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- Fade Friday – Grandpa’s Levi’s Unknown Model (Unknown Years, Countless Washes)
Fade Friday – Grandpa’s Levi’s Unknown Model (Unknown Years, Countless Washes)
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/ Fade Friday /
It’s not often we see jeans so thrashed that there is more negative space than actual fabric. But in the case of Andrew’s grandad Harry, we should just be happy they exist at all. Found while cleaning out his house, this 1970s relic is as much a piece of art as a pair of hippie shorts. Once known as a pair of Levi’s 501s, these shredders were chopped along the way to keep up with the summer months and a warm climate. And maybe a growing trend of DIY anti-fashion.
With the indigo almost 200% wrung out and featuring frayed edges at every turn, these shorts have lived many lives, with each patch adding pops of color and a layer of storytelling. With an inseam that literally could not go up any further, denim heads, your summer inspiration has arrived.
/ New Releases /
MAPLE and Apapacho World have joined forces for a second collaboration, this time unveiling a jointly designed jewelry box carved from gorgeous Rosa Tepeaca marble sourced from Tepeaca, Puebla.
Crafted from a 250kg block of the naturally durable Mexican marble, each piece has unique white and grey veining imbued in the dusty rose stone, ensuring no two boxes are exactly alike. Designed with both function and luxury in mind, the box includes two movable ring holders for customizable storage, while the underside is finished with both brands’ logos.
Based in Mexico City, Apapacho World is a design house that honors Mexico’s rich cultural heritage through cleverly designed pieces. Specializing in natural materials such as clay, marble, and volcanic rock, the Apapacho studio utilizes a co-op of 5 crafting families across Puebla and Michoacán to inject their modern designs with traditional techniques. Their project with Canadian jewelry powerhouse, MAPLE, brings precious metals and stones together while celebrating age-old Mexican crafts that deserve our attention.
Available at MAPLE for $212.
/ In Partnership with Blue Beach Denim /
ONI’s latest drop is its 15 oz. Ishikawadai selvedge. Ishikawa-dai is a vintage Japanese-made ring-spinning machine, said to be the oldest cotton-spinning machine still operating in Japan. Cotton is ring-spun all over the world, but no other spinning machine can produce yarns like the Ishikawa-dai. Compared to the latest machines, Ishikawa-dai spins at a slower speed of about one-third, resulting in lower productivity, but also a rich, natural texture.
ONI’s Ishikawadai denim puts rope-dyed Ishikawadai yarns through a specialized loom to create a totally unique selvedge denim. This isn’t just a matter of craftsmanship, but of extreme patience: in today’s Japanese denim industry, production is booked onto these looms at least 24 months in advance. Because every loom is running at capacity daily, a sold-out run can take up to 3 years to restock.
“There is only 1 loom that able to produce ONI Ishikawadai denim in the world. It can experience failure or breakdown at any time. Making the denim extra precious and valuable.” – Oishi San, ONI Denim
Weighing in at 15 oz. per square yard, this mid-to-heavyweight fabric utilizes Ishikawa-dai yarns in both the warp and weft—with the warp dyed a bluey-green shade of indigo reminiscent of old world denim. You only have to look at the close-ups to see how special this fabric is; it retains a distinct ‘ONI’ feel without any hyper-slub or nep. The Ishikawadai is available across a range of ONI jean cuts from slim-straight all the way to extra-wide, with some options featuring 2% stretch for the comfort crew. In addition, there is a duo of denim jackets: a traditional Type 1, and a ‘Type 0‘ silhouette based on late 19th century blousons with dual pockets at the hip. Each piece is made in Japan and comes with custom-branded ONI hardware and a demonic natural leather waist patch that echoes the teal hues of ONI’s Ishikawadai denim.
Shop ONI Ishikawadai Denim at Blue Beach today
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It’s amazing when a piece of clothing can conjure up a sense of place. French footwear pioneers Paraboot‘s Bahamas Mule does just that — luxurious holidays on the French Riviera.
From the front, the Bahamas look like a classic loafer— moc toe, black leather— but around the back is where things pivot. Well, because there is no back. This means you can just slip these on to meander out to the terrace for an aperitif, and slip them off to hit the beach. If Central Europe isn’t on the cards, these will do just as well at upgrading your stinky Bostons to something more sophisticated.
Wherever you’re wearing them and whatever you’re wearing them for, the Bahamas are classic Paraboot quality. Made in Spain, they are constructed using a Blake stitch, a technique invented in 1858 by shoemaker Leeman Reed Blake, also known as through-and-through stitching, which gives the shoe flexibility and lightness. Unlined and unbuckled, these might just be the perfect summer shoe, sockless or not.
Available for $288 from Lost & Found.
When the run club is at 12 PM, but Country Fest is at 1 PM, you’d think a wardrobe change is in order. Streetwear adjacent running darling Satisfy Running begs to differ. Their 5″ Inlined Shorts in Digital Denim are insane. No way around it. But like washing your jeans in the ocean or not washing your jeans at all, who says that’s a bad thing? Made from their PeaceShell fabric, which is famously not denim, with your eyes closed, you’re stepping into some of the best athletic shorts money can buy. With your eyes open, it’s simply impossible to get over how much these look like faded jeans.
From the worn seat and whiskering at the lap down to the faux wallet fade with a blown corner, these shorts do not mess around.
Available for $337 from Lost & Found.
Ivy and Western are two of the biggest influences on rugged menswear today, and Original Madras Trading Co. has tied them together in the neatest of packages with No107 Western Straight Collar Long Sleeve Shirt: a classic Western shirt decked out in equally classic Madras check.
The No107 takes everything we all love about Western shirts— contrast-stitched yokes on both the front and back, dual chest pockets, and the all-important pearl snap closures—and decks it out in a summer-ready, breathable madras. Madras takes its name from the former name of the city now known as Chennai, where it has been produced for over 400 years. OMTC’s fabrics are still made in the city, where its woven on handlooms by their skilled weavers.
Westerns and madras are unique entities in their own right, so the No107 will be your best friend all summer long — worn tucked into some cowboy-appropriate denim or open over a crisp white T. The best thing? Madras is known for its “bleed” when washed, which is down to the traditional dyes used, so it will look better summer after summer.
Available in 3 beautiful, distinct patterns from OMTC for $195.
TCB Jeans has finally released the perfect chore jacket for the cat lovers among us. Actually, it might just be the perfect chore jacket for the chore jacket lovers among us, too.
This isn’t some furry-adjacent fur chore jacket; it’s a faithful rendition of a 1930s Duck Head original. The Kojima-based brand stumbled upon the right reference piece and studied it closely to build the Cat Head Jacket to exacting specifications, including a rare chain-stitched neckband that TCB had to recreate using specialist machinery to match the original as closely as possible. Elsewhere, there are plenty of nods to its near-century-old ancestors: green bar tacks and buttonholes, standout buttons, and even the animal-inspired branding, flipped from a duck to the brand’s favourite four-legged friend — after all, TCB does stand for the “Two Cats Brand”.
The fabric stands up to the Union Special construction, too. Its textured, neppy surface is a result of a mix of yarns that have been rope-dyed in indigo for an outstanding depth of colour. It’s sanforized and given a single wash before being made, so you can concentrate on fading it rather than worrying about it shrinking on you.
Available from Franklin & Poe for $250.
Get all your pin pals together, Freenote Cloth has scored a turkey with this trio of Yorba shirts.
For the Yorba, Freenote Cloth has looked to an oft-underrated part of vintage Americana, the bowling shirt. But, being Freenote, they’ve also elevated way above those old rayon numbers. In keeping with the originals, the Yorba has a nice boxy fit with an era-correct Universal zip up the front, corozo fisheye buttons on the waist cinch, and tasteful hits of contrasting fabric throughout, across the sleeve cuffs, chest pocket, and, most excitingly, on the full-length back pleat.
Not satisfied with just 1 ace fabric, Freenote has decked the Yorba out in 3 different ones: a navy herringbone with white detailing, a white herringbone with navy detailing, and a maroon corduroy with ecru detailing. The herringbones have a nice weighty texture, whilst the corduroy is a yarn-dyed rayon corduroy blend, and they all weigh in at 5oz. Not that that any of this makes the choice any easier, as they’re all perfect fabrics for these mid-century delights. The only thing they’re missing is complementary pomade.
All 3 colours are available at Franklin & Poe for $260.
We’re far from trend forecasters, but we have to admit, we saw Palaka Check on the horizon. We explored this old Hawaiian workwear fabric in our article The Hawaiian Denim – All About Palaka Check, and the unique workwear fabric has started showing up here and there since.
With roots in the Hawaiian Sugar Cane industry, Sun Surf — a brand built on Hawaiian shirts — should honor Palaka Check with this US13487 Palaka Plaid Shirt Blouse. In fact, this shirt is actually based on workwear issued by The UNION SUPPLY Company – a label that Toyo Enterprise/ Sun Surf has the rights to. Japanese-born Yasuda Kayoji founded UNION SUPPLY in 1922, and actually supplied Palaka check work shirts in the early-to-mid-20th century. Cool, right? The Toyo Enterprise Empire is forever growing.
Made in Japan, the US13487 Palaka Plaid Shirt Blouse is made from 100% cotton Palaka check fabric, which comes unlined and sewn into a vintage work-blouse silhouette. It comes fitted with a single chest pocket and contrasting white shell buttons — keeping things simple and letting that Palaka plaid sing.
Available for $390 from Clutch Cafe.
/ Giveaway /
If there’s a season made for travel, discovery, and embracing the outdoors, it’s summer. Whether you’re a seasoned nomad or planning escapes around a 9-to-5, dependable, well-crafted gear is essential—pieces you connect with through travel and use. Enter Bleu de Chauffe, a world-class bagmaker blending heritage design with modern sensibility to create a range of top-tier bags and high-quality apparel, made for the long haul.
We’ve partnered with Bleu de Chauffe and fellow publications Valet Mag, InsideHook, Stridewise, The Bengal Stripe, Denimhunters, and Fabricateurialist to offer you the chance to win a solid selection of bags and apparel. Worth over $900, the prize pack consists of:
That’s three distinct bags—a Meline Tote for daily use, a Léon Messenger for secure, everyday carry, and a 48H Tote for long beach days or impromptu getaways—alongside Bleu de Chauffe’s flagship Heavyweight Champion T-shirt and Raw 50 Sweatshirt. Each piece is made in Aveyron in the South of France, ensuring artisan quality from the first cut to the final stitch.
To enter the giveaway, all you have to do is drop your email on this page before April, 27 2026. The one lucky winner will be notified by email and have 24 hours to confirm their shipping and size information. All entrants will be signed up for all partners’ newsletters, from which you can unsubscribe at any time.
Enter today for your chance to win this considered set of pieces, built to move seamlessly from everyday routines to open-ended travel.
/ Weekly Rundown /
Luxury Handmade Sneakers Made in England: What to Look For – Crown Northampton
Levi’s Sued by Labor Group on Eve of Shareholder Climate Clash – Sourcing Journal
How Timberland lost everyone’s trust in 6 months – Rose Anvil
How Slovenian Brand What Happened Makes Custom Packs for Mountain Pros – Field Mag
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