Under The Radar Classics
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@BULLITT BEE "back in the day," Levis sued a bunch of Japanese brands (and some from North American, I think) because their designs, as they argued, "borrowed" a bit too much. I found this for you. It doesn't have much info on it, but I'm sure @neph93 or @Giles knows of a better article. It's a bunch of bs IMO, but an interesting part of denim history.
https://www.heddels.com/2011/05/4-years-later-levis-v-s-japanese-repro-lawsuit-still-fair-game/
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Didn't know that! Very interesting, thanks for sharing!
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Looks like super black 21oz denim, to me. But I don’t know if that was produced pre-lawsuit. I think my 9301 from c. 2009 was from the first iterations of that denim. I’d have to dig them out, but I’m pretty sure there’s no red tab.
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Google «Levi’s lawsuit 2007» and you’ll get the idea, but @Wlemon sums it up nicely. I’ve heard so many funny stories about that time. Guys pulling all nighters at SE to stitch rip arctuates, draws full of little red pocket tabs.
Whatever your opinion of Levi’s or your attitude to intellectual property, it was a shitshow for Levi’s in the end. The Japanese denim brands worshipped Levi’s. They were the reason Japanese denim existed. Two IH cuts are directly «inspired» by specific Levi’s models. The use of Levi’s arcs, pocket tabs and the patch references are pure homage. And Levi’s come along and fuck them. It’s like The Rolling Stones suing bar bands for playing Brown Sugar.
The real kicker for Levi’s is that it forced the Japanese brands to focus on their own branding and identity, thus becoming a much more viable propostion in the global market place. The free advertising Levi’s gave them didn’t hurt either [emoji1]
Giles was there for all of it and has some stories. Of course he can’t tell them because every time he does Levi’s put a horses head in his bed [emoji23]
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Looks like super black 21oz denim, to me. But I don’t know if that was produced pre-lawsuit. I think my 9301 from c. 2009…
Wasn’t there a period where the faux Levi’s branding was still available in Japan but not in the ROW? But you’re spot on, it does look like SB. That would make sense with the dyed black patch and murdered out arcs too.
EDIT: hard to say from the pics, but these jeans have .jp/IHUK arcs, not SE arcs, and the 9301 was SE exclusive.
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Brilliant! I'd love to hear some stories when the day comes that I can join for a meet-up at Gosport!
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It focussed attention on us from people who had never heard of Iron Heart or Japanese denim. It was exactly the publicity we needed at the time, and was the first step-change in demand for our business….
Thanks you stupid corporate fuckers...
And in all probability those are IH-9634 - Superblack non-selvedge 21 oz
Here's another early pair...
https://www.ironheart.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=14289.msg642834#msg642834
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Thanks everyone! They do look like the 21oz Superblack in the photos.
I went ahead and made the purchase. They are from an Etsy shop that sells a lot of thrift shop finds. I'll be interested to check them out when they arrive.
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I'm putting my vote in for the IH-803-WH. I'm guessing they're considered under since I've read that white (in general, minus tees) don't usually sell terribly great. Well I love there's pants! The double knee gives them a subtle difference from regular pants. And the color with generous fit makes them good for warmer weather: twas 98 in Seattle on Sunday (which is HOT for us! Broke a record) and these performed fine.
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I literally punch myself for letting the one I had go.
I bought it from [mention]Clint_D [/mention] and then sold it back to him months later. I hope he still looks at it longingly in his closet [emoji170][emoji170][emoji170]
One of the best shirts ever made!
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IHSH-17 in Black- Love this thing, still wear it. My first IH shirt.
IHSH-13 from before there was a color designation- For when only the best of chambray will do.
IHSH-23 in Purp- THIS IS MY FAVORITE PIECE EVER! Since day one, this is my most loved shirt. If all my shirts but one must burn, i'm keeping this one.
IHSH-24 in Bred- I've since retired this shirt. The love I gave this shirt every summer was immense. I'm surprised that it only has worn through in a few, select areas.
IHSH-48 in Red/Orange- The soft color really made this thing stand out when everything around was buffalo check deep reds. And got it for a steal in 2014 during Self Edge's Warehouse sale.
IHSH-70 in Sax- Not since the IHSH-23 had I found a color I wanted as badly as the 70. And with the ability to pimp shirts being made available, mine has mother of pearl snaps. BALLIN!
IHSH-137 in Yellow- It's hard to find a really good yellow shirt…unless you have this one!
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Now there are some classics…..
Hope you have been well G-Man! My love to you and P!
Looking forward to getting some new pieces in the coming seasons.
