/ Fade Friday /

Fade Friday – Iron Heart 666s (10 months, 5 soaks, 1 wash)

By his own admission, Heddels reaer, Zin, spends most of his time either sitting on his bum in front of a computer (he’s a verification engineer) or on his knees playing with his two children, which explains the killer knee and pocket fades he’s been able to get on his pair of IronHeart 666S.

As an older issue of the IH-666s-18, t_his pair is crafted from 18 oz. unsanforized Japanese indigo raw selvedge denim. While the brand has now switched to a sanforized fabric which can yield killer fades of its own, these fades are a throwback, for sure. After putting in 254 days of wear, 5 soaks, and 1 wash, Zin’s results are clearly worthy of Fade Friday fame. But what really pushed the jury in favor was the fact that he spelled out “Iron Heart” using his own pair of Iron Hearts.

If you’re the social media type, you can check out Zin’s archive of beautifully faded denim garb on his Instagram.

/ New Releases /

UES Made a 100% Linen Denim Work Shirt

Denim in the summer looks cool. We’re not here to argue with that. The issue is that denim in the summer does not keep you cool. But Japan’s UES is here to fix that with its 502511 linen denim shirt.

Yes, you heard that right: linen denim. UES has worked some serious alchemy to combine the breathability and lightness of linen with the tactile, rigidness of denim to create a work shirt that the denim heads among us can wear all year round. Crafted in Japan, this shirt isn’t the earthy-tones, floaty things you usually think of when talking about linen shirts, it’s a real piece of workwear that will wear and fade for years to come. Double chest pockets and black cat-eye buttons help to solidify this as a true work shirt.

Now you can cast off that raw selvedge Type 2 and beat the heat in this breathy wonder from UES. Hell, it would even look great with a pair of shorts.

Available from Franklin and Poe for $315.

Caswell Boot Co. Renders its Carver Boot in Burnt Chip Tanned Bison Leather

Carving up the pavement one step at a time has never been more enjoyable with the aptly named Carver Boots from Caswell Boot Co.

They’re made with a gorgeously textured Cognac Pent Burnt Chip Tan Bison leather. Sure, that sounds like a bunch of random words strung together, but trust us, these guys know what they’re doing. After all, this is what gives the boots that ‘100 year old club chair’ look without decades on your butt drinking whiskey and reading Hemmingway.

With its simple paneling and metal hardware, including some speed-hook action, these boots are built on Casewell’s Morris last, and are founded on the Vibram Londra outsole, sewn together with a Goodyear welt. So whether you need to get things done or just want to look good doing it, you can count on these Bison Leather beauties.

Each pair is handmade in Spain, sits upon a Vibram Londa outsole, and comes with a blend of standard eyelets and speedhooks.

Available for $380 from Caswell Boot Co.

Beams Plus’ Indigo Sashiko Plaid is Something Else

Since its foundation 1999, Beams Plus has become synonymous with a particular Japanese twist on Americana that we all know and love. Its latest Engineer and Chore jackets take this up a notch — taking those classic workwear silhouettes and recreating them in a beautiful plaid Sashiko fabric.

For the uninitiated, Sashiko (which roughly translates as ‘little stabs’) is a Japanese running stitch embroidery technique, traditionally used to reinforce points of wear or fix holes or tears. Beams’ fabric replaces the white/natural threads found in traditional Sashiko with indigo and lighter blue threads to add a subtle, textured stripe to their plaid Engineer jacket.

The Chore jacket then takes this to another level, combining patches of the embroidered Sashiko fabric with patches of other fabrics, ranging from light grey blues to deep indigo hues. This is reminiscent of another Japanese art form synonymous with Sashiko — Boro.

The result is a duo of unique pieces, each of which takes a historic American workwear silhouette and imbues it with age-old Japanese textile crafts that are revered in our niche and beyond.

Both Engineer Jacket and Chore Jacket are available for $528 from Lost & Found.

/ Weekly Rundown /

• Levi’s DTC-First Strategy Takes Shape – Sourcing Journal Denim

• Made in America Ivy Style Brands – Ivy Style

• What To Wear When You Hit 40 – MR PORTER

• In-depth – How the US tariffs will affect the shoe world – Shoegazing

• ‘The White Lotus’ Finale: Who Dies, Who Profits And Why Brands Can’t Stay Away – Forbes