blue Highway project by the two Luhanko brothers, Hampus and Douglas.

I followed their blog from the very beginning and tried to recommend interesting jeans on eBay to them because that was their main purpose to begin with. They collected vintage denim and they showed their finds on the blog. This created a wonderful gallery of vintage denim artifacts from the three big ones and from smaller, lesser-known brands.

A couple of years later they started making jeans, and things got even more exciting. Later on we have followed them on trips to America (with Michael Harris), when their jeans went on a world tour, how their jeans evolved both in quality and how they faded and how their range of products has been getting bigger with more products and collaborations. The highlight so far has been the joint venture with a shop called Sivletto, when they opened a collaborative store called Unionville in Stockholm. This store carries some of the most interesting work wear and denim related goods from Lofgren, Mister Freedom and Ironheart - to mention a few - and it also has a workspace on the shop floor. It all looks very interesting and you get the feeling that they really care about what they do.

In my opinion they could go from strength to strength. If they get the right machinery and a steady source of great denim, they could be competing with some of the very best Japanese makers. 

You can see examples on their denim - on Denim Archive here, but I urge you to follow them on their blog, on Unionville and on Facebook.

READ MORE - One Month of Denim - Day 8

One Month of Denim - Day 6

Day 6 already? Today I would like to talk about the terminology regarding fading denim. What to look for in a nicely faded pair of jeans or possibly what to strive for. I would however like to say, that I think fading jeans is a very personal subject, so you have to figure out, what you like and thereby what you strive for.

Whisker: Whiskers are the horizontal wear lines that you will see in the crotch and thigh area. This is caused by wear or rather repeated wearing of the fabric. Whiskers may also be referred to as moustache or hige.

Atari: No, not the computer. Atari is a term that covers fades around seams. It could be the seams on the belt loops or pocket seams. It will sometimes appear like ridges where the fabric has contracted slightly around the stitches. 

Honeycombs: You'll find the honeycombs on the back of the knees. Sometimes the honeycombs can create an almost 3-d effect because of the colour difference from dark hues to the light blues, going-on white lines. The fades are created through repeated bends of the knees and they can be emulated by starch. 

Railways: Denim shrinks the most lengthwise. Therefore the fabric contracts and creates some very visible small creases along the side seam. The two selvage lines are folded on the back of the side seam which will also create an impression. May also be called railroad tracks and train track.

Stacking: This may not actually be a term that covers a certain fade, but a stack fade will sometimes be discussed. This is achieved if you wear you jeans long - and mostly uncuffed. The bunching of fabric can create some fades in the lower half of the jeans. They can look a bit like honeycombs if done well.

Roping: Roping was mentioned in the post on chain stitch. The thread in the chain stitch pulls and creates a sort of wave resulting in a fade that looks like a bit like a rope.

Leg twist: Leg twist isn't actually a fade, but it surely ads to the character or appearance of a pair of jeans. You'll often see vintage jeans with the side seam being in the center of the front of one leg and in the center of back on the other leg. You can also experience this with some more recent jeans - although mostly from so-called repro brands - if the fabric hasn't been skewed. This is caused by the pulling to the right or left, depending whether the fabric is right or left hand twill (more on twill types later). This will happen after washing, as the fabric tries to follow the direction of the weave so to speak and thereby tugging in the direction of the twill.

There are plenty of more fades, such as the rivet fade covered in the previous post, but these terms should get you covered for now.

READ MORE - One Month of Denim - Day 6

One Month of Denim - Day 4

My hands and arms are numb from picking apples, peeling apples and cutting apples. Therefore I will only be posting to pics which are essential, when it comes to understanding denim. I will go into details with many of the details shown in the pictures, but I won't be doing that today.

In case you are wondering the jeans that the native American is wearing, are probably made of shink-to-fit denim.

READ MORE - One Month of Denim - Day 4