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- Fade Friday – Red Cloud R400H (1 Year, 2 Months, Unknown Washes)
Fade Friday – Red Cloud R400H (1 Year, 2 Months, Unknown Washes)
/ Fade Friday /
Slub-a-dub-dub, have we got some slubby jeans for you this fine Fade Friday. This pair of Red Cloud R400H jeans comes to us from Ian of Washington State, and it’s a streaky work of art with some nice patchwork to boot.
After 14 months and countless washes, these Red Clouds have developed some knee holes, which Ian repaired with selvedge denim and some Japanese wave-pattern fabric for a nice wabi-sabi effect, if you will. In terms of fades, the whiskers have achieved a solid contrast, and the honeycombs are very pronounced and nice. There’s even tight roping on the hem that’s starting to tear in a satisfying way.
However, the real story of these jeans is the slub, and that broken twill, which together create total denim chaos that we’re absolutely here for. The denim on these is the real deal, and the wear Ian put into them has let this outstanding denim shine.
Red Cloud R400H
Fabric: Unsanforized broken twill cotton/hemp selvedge denim
Weight: 17 oz.
Fit: Slim Straight
Unique Features:
Goatskin leather patch
Laurel leaf buttons
Made in China
No longer available
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/ New Releases /
Fishing and photography don’t have much crossover, but one place these two hobbies do collide: excellent vests. The Field Vest in Indigo Ripstop by New York’s 3sixteen is the best of both worlds, with a healthy injection of indigo to get us really interested.
Pulling inspiration from robust bests worn by fishermen and photographers results in a hefty amount of pockets: 4 gusseted pockets and 2 large zip pockets on the front, a large pocket stretching the whole way across the back, and a nifty hidden chest pocket. 8 pockets in total. The only challenge is finding something to put in each of them.
Beyond the pockets, though, the Field Vest is made in India from a heavy-duty ripstop dyed with indigo. Ripstop — a fabric first designed for making parachutes — is tough as nails, so this vest will probably outlive you. Being dyed with indigo, it’s going to fade fantastically over that long time, looking better and better as it does.
Available from Tendrel for $240.
Full Count is an absolute darling of the raw denim scene. Loved by old heads and new, the Osaka 5 stalwart boasts a range of denim garb inspired by the best 20th-century workwear from five-pocket jeans to trucker jackets, coveralls, and much more. A retailer that trusts in the power of Full Count is Blue Beach Denim, which keeps Mikihau Tsujita’s label stocked as one of the primary denim brands in its roster.
Blue Beach isn’t just a denim store; it’s a menswear outfitter that strives to help its customers build a full wardrobe of quality goods with denim at the centre. Full Count’s range of cuts ensures there is always top-tier Japanese selvedge denim on the menu for anyone looking to up their denim game or add to their collection.
For a balance of comfort and style, Full Count’s 13.7 oz. selvedge denim is the way to go. This raw selvedge denim is woven from 100% Zimbabwe cotton that provides softness and elasticity while remaining robust and long-lasting. Full Count leaves the denim unsanforized to retain the nuanced natural texture of the cotton, but one washes the jeans in Japan, to remove shrinkage for easy sizing. The 13.7 oz is available on the brand’s popular 0105W Wide Straight cut and 1101W Regular Straight, as well as heavily washed and pre-distressed ‘Dartford‘ editions of those two cuts.
Full Count 15.5 oz raw unsanforized ‘XX’ denim (left) vs. Full Count 13.7 oz. unsanforized one-wash denim (right)
If you want to go heavier and more traditional, you have Full Count’s 15.5 oz ‘XX’ selvedge, which is also available in Wide & Regular straight cuts. Known for its higher contrast fading, this fabric also uses Zimbabwe cotton, but in a thicker weave with no post-production washes.
Even if you have your denim game sewn up, there are chambrays, Sukajans, Wabash coveralls, and loads more. Full Count’s denim and expansion into more diverse apparel are in full effect over at Blue Beach.
Shop Full Count at Blue Beach Denim today, with prices starting at $260.
Wild Duck by name, wild duck by nature (sort of): Big John‘s M1011RC Wild Duck jeans are constructed from a blend of cotton and recycled reed fibers from Lake Kojima.
The Wild Duck M1011RC is crafted from Big John’s Yoshidenim. Weighing in at 13.5oz, this selvedge denim combines 94% cotton with 6% reed plant fiber taken from Okayama’s Lake Kojima. These reeds are removed from the lake once a year to help prevent pollution, and Big John found a way to use the material that is usually discarded. The resulting denim has an outstanding texture and resilience. Big John’s green commitment is represented quite literally through the Japanese denim’s green selvedge, known as Midori Mimi.
And the green doesn’t stop at the selvedge: there are green bar tacks and buttonholes, duck camo pocket bags, and a unique cotton waist patch featuring the jeans’ namesake duck. Our winged/billed friends do love being around the reeds, after all.
The M1011RCs are inspired by a vintage fit, wide and straight, with a decent rise. Each pair is made in Japan, one washed to remove most of the shrink, and ships with a pocket flasher that reminds us where part of this fabric comes from: Lake Kojima.
Available for $382 from Redcast Heritage.
Looking ahead to warmer temps – or maybe just blending in with the snow, Indigofera welcomes its Duke Jeans in Ecru Smithson Canvas to the mix.
Weighing in at 13.5oz, these nearly-white five-pockets have a strange knack for looking better the worse you treat them. Sure, keep them clean if you want, but battered, live-in Ecru always looks great.
The brand’s widest offering, which launched a few months back, the Duke has a true wide leg and a high rise. Backed by triple-needle construction, bar tack reinforcements, and a button fly, these jeans remind us that pants were perfected over a hundred years ago. The job of a good brand like Indigofera is to carry that heritage forward and keep the best silhouettes alive.
Closed out with acorn-shaped back pockets with an exterior woven tag, which shouts out vintage Lee western jeans, these Ecru Dukes are a welcome addition to any wide-leg rotation needing a change of pace.
Available for $299 from Franklin & Poe.
Started to notice a change in the air? Spring is finally on our doorsteps, and a change in the season means a change in wardrobe. Luckily, Orgueil‘s OR-4333 Denim Work Jacket is exactly what you need.
Despite its French-sounding name, Orgueil is an offshoot of one of the original members of the Osaka 5, Heddels’ favourite Studio D’Artisan. The name is very fitting, though; it translates from French as “pride“, something which the brand definitely takes in everything it creates.
Orgueil collections take inspiration from early 20th-century workwear, and the OR-4333 is no different. It takes a classic 1950s denim engineer jacket and shrinks down the pockets to allow for a boxy, cropped fit. It’s crafted in Japan from a rich blue 11 oz ‘slub’ denim. This makes it nice and lightweight, or, in other words, ideal for layering up over a crisp white tee in the spring breeze.
Available from HINOYA for $330
/ Weekly Rundown /
Hand-Dyed GORE-TEX – HAVEN
Made To Order: A Postcard From Midtown Manhattan – Drakes
Seven Sisters Style – Ivy Style
Kapital, Japanese Denim Brand, Quietly Debuted on the Runway – High Snobiety
Five Things #21 — All Cotton Everything, Including a Fruit of the Loom Japan Suit for $155 – Selectism
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