- Heddels
- Posts
- Fade Friday – Lee Jeans M125 (4 Years, 4 Washes, 2 Soaks)
Fade Friday – Lee Jeans M125 (4 Years, 4 Washes, 2 Soaks)
/ Fade Friday /
Fade Friday – Lee Jeans M125 (4 Years, 4 Washes, 2 Soaks)
At what point do jeans become a work of art? Well, when they look as good as this pair of Lee Jeans M125s sent over to us by Kittisuk Panchasiri of Thailand, they might be worth framing. This Fade Friday has all the right fades in all the right places and, like an iconic sculpture made hundreds of years ago, it’s worth studying.
These limited edition jeans were actually made in Thailand, which might have been some incentive for Kittisuk to grab a pair and get to fading over four years ago when they were purchased. All these years later, they’re packed full of high-contrast, no-nonsense wear marks from top to bottom, including some of the gnarliest inner thigh fades we’ve seen in a while. The front top block has seen some incredible loss of indigo, with almost parallel repeating creases down the legs that lead to the knees, which are both white from wear. The backside is even lighter, but still rich with contrast through the seat, pockets and all the way on down to the tightly stacked honeycombs.
Typically, these are the type of marks that can be found on heavier-weight denim, so it’s a shock that these come in on the lighter end of the spectrum, weighing just 13 oz.
You can follow Kittisuk on Instagram.
/ New Releases /
Looking after your clothes is important. Whether it’s washing, drying, or storing, we want to make sure that we’re always treating our treasured garments with the respect they deserve. And, for the knitwear enthusiast, there’s always one pest that they fear: moths. Fear no more, New Haven’s premier supplier of Ivy Style, J. Press, is here to save the day.
The purveyors of potentially the best-named sweaters in the biz, the Shaggy Dog, have released some cedar bags to keep the moths at bay. Cedar is a natural way of keeping moths away from your clothes; the wood emits a scent that repels the winged sweater-eaters. It also conveniently smells great, so it won’t repel your friends and family as well.
J. Press’ cedar bags, unsurprisingly, look great. They’re emblazoned with the J. Press logo and their Shaggy Dog mascot, so they won’t ruin the aesthetic of your perfectly curated wardrobe, drawer, or wherever you store your finest knitwear.
Available for $25 from J. Press.
For everyone who says people wearing heritage workwear don’t actually do manual labor in their clothing, how do you explain the mud stains on my Studio D’Artisan 5717 “Amami Dorozome” Boro Jacquard Shirt?
Oh, wait, you knew that the distinct brown hues were created through an ancient mud-dyeing technique from Amami-Oshima, which uses tannins from the Japanese hawthorn tree and repeated immersion in mineral-rich mud fields?
And you notice that the rugged appearance, although sick as hell, is thanks to a custom jacquard woven cotton inspired by the heritage of Boro textiles?
What about the sashiko stitching – yeah, no, this wasn’t repaired for me after continuous use.
The jig may be up, but this beautiful shirt probably has more intention and care put into it than a wardrobe’s worth of clothing, and whether or not you wear it doing what the blueprint was used for, we have the privalage to enjoy pieces of clothing like this work shirt purely for their style and craftsmanship and for that we should be thankful. And stoked.
Available for $433 from Red Cast Heritage.
The word “classic” is thrown about too often, but it’s hard to argue that Russell Moccasin‘s Oneida Moccasin isn’t a stone-cold classic. They’ve been continually produced in Russell’s HQ in Berlin, Wisconsin, since the early 1900s.
Over that century and a bit, the Oneida has had a rich history — from being used by the US Army during WW1 for their workers building airships to being the perfect shoe for bowhunters silently stalking their prey or just being the ideal show to chuck on at home. This is all down to the heavyweight bullhide leather sole, which provides excellent protection but allows a ground-feel like no other.
Whatever you’re using them for, you can wear them proudly knowing that they’re made from a true moccasin construction, based on Native American moccasin construction that has been perfected over centuries. What this means is that they’re lasted from the bottom up with a single piece of leather, the vamp. The vamp forms a footbed that hugs your foot from all sides and makes the Oneida as comfortable as anything and bound to last for a long, long time — hence why they’ve been produced for over a 1oo years.
As the Oneidas are sewn by hand on Russell’s century-old Puritan Stitching machines, there’s an 8–12 week lead time on any orders. But that’s worth it for the years of comfort. There’s also a choice of 6 leathers — 2 timberjacks, 2 bison, and 2 chamois — and 6 trims, so you can really make the Oneidas yours.
Available from Russell Moccasin — prices vary depending on leather and trim choice.
Like a lot of the best outerwear, BDU jackets come from military uniforms. Specifically, the BDU — or battle dress uniform — was a uniform previously worn by the US Armed Forces from the early 80s – mid-2000s. Like most workwear/military jackets, the BDU Jacket is a great silhouette that has slotted into menswear with aplomb. Anyway, enough of the past, we’re here to talk about the present of BDU jackets — HAVEN‘s Recon jacket.
The Recon jacket takes the classic BDU silhouette but flips its military history on its head. It’s crafted in Canada from a Japanese-woven cotton-linen gabardine. Available in both a light drab and dark, rich earth brown, this incredible fabric is densely woven, giving it slight water resistance and subtle luster.
Despite its modernity, HAVEN’s Recon jacket does have nods to the BDU’s original purpose. Underarm gussets and concealed snap closures are true to its military history. As are the four oversized flap pockets, which also make the Recon super practical, allowing you to stash everything you need, whether you’re popping into the city or off on far-flung travels. There’s also matching Field Trousers — in the same fabric — if you want to take things up a notch.
Available for $380 from HAVEN.
Los Angeles’ Railcar Fine Goods is one of the rarefied few brands that still make it all in-house. Fabric comes into their production and retail space in El Monte, and jeans, jackets, shirts, and more come out. This process is something Railcar has gotten down to a science over the last 15 years, giving them space to expand and open a more exclusive label – Railcar Black.
Named after the black, century-old sewing machines it’s made on, Railcar Black is launching with a unisex straight fit jean, the Lot 001, and the Invader Type I jacket. Both are made from a deadstock 12 oz. Cone Mills White Oak indigo selvedge denim and feature vintage details like a buckleback cinch, a single-piece waistband, and knife pleats on the jacket. The jean pattern is a spin on a 1930s pair of Levi’s, but by no means is it a reproduction.
The construction is where Railcar Black really shines. Railcar founder Steven Dang had wanted to create a vintage-made line since starting the brand in 2010, but it wasn’t until a few months ago that he had all the machines up and running for service. Throughout his time in the denim business, Steven has bought up any older sewing machines he could get his hands on, particularly those painted black, which typically means they’re from the 1930s or earlier.
No one services these older machines anymore, so Steven had to collect multiples of each to find the spare parts to get them going. Some of the rarer pieces used on Railcar Black include the main workhorse of a Singer straight-stitch machine, a wider stitch Singer bartack, and the rarest of all, a Union Special triple-chainstitch flat fell machine. Everything is done the hard way on Railcar’s Black line; they often use two parallel single-stitch lines rather than a double-needle machine.
Everything is made to order, so get your spot in line quickly. The production area is right in the back of Railcar’s retail space, so if you’re in the LA area, you might be lucky enough to see Steven make your new jeans and jacket.
View more at Railcar Fine Goods.
/ Weekly Rundown /
A.PRESSE: Subtlety as Disruption – Hypebeast
A Farewell to Neil! – Standard & Strange
Buddy Lee Collection – Lee Japan
HAVEN 2025 Paris Field Tester – HAVEN
Japan AW25 Buying Trip Recap – Lost & Found
Don’t worry about metal shanks in shoes at airport security – Shoegazing
I tore apart Visvim Boots to See why they’re so expensive – Cobbler G
What did you think of today's newsletter? |