July 5 - RRL Fade

Together with

/ Fade Friday /

RRL Slim Fit Selvedge (15 Months, 7 Washes)

The 1-year mark is a special time for a pair of raw denim jeans. Unless you live somewhere hot and humid (which will shred your jeans in around a year) your raws will typically be starting to bloom on the fade front, with creases defined and ready to shed some indigo dye. However, Mark over in Massachusetts is clearly one of the chosen ones, with his RRL Slim Fit Jeans looking serious after just 15 months.

This might not be the most faded pair of raws you’ve ever seen, but they’re a sterling exhibition of what happens after just over a year when you wear your jeans every day. Mark’s RRLs are well on their way to some elite fades, with the lap and knees exhibiting some considerable dye-loss and whiskering, and the flip side flaunting strong honeycombs that will only improve as he keeps on with the daily wear routine he credits for his fades.

Imprinted wallet fades, a cheeky little hole, and some general fraying show that these RRLs are feeling the effects of their tenure, but Mark has already begun patching them up, starting with the right-hand pocket that he’s reinforced with some spare Iron Heart denim offcuts. We look forward to seeing an update on these jeans from Massachusetts Mark in due course.

/ In Partnership with Iron & Resin /

We’re High On Iron & Resin’s Hemp Tees

If you weren't aware, hemp is a weed so it grows fast and without any pesticides or chemicals. While other fabric plants deplete the soil they come from, hemp just keeps on giving by enriching the ground around it. It's known to use very little water compared to the production of other commercial fibers and often can survive just from rainwater.

Another bonus: most hemp harvesting is done through hand-cutting rather than machinery, so it provides jobs instead of slashing them.

Crafted with the utmost care in Los Angeles, CA, I&R’s Organic Hemp Tee combines a hemp and organic cotton blend for a super lightweight and comfortable basic for the spring and summer seasons. The 30 singles thread count ensures a smooth and refined texture, while the lightweight 5oz. weight provides a breathable feel for all-day comfort.

Available for $55 at Iron & Resin.

/ New Releases /

Warehouse & John Gluckow Produce Denim Pullover Inspired by Ultra Rare USN Gunner Smock

When it comes to interpreting top-shelf vintage and antique clothing, you can’t do much better than the partnership between Warehouse and John Gluckow, especially when exceedingly uncommon garments like the USN Denim anti-gas parka are on the table.

Based on the scarcely-seen denim variant of everyone’s favorite gunner smock, this 10 oz. denim riff has all the trimmings we love to geek out on like a half placket, drawstrings for days, a cropped fit, and dual patch pockets at the hip. And although this is arguably a hardcore military piece, you’d never guess it based on the avante-garde nature of the design. The JG20 Sailor’s Pullover Denim Parka can play up with other military-inspired pieces but can also sail in a completely different direction — and it will work just as well.

Closed out with a custom woven ‘Strong Arm’ tag paying homage to an old school Sweet-Orr label, skip the life-long search for an original destined for a storage bin and wear the crap out of this one instead, guilt-free. Gas mask not included with purchase.

Available for $425 from Clutch Cafe.

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American Trench Pays Homage to Sam Gilliam with Microstripe Crew Socks

It’s hard to beat a really good pair of socks. Except maybe a really good pair of socks that have been inspired by iconic American abstract artist, Sam Gilliam. That’s exactly what American Trench has done with their latest release, the Sam Crew.

Taking the shape, and cotton, of their signature Kennedy Luxe Athletic Crew sock, the Sam Crew is made in a family-owned knitting mill in the Hickory region of North Carolina. Hickory has been known for its hosiery knitting, yarn spinning, and dye houses for close to 100 years and American Trench’s mill,itself has been operating in the same location for over three decades.

The colored stripe on the Sam Crew takes inspiration from Gilliam’s geometric paintings of the 1960s in which lines of color followed different directions on every canvas. He explored the intermingling of color and depth through his work, something which American Trench have recreated into something that will look much better than a 71-inch canvas sticking out of a sneaker.

The Sam Crew is a slice of art history in a sock and a true homage to an under-recognized titan of mid-century American art.

Available at American Trench for $22.

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Pherrow’s Bandana Print Open Collar Shirt is Indigo-Dyed

Pherrow’s might have just made the shirt of the summer. A highlight of the Japanese label’s SS24 collection is this Bandana Print Open Collar Shirt that will continue to look better and better for years to come, thanks to indigo yarn dyeing.

Since 1993, Pherrow’s has gained a reputation for some of the best Americana-tinged reproductions around, and this shirt is no exception. Taking clues from 1950s vacation shirts, the shirt is made of an airy, lightweight cotton and has an open collar and square hem, perfect for the summer heat. As with all Pherrow’s garments, the Bandana Shirt is made in Japan, where the fabric has been yarn dyed in indigo. This dying technique means that the shirt will age and fade with every wear, allowing you to make it your own, summer after summer.

Given that this style of shirt continues to be popular after over 70 years and bandanas have earned themselves a place in American design history, it’s safe to say that this shirt will stay cool—and keep you cool—for many summers to come.

Available at Clutch Cafe for $215.

/ Weekly Rundown /

• G-Star Raw’s Greenhouse-Grown Cotton: Study Results and Next Steps – Carved in Blue

• Theodore Roosevelt’s Watch Recovered 30 Years After Theft – All That’s Interesting

• Amara Hark-Weber Interview — Twin Cities-Based Custom Shoemaker – Stitchdown

• Every Day Carry – What is Legal in the UK? – Blackbelt Barrister

• North of the Wall: An Interview with Deluxeware’s Muramatsu-san – Japanalogue

• Summer Beach Reads (Even if You’re Nowhere Near the Water) – Huckberry