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- Fade of the Day – Red Wing 8111 Iron Ranger (3 Years)
Fade of the Day – Red Wing 8111 Iron Ranger (3 Years)
/ Fade Friday /
We haven’t heard from legendary fader Zin, AKA nizzel55x, in a good few years, but that won’t stop us from digging into the archives to appreciate some of his work. He wore this pair of Red Wing Iron Rangers for 3 years and submitted to them on a legendary patina run that saw him featured in our Fades column numerous times in the early days of Heddels.
If you’ve ever been on the fence about a pair of Iron Rangers, this is just another piece of evidence that they are a decent investment. As well as being a legendary style in the heritage boot game, they’re made in the USA with a range of proprietary S.B. Foot leathers that age beautifully. In this case, Red Wing’s harness leather has softened up and yielded to Zin’s regular wear, absorbing some indigo dye from his many raws, too.
Zin has clearly cared for his 8111 Iron Rangers, too. Despite the amount of use, they’re clean and have the lustrous sheen of a well-nourished leather. Love your boots, and they’ll love you back.
Red Wing Heritage 8111 Iron Ranger Boots
Material: premium, proprietary Amber Harness leather
Fabric source: USA
Made in: USA
Fit: Size D (regular width) or EE (square width)
Additional details:
Originally built for iron miners
6-inch boot
Chrome hardware and speed hooks
Goodyear welt construction
Triple stitched
Double layer leather toe cap
Leather heel pocket
Nitrile cork outsole
Taslan laces
No. 8 Last
Available at: Iron Shop Provisions for $349
/ New Releases /
Taking made in Japan to the absolute pinnacle, the SWS-SC01 Sweatshirt from Osaka’s Samurai Jeans is something truly special.
Samurai’s game-changing sweatshirt is made from a 100% organic Japanese cotton, which can definitely be verified by the brand as they grew it themselves. Grown as part of the ongoing Samurai Cotton Project in Hyogo Prefecture, Samurai has reintroduced an ancient cotton strain native to Japan, which they have cultivated by hand. The raw fiber is then processed across Japan: spun into yarn in Sasayama, loomed in Wakayama, and finished in Kyoto.
There are two colours on offer. Firstly, a Natural Ecru, which is the colour of the raw cotton itself, which the Japanese refer to as “kinari”. Secondly, the Kuromame, so called because it is dyed using the leftover juice of black beans (Kuromame (黒豆 – くろまめ), which are produced locally near the cotton spinning facility in Sasayama.
As well as being made from this extraordinary fabric, Samurai have taken cues from vintage sweatshirts for this silhouette. It’s triple-stitched, with a double-V collar, and ribbed hem and cuffs— all constructed with vintage Union Special flat-locked seams. We could wax lyrical about this sweatshirt all day long, but it really needs to be seen — and felt — to be believed.
Available in both Natural and Kuromame from Division Road, both for $325.
Normally, when you think of blizzards, you’ll be thinking of thermals, down coats, and layering, but not if Brave Star Selvage has anything to do with it. They’ve decked their new oose Straight Fit jeans in a 15 oz Japanese ‘Blizzard’ Selvedge that’s chock full of snowy texture.
This hiemal fabric features a nep where thick tufts of white cotton poke through the fabric, evoking images of snowfall on a dark night. This is produced by manipulating the cotton during the ginning and carding (cleaning) processes, and then through low-tension weaving with those slubby yarns, which creates little tufts that stick through the weave. This also means that no 2 yards of this denim are ever alike, and that snow joke. 15oz per square yard makes this denim on the heavier end of mid-weight, but if you’re new to raw denim, this is a pretty Goldilocks weight if you want something that’s thicker than your everyday jean without entering the hyper-stiff heavyweight category. Expect a fairly simple break-in and some nice fades after a decent amount of wear.
“Up close, it’s chaos in the best way that only a denim head can fully appreciate.” – Brave Star
Available on the brand’s all-new Loose Straight silhouette as well as its tried-and-tested True Straight, each pair of 15 oz. Blizzard Selvedge jeans are made in downtown Los Angeles on vintage Union Special, Reece, and Singer sewing machines. Let it snow.
Available for $148 direct from Brave Star.
It’s always a sad day when your denim jackets won’t cut it in the cold, but for the obsessively committed denim heads out there, The Flat Head has released a 12.5oz Denim Puff Vest, so you can stay indigo-ed up even when the temperature really drops.
Celebrating their 30th anniversary in 2026, The Flat Head knows a thing or two about denim. Their Denim Puff Vest is crafted from a 12.5 oz. Japanese selvedge denim dyed with a natural indigo-dyed warp and natural, undyed weft. The denim is complemented by a Western-style Ultrasuede Nu® plant-based ‘suede’ yoke, giving the Puff Vest that look of iconic, mid-century downwear. To keep out the cold, it’s stuffed with insulating padding, nylon-lined, and comes with a 100% cotton corduroy collar that’s ready to protect your neck when popped.
Made in Japan, the Denim Puff Vest is the perfect combination of traditional and modern fabrics and Japanese denim expertise, with a nice Americana twist thrown in for good measure.
Available for $615 from Redcast Heritage.
Unlike the ‘deluxe‘ editions of your favorite albums, Japanese denim maker Deluxeware rarely disappoints. Case in point? Their DX5015 15 oz. Regular Straight Jeans, which have just dropped over at Redcast Heritage.
A unique take on the iconic five-pocket jean, the DX5015 makes use of Deluxeware’s ‘Rogue’ denim, woven on vintage shuttle looms in Okayama using rope-dyed 100% American Memphis cotton. This 15 oz. selvedge denim is formulated with a slubby texture that will see the denim develop dramatic vertical fading texture with wear.
Like the jeans of old, the DX5015 is constructed on vintage sewing machines with a button fly, stamped rivets, yellow/copper stitching threads, and heritage-inspired leather waist patch. But these are no repro. In fact, Deluxeware embraces its own details, like the crimson-colored bar tacks and the genius, arcuate-infused ‘Eagle Arch’ back pockets.
Coming in a proprietary straight-leg cut that leaves trends in the dust, each pair of Deluxeware jeans is made in Akita, Japan, using vintage sewing machines from Union Special, Singer, and Reese. The denim is unsanforized, but a one wash treatment means no significant shrinkage will occur with a cool wash and hang dry.
Available for $295 from Redcast Heritage.
/ Weekly Rundown /
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