21oz Shinayaka Selvedge Denim
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Doesnt Ignition Works already use a heavy, stretch denim?
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Doesnt Ignition Works already use a heavy, stretch denim?
Yes indeed.
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Stretch denim? Is this what the world has come to?
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^ Same thought here!
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Haraki has been working on a new type of denim for about 3 years. It looks pretty much like our 21oz selvedge indigo denim. It uses the same warp and effectively the same weft, but the cotton weft hides a polyurethane fiber (a bit like the cotton of polycotton hiding the polyester). The result is a denim with a tiny amount of stretch. Haraki has developed this denim to make jeans more comfortable behind the knees when riding or crouching. And it works.
Will it replace any of our other denims? Of course not.
Do you have to buy it? Of course not
EDIT: Changes this post a little as when photographed together in proper studio lights, there is a small difference between the 2 denims….
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that sounds brilliant for me in the work I do.
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Let me elaborate.
Haraki has been developing this new denim for 3 years. Until he had got the amount of flex he was looking for and the look and feel of our signature 21oz indigo selvedge denim, he just kept on trying.
He has developed this denim so that it makes slim and tapered jeans more comfortable when riding of doing manual labour which involves a lot to bending and crouching. I have never been able to get into 555’s, I can in this denim. Yes I look like shit - a 62 year old man should just not be wearing slim jeans. As Alex put it, “Makes you look like you are trying too hard", but the fact is I got them on and they were comfortable.
Was I little surprised and concerned when he told me what he was doing? Yes. But Haraki is an innovator, that is what makes Iron Heart what it is. Suppress that mad professor like innovation and edge-of-the-envelope surfing genius, and you rip the heart and soul out of the brand. You would not have 25oz, you would not have UHFs, you would not have had paper denim, or ridiculously heavy chambrays, or the best N1s in the world, or 7.5oz t-shirts etc etc etc.
So if it's not for you, that’s cool. But it could be just what someone else is looking for. Not that I am trying to convince you to like it, because that is not what we do, but we have had our largest single order in the history of Iron Heart for these jeans from one retailer, and we have had to double our initial production run of the denim, so it obviously works for someone.
We will be releasing it in the following cuts 555, 666, 777 and 888 (doing it 634 is completely pointless). Here is the title and intro paragraph (we may tweak it a bit before we go live) for the 555 product page:
_IH-555-SST - 21oz Shinayaka Selvedge Denim - Super Slim - Indigo
Our medium/high rise super slim cut cut in our new Shinayaka denim. Shinayaka is a brand new concept from the mind of Haraki, a new 21oz Iron Heart indigo selvedge denim with a little give. Specifically designed to make our slimmer jeans more accessible and comfortable by including 2% polyurethane in the weft yarn of the denim weave for added flexibility. Looks and feels just like our signature 21oz 100% cotton denim, but gives a bit more; seeing them side by side you'd be pushed to tell the difference._
So please be open minded about it, we are not selling out.
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For my part I totally understand the conservatism that people can have regarding something that they love. I feel it myself. I remember when Iron Maiden first used keyboards on a record. I was horrified by the thought. Then I heard the record. It was pretty great. I still listen to it now over 30 years later, along with all the stuff before the keyboards.
A lot of people have a special relationship with this brand, and that is based on different aspects of the brand, and often connected to how things were when it all started for each of us. For me the heavyweight aspect was important along with the practicality and purity of design. There wasn’t a romantic element to IH. No old west styling, no pop culture flair or fashionable detail. It was like, here’s a pair of jeans. We made them heavy. We made them well. Or, here’s a shirt, we made it about as well as a shirt can be made, by the way, it’s heavy too.
So when the 14oz denim came along I felt a little betrayed. It was lightweight. It wasn’t IH. Other brands dick around with that, not my favourite brand. We’re Heavyweight. But we all got used to that pretty damn quick, didn’t we. Many people love them, some don’t bother with them, but they are IH and they are here to stay.
At the end of the day, the brands you love, the bands you love, the people you love, are all developing. If they didn’t they’d stagnate and you’d love them less, you’d just love the memory of them as they once were. There is an element of conservatism in all of us about the things we love, we’re scared of them changing. But change has to happen if a relationship is going to grow. With the best relationships, the ones that last, we trust in them to manage that change and we grow with them as a result.
I would have been really put out by stretch denim from IH a while back. As it is, I’m not sure if it is for me, but I’m really excited and curious to find out. I want to see what Haraki-san has pulled out of the bag. Because after buying this gear for more than six years I don’t remember him having put a foot wrong really. So if he has spent three years developing this I’m willing to bet it’s going to be good. I’m willing to bet it is going to be Iron Heart. Bring it on, I say. Vive la différence. Vive la change.
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Well said! [emoji122][emoji122]
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I just remembered another thing. When H told me what he was doing, I said that I'd rather he worked on getting the 21oz superblack selvedge made. He gave he a withering look, and said in a very polite Japanese sort of way, words to the effect, "anyone can make something the've done before, and I can do that for you if you want it, but I get the most satisfaction and joy by doing something new"
He really dislikes the IH 1955 cut. He makes it begrudgingly for us because he knows it fills a gap, but asking him to make something that has been made before gives him zero creative buzz…..
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I think stretch denim is a great idea! I have a few pair of jeans with a bit of stretch and they are super comfy as hell. They work so much better for practical reasons like crouching down. I also have thicker thighs (from squatting not eating :P) and would appreciate a little stretch in the top block while wearing a slimmer pair of jeans.
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I just remembered another thing. When H told me what he was doing, I said that I'd rather he worked on getting the 21oz superblack selvedge made. He gave he a withering look, and said in a very polite Japanese sort of way, words to the effect, "anyone can make something the've done before, and I can do that for you if you want it, but I get the most satisfaction and joy by doing something new"
He really dislikes the IH 1955 cut. He makes it begrudgingly for us because he knows it fills a gap, but asking him to make something that has been made before gives him zero creative buzz…..
Giles - an crazy idea, any thought to write a book in the future? This sort of anecdotal exchanges, between yourself and Haraki san, is what drew me to IH initially. A (otherwise) unlikely partnership that somehow brings the best of both worlds…would love to hear more if possible.
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So when is this going to be available?
Thinking a 888 in stretch 21oz might just be the comfiest pair of jeans ever!
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Also for some strange reason I want to see a pic of Giles in the 555's
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Giles - an crazy idea, any thought to write a book in the future?
I can't write
But thanks for the kind words, that means a lot to me…..
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Also for some strange reason I want to see a pic of Giles in the 555's
Just thinking about what I saw in the mirror makes me laugh…..
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Come on get one up. In these times we need as many laughs as possible
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Let me elaborate.
Haraki has been developing this new denim for 3 years. Until he had got the amount of flex he was looking for and the look and feel of our signature 21oz indigo selvedge denim, he just kept on trying.
So please be open minded about it, we are not selling out.
As one of the newer IH fans, I absolutely do not see this as selling out. Most top-tier Japanese brands already have stretch denim. The truth is H-san could have rolled out any odd stretch denim out there, slap the IH brand on, stuff enough material to make sure it's 21oz+ (so it can be called 'heavyweight') and I'm pretty sure those jeans will fly out the door. IH could have made some fast money if it wanted to, but the fact that H-san spent 3 years developing his own version of IH-stretch gives me confidence that this will be one of the best stretch denim out there. It may not suite everyone, each to their own. But I've certainly got this pencil down for 2021
