IH-666S-19L 19oz Left Hand Twill - Quality Issues

[negrila]

Hi all,

A month ago, I bought the last pair of IH-666S-19L in size 34 that was available in Europe at the time from a Spanish retailer.

Yesterday, when comparing them with a new pair of 634S, I noticed something was wrong with the sewing between the legs (the crotch area). I've only worn them 4-5 times - not nearly enough to explain this problem. See attached photos.

I'm a little bummed out since I had this image in mind that Iron Heart denim is virtually indestructible.

Did anything like this ever happen to you guys?
How do you handle these kinds of situations?

I wrote to the retailer to communicate the problem and am still waiting for their response.
Does the lifetime warranty cover this? To be honest, I'm not sure a repair is acceptable after such a small amount of wear.

Looking forward to your responses.

Thank you,
Radu

[Giles]

I am sorry that you have not heard from the retailer, but you really need to sort this out with the them in the first instance. Please try them again and then if you still don't hear back, contact shop@ironheart.co.uk.

Clearly an issue and they need replacing/refunding....Unfortunately, this type of issue if very difficult to pick up in QC. The problem stitches are hidden internally and do not show themselves until the seam is stretched through wear.

[negrila]

@Giles thank you for your reply.
I will wait for them to answer...I'm sure we will sort it out. I'll follow up next week.

Good thing I have other pairs just waiting for the opportunity to get out more (888S-21OD and 634S-BOD).
I tried every cut (except the 1955S) until I found the ones that fit my body type and style. Got both N1 versions, a sherpa lined Type III, a few UHFs... you might say I am a big fan of your work.
Cheers!

[Giles]

Not that it makes any difference to our position on replacing/refunding, but the same thing happened on my sample pair of IH-666S. I did nothing about it, and it never got worse because the bar tack held it all together. But I don't pay for my stuff and everything is an experiment in how much I can fuck it up, and how quickly, so we come form different places

Intriguingly enough, the issue is almost 100% confined to the 666 cut.

[Matt]

I would assume it could be related to how fitted 666s are in the top, especially the thighs. The crotch seams would be the natural stress point when moving the legs, bending , crouching etc. Shit happens.

[Giles]

Yeah, and I think I may have specced cotton, not polycotton for some of the stitching on the original IH-666S (I wanted a vintagey vibe with the 18oz raw denim), and that may have got carried over to future issues on the 666

[negrila]

This is how they used to fit at the first wear.
They were tight but nothing too crazy... and got better after 2-3 more wears.

[Matt]

Oh yeah, you got the wrong size brother.

[Matt]

That butt looks like a Jordache ad from 1980.

[negrila]

@Matt The waist was comfortable; I could sit and do squats. Sizing up probably meant more room in the tights, but I personally don't see the point of fitted jeans if you wear them loose.

Anyway... I don't want to turn this into a fit check post; everyone has different opinions... and body types.

I liked how they felt and looked... the stitching was supposed to support the tension, if any, more than 5 wears.

[Matt]

I was just offering the perspective of someone who’s been wearing 666 for 15 years. It’s a slim straight fit, not fitted. If they’re comfortable then you should be able to have them fixed but it will just happen again. Best of luck to you.

[Giles]

Each to their own. But I do support @Matt ’s view here. I designed the 666 to have a slim profile, well actually I designed them for me, and I don’t do fitted

[negrila]

Now I'm really confused.

Iron Heart is supposed to be some of the toughest denim out there, with biker heritage.

A lot of people start with tight fits to get cool fades and participate in contests. They describe the effort in breaking them in and the reward after they mold to your body.

Are all these fade enthusiasts wearing them wrong?

What is the purpose of the heavy Poly/Cotton Core-Spun stitching then?

I wore tighter fits on basic denim without any issues.

My guess is that this was just a simple manufacturing slip... not a poor thread to match the tough 19oz LHT.

[negrila]

@Matt said in IH-666S-19L 19oz Left Hand Twill - Quality Issues:

That butt looks like a Jordache ad from 1980.

Not sure who that is.
We didn't have TV ads in comunist Romania.

[tody]

You asked for advice on how to handle the problem and got a solution in the first answer from Giles.
Please follow his advice to get this sorted out, to solve your problem with the stitching coming loose.
This has been clearly identified as a manufacturing issue, and this should be resolved.

Then you chose to post pictures of how your jeans fit you, and you got even more advice on the fit.
If you're comfortable wearing the 666 the way you do, that is fine. They still were designed to fit differently.
This has nothing to do with how other people wear their jeans and which fit they choose.
This also has nothing to do with the quality of IH denim. You have come across a production issue which you need to get sorted out. Things like these happen.

[nurunuru]

Honestly, the fit pics here look pretty much identical to my eye to the new fit pics just posted by IHUK for the upcoming 555S-21od drop.

I mean, I ain't sayin', I'm just sayin' is all.