ON & BEYOND

When it comes to ballcaps the dipset in me still holds the flat brim at heart, but there’s an undeniable charm to these vintage shorter brimmed fitteds that are making a resurgence in the hat-o-sphere. Ebbets, a research driven company, have been the front runner of the vintage-inspired caps for…well, 20 years now. And they’ve yet to taste the effects of this renaissance. This Negro League, Brooklyn Eagles cap was purchased on my last trip to Japan. Concurrently and not to be outdone, Baldwin Denim have made their own vintage-inspired Kansas City cap to rep their home-team.

Just got these Iron Heart IH-9634 a few days ago from Giles at www.ironheart.co.uk and I’ve been wearing them non-stop ever since. Based in Tokyo, Iron Heart’s goal is to “create clothing in classic, timeless styles that are constructed out of the finest materials to the highest standards”. Haraki-san and co. aren’t joking: be it heavy-duty jeans and denim jackets or super thick flannel and chambray button up shirts, Iron Heart’s materials, quality and workmanship are truly second to none.

These burly jeans feature IH’s signature straight cut, which is undoubtedly the best cut I have owned: flattering yet a tad relaxed. This deadstock model sports a few slight differences from Iron Heart’s current superblack denim offering, the IH-9634Z: it features a button-fly rather than a zipper and a post loom finishing process which makes the denim stiffer than the modern version.

The super heavy 21oz black denim, while not destined to fade, is bound to age beautifully with wear. I’m definitely looking forward to braving the cold Quebec winter armed with my trusty black armor pants!

I got a nice package today from my friends at 3sixteen! Boxed up was a pair of their latest denim offering. 3sixteen+ is the NY brand’s japanese selvedge project in coalition with Self Edge. Big ups to johan and andrew.

“The 10BSP jean from 3sixteen+ is a great straight leg fit jean made up of a rope dyed indigo selvedge denim which is woven in Japan.

The denim on these jeans start out as a deep indigo color with a considerable amount of vertical falling that’s visible even when the denim is raw. Due to the rigid feel of this denim the jean’s color will fade to a bright indigo shade over parts of heavy stress or abrasion with normal wear.

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Taking the Japanese ideology of leaving no detail untouched these two entities have come together to create a line which brings the Japanese otaku of denim and classic American styles to the western world. 3sixteen+ are working closely with small Japanese mills to create new denim and fabrics for these projects.”

Available exclusively at SelfEdge

* 14oz Indigo Roped Dyed Japanese Selvedge Denim
* Dual-Red Selvedge ID
* Custom Gunmetal Shanks & Rivets
* Selvedge Coin Pocket, Fly, & Outseam
* Hidden Rivets
* Hand-stamped Heavyweight Leather Patch
* Offset Coin Pocket Stitching Detail
* Straight Leg Fit

Named to honor the Largest and Oldest denim manufacturer in the United States (currently defunct), Amoskeag XX feels like a time capsule bringing us back to the 50′s & 60′s. A few relics and denim quilts are the only attractions in the modest window luring passerby’s into the small boutique located on Orchard St. It definitely doesn’t justify what is hidden behind the obscure windows, because what I found inside was Grand, and the owner, Hideya was a joy to exchange passions with.

I spent a good 15 minutes in the store, just conversing with Kenji, the guy has been backpacking the world scouring some of the most unexpectedly amazing vintage items (or bintage, in his thick Japanese accent, hehe). Aside from being a relic hunter, Mr Kawasaki is also a talented Textile designer, having even sold some of his denim patchwork quilt creations to brands such as J.Crew.

So if you ever go near the neighborhood, go drop a word, he is one easy going guy.

Amoskeag XX
96 Orchard Street
(between Broome St & Delancey St)
Manhattan, NY
(646) 237-7336

I went by to look for homie Shimon, he wasn’t there so I ended up chopping it up with Andrew, great people and a great shop. Got myself some Tanner Good-ness

www.selfedge.com
157 Orchard Street
New York, NY

My buddy Stefano just opened up the doors to his online store with an impressive line up of brands: Visvim, Undercover, CDG, W)taps, Uniform Experiment, S.N.S Herning & more… Note that not all his stock has arrived, but you can get an idea of what is to come. To celebrate the grand opening, I have a promotional code to use during the checkout process. The code is 14022010, which will give you a 10% discount on your purchase: valid until the 16th February. Go check it out @ TheUndisputed.org . Big ups Stef, and good luck with everything buddy!

Jason of SixAsNine Agency (Dr Denim, PRPS, Public School & More) calls PRPS his dessert. Understandable, when the lowest priced pair is at a hefty 600$ retail. Mind you, the price is not unjustified, because when you take a pair in your hand, the roughed up Japanese premium denim feels like its been through years of sweat & tears.

Part Three : PRPS Denim

True denim aficionados might object, but when a lazy guy like myself is just looking to have a nice washed pair of jeans, we have to cheat a little. I wish I had the dedication it takes, to wear the same pair of raw jeans for an extended period of over 6 month. For those, like me, who have chinos and cargo pants to add to their rotation, the Levi’s 514 Knock Down wash might be a good solution. Here is the reasoning: while I could go get a pair of LVC saddleman‘s, it felt weird to be paying 200$ for a pair of already worked in jeans, and at 75$, the 514′s will do just fine. Take out a piece of sanding paper and you have your own pair of cheap saddlemans.