634s-uhr on the cyclocross podium

Le Laboureur chore coat, Breton Shirt Co long sleeve shirt, IH-666S-UHR, and my trusty Red Wing 875. Bonus for my fresh Ahlem glasses cos I’m blind.

Fresh pair of 555 XHS and IHG-081-ORA. Posted in the 555 XHS thread for fit advice but after a wearing around the house for a spell I think these are perfect.

finally, the temps in chicago are perfect for the ihj-114-blk. also day 39 of the ih-634s-uhr.

20 days in on mine! It’s basically a shirt at this point. I’m so happy that it is finally getting warm in the Midwest, but I’m not trying to rush the heat so I can get as much wear as possible! 60 days on 555 XHS and an unknown amount of wear on my beloved orange beanie.

364 days since the initial soak/machine wash. Roughly 300 wears? Lost count once it got hot out, but that’s a safe estimate. Denim is probably slightly damp in these pics from yesterday’s soak/machine wash. Thought the wash would take more indigo out of the denim tbh, but I don’t care… I love these so much. Stoked the temps are cooling off in Chicago and I can get back to daily wear.

Chuy loves the xmas tree

Mr Marr, unless my eyes deceive me?

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!

Trout fishing in Heber Springs, Arkansas was awesome. Hit the limit every day and ate fresh fish every night. 10/10 would do again!

@Indigo-Alchemist thanks dude! My coworkers said I look like the art teacher and they’re not wrong haha

Le Laboureur chore coat, Breton Shirt Co long sleeve shirt, IH-666S-UHR, and my trusty Red Wing 875. Bonus for my fresh Ahlem glasses cos I’m blind.

So cool to see a spotlight on Iron Heart and the subculture within the subculture that exists on this forum

man. might have to cop and hold for a while because I’m like, 5 days into my UHR.

@worn2fade if the 684 drop in a 16oz slub before April, I might jump in. The 666S UHR I’ve been sitting on for Y6 got their first wear yesterday after learning Y6 doesn’t start in Sept like I thought it would.

congrats everyone! been awesome following along. even copped some UHR for Y6 only to find out that it doesn't start until April haha. not gonna wait that long, but definitely will look to scoop something for Y6 when the time is right. in the meantime I'm gonna bring some of your Y5 energy to these UHR!

@Marc2706 this post put 16oz slub on my radar. scored some 666S UHR for IIY6, but likely going to cop some 16oz slub to start in on after Y6 ends (maybe for Y7!)

@Denimhead-0 this is my dream!

@Pointman in my experience with UHR the waist stretches back out to pre soak measurements and in some cases beyond. that seems to be the case for a lot of people's UHR experience. if they fit good before the soak/wash, they'll fit good after. pending a day or two of wear.

new bike day! Cannondale CAAD 14 build with SRAM Force AXS XPLR and Zipp 404 S. obsessed.