DAS - Denim Acquisition Syndrome
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In 2024 I found myself sick of the spinning wheel of fast fashion. There were a lot of reasons - garments that constantly fell apart, the environmental impact of the industry as a whole, and not supporting independent makers of quality things. This was where my denim journey began.
I started with a pair of Edwin jeans that my wife got me as a birthday present. It was their "dry" which at the time didn't mean much to me, but I now realize this was their raw and unsanforized denim. I immediately could tell from the touch and feel of the garment that it was made far better than anything I'd gotten from Levi's or anywhere else over the years. I wore the crap out of them and fell into the Reddit rabbit hole of denim. Like a total rookie, I got them hemmed after a month or two of wear not having gotten them wet and after a wash I was rewarded with some serious flood pants. They basically became capris.
Meanwhile, I had purchased an IHJ-114-blk on sale at MIldblend (which I now realize is a rare thing) due to some label sizing issue - I can't remember I was just so stoked to be able to afford this awesome jacket.
So anyway, I went back to Mildblend here in Chicago and explored their offerings. I felt guilty about the Edwin mistake, because my goal was to acquire fewer things, but of higher quality and I basically rendered these pants unwearable until they eventually became shorts. This was a general lifestyle change I was trying to make beyond just apparel - but to move away from the unfettered consumerism I'd been conditioned to throughout my life.
It was at this point that I found this Iron Heart community. I joined the forum to learn more about the brand and the experience of you all. It became clear very quick that while there are a lot of incredible brands in this space, there was no other that had this type of following or community that surrounds it. After getting a crash course in proper sizing, I finally landed on a pair of IH-634S-UHR and it changed my entire understanding of the difference a high quality garment can make. I finally found a garment that essentially removed me from the cycle of fast fashion.
Cut to a year later of almost daily wear and daily check ins on this forum. Not only did I love the denim, but it felt really cool to be a part of this community. Even spotting other Iron Heart pieces in the wild. I'd often think - I wonder if they are on the forum too? Seeing everyone's fades got me stoked to try other denims, though part of me wanted to hold back as my quest began as a means to purchase less vs more.
However after over a year in a single piece with constant wear and how pleased I was with the quality fully knowing this could last me a decade if I wanted it to, I jumped on a pair of !H-666S-SBG. Much like my 634, I was immediately happy that I made the move. So much so that within a couple weeks I purchased a pair of IH-555-XHS. Just a few weeks ago my wife got me another denim birthday present, an IHJ-86-BLK and at some point last year I got my IHG-081-ORA beanie.
I'm a musician and in that culture people often refer to GAS - gear acquisition syndrome. The idea that this pedal or this amp or these frets are going to be the missing link in my guitar tone. My guitar GAS is definitely a thing and I realize I've carried that over to my "new" lifestyle of Iron Heart. From what I can tell in my time on this forum, this is something a lot of you can relate to and for that, I'm thankful. I really am stoked on this community and to be a part of it.
While I got into this to try and buy fewer things, I am happy to say that I have no guilt purchasing a single item that bears the Iron Heart name because as I said before, I know these are built for a lifetime of wear if I so choose as I've seen how a little bit of sashiko can go a long way!
Anyway, this is just my rant. I don't think this thread will get very long, but hopefully if you've made it this far in my post you don't feel like you just wasted your time haha.
Salud!
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Cool story, and similar to my journey, in that I started with a single pair of 555S-SBG that arrived just before a trip to Japan during which I bought 13 other Japanese denim items (12 jeans and one Jacket), including the same 555-XHS that you went to right after the black.
I then took the same path as you (less stuff, but better) by unloading about $2000 worth of clothes on eBay while simultaneously going completely batshit in the other direction by buying 14 Iron Heart shirts/jackets/jeans in a 60 day period...
More is less. But also more...
Two more IH items coming my way later this week with the restocks for this week... and my current Iron Heart Wish List is 30 items. I could only fit a few in my forum signature so I just stopped bothering to update it
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for a moment, I had bad flashbacks of DAS...
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Such a great feeling though isn't it @indigo_nico when you get a new item in your hands for the first time then realise there are so many more options out there. Being able to work with the denims every day they become second nature so I often forget it's not easy to see all the denims in real life so you don't realise how different they are!
Nice post, hope you enjoy the UHRs!
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@AdamJ thanks dude, and I couldn’t agree more! I can tell that for the crew in Gosport this is more than just a job. It comes through every time I check in on the forum.
