Posts made by SuitOfUHF

@flannel-slut @jischwar Did you ever figure out the cause of those weird yellow stains?

@AdamJ You mean this one is lighter shade?

I'm in the process of breaking in the 13oz serge. My previous experience has been UHF, hickory stripe, and kersey (some of which were acquired second hand). The serge is by far the most stiff, scratchy, hard, punishing, ungiving. (Obviously you can tell by my framing that I hope this one is more of a normal shirt in terms of softness and give )

How does this fabric compare to the 13oz serge? (And what about the green to green comparison? This version looks a bit lighter?)

I would opine that if you are at a point where 1 cm matters, you are likely cutting it too close

@Giles said in IH-1955S-18 - 18oz Vintage Selvedge Denim "1955" Vintage Tapered Cut Jeans - Indigo:

@SuitOfUHF said in IH-1955S-18 - 18oz Vintage Selvedge Denim "1955" Vintage Tapered Cut Jeans - Indigo:

I hope the factories think long-term rather than prioritizing short-term trend chasers

That ship has sailed and we are pretty pissed off about it.....

I'd imagine!

@SuitOfUHF said in IH-1955S-18 - 18oz Vintage Selvedge Denim "1955" Vintage Tapered Cut Jeans - Indigo:

but they are fairweather friends who will cut loose just as quickly

100% - It's incredulous that the mills do not recognise this

See from about 7:00 here:

So much for this rose-tinted view of (some) Japanese business practices. Seems some do capitalism just like here in the West.

@goosehd Thank you. I'm sure no one has 100% visibility.

Hopefully my post was clear. I think the heritage Japanese brands should have priority access to these mills, rather than the Johnny come latelies, no matter how large their order book is.

@Jord said in IH-1955S-18 - 18oz Vintage Selvedge Denim "1955" Vintage Tapered Cut Jeans - Indigo:

@goosehd just to add, it's not just iron heart having these issues, all other brands are in the same position from my understanding...

It's a miracle they're still pumping things out every week, and keeping the quality of items still on point

Question for those on the ground: What are the factors behind production bottlenecks in Japan? Aging workforce? Surge in demand from mall conglomerates (e.g. Levis)?

I assume the answer is a mix of everything, but which is the predominant one? If the latter, I hope the factories think long-term rather than prioritizing short-term trend chasers e.g. Zara. Sure they might have the biggest order at a point in time, but they are fairweather friends who will cut loose just as quickly

At a 50% off event, acquired an Orvis Big Bear flannel shirt, which is essentially a CPO, for the price of a cup of joe. Stateside folks should know of this storied brand.

Heavyweight moleskin, which if denim is the American workwear fabric, then moleskin is in contention for the European. Just as durable if not more, just as long provenance if not more.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but new shuttle looms are manufactured, (albeit) in China. If so the concern is greater with Japan's aging workforce

Dug through my history, it's this one: https://www.heddels.com/2014/06/iron-hearts-two-bosses-shinichi-haraki-giles-padmore/

@Giles said in Iron Heart Japan - The Future:

Yes they are. Iron Heart Japan is the distribution arm, physical shops and web shop. Works in designs and makes the stuff....

I read an interview from at least 10 years ago that there were overtures to buy the mills and factories that make Iron Heart. Just curious what happened

As far as transition plans go, this seems quite positive. So Works Inc is the manufacturer, and Iron Heart is more on branding and retail; do I understand right?

Heavyweight linen or hemp fabrics. Summer is underserved by current core offerings

@shp.7777 That's your decision, risk tolerance, taste, and money. I didn't say "prone"

Also they mentioned the work shirt version of this is delayed due to some production issues of sorts

@northsouthdenimguy Yes, type "double face" in the search. There are 3 threads on this fabric work shirt

Did some research on this fabric. Turns out a few people reported developing micro-tears randomly. Given the novelty and short track record compared with the established fabrics, I think I'll sit this one out

@jfive67 Tight areas are sure to break down faster. Not really a problem for me as I wouldn't buy a pair if it bites me anywhere. (Incidentally I'm a big believer in the utility of crotch gussets, but I don't need to get on my soapbox here)

Maybe I'll try a slightly different question: Do you think Iron Heart stands out with its 18oz vintage as much as it does with the 21oz? Considering there are a ton of Japanese repro brands specializing in "vintage" denims, which I just have to point out cost ~$100 less than IH? (Yes I'm aware this is the IH forum, so maybe I can also try this question in more neutral places)

@AdamJ Well you have to control for the user's activity in order to have an apples-to-apples comparison. I just wanted to know if the looser vintage weave and construction makes for a weaker fabric, compared to Iron Heart's regular fare

@AdamJ said in IH-1955S-18 - 18oz Vintage Selvedge Denim "1955" Vintage Tapered Cut Jeans - Indigo:

@welfare_burrito these are my 2 cents so other opinions may vary

pliability - crunchier at the start than 21/14oz but soften up pretty quickly

stretch - similar to the other two, depends on how much pressure you subject the denim over time but 1" approx in the waist to be expected

fades - depends on how often you wear, how much you wash. Some of the coolest fades we've seen are 18oz. You can view them here

What about the toughness and durability aspect? Does being looser woven mean they are flimsier than the 21 or 14oz? (Flimsy being a relative term as I'm sure as jeans, and Iron Heart no less, they are very tough in the grand scheme of things)

By analogy, I believe slubby fabric is less strong and durable than the same fabric, woven with the same thick yarns, just regular and not slub