What is your Denim/ Clothing Life Story?
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I grew up in Virginia and there was an abundance of really good thrift stores around. I could never afford to buy new clothes so I bought just about everything I owned second hand. In the early 90's you could still find really great vintage clothes in thrift stores and unbeknownst to me at the time I had bought quite a few pairs of Big E Levi's (this is also when i learned to love Pendleton). It wasn't until years later when I got a job and made a little extra cash that I could buy some brand new jeans, up until then I had been used to paying a dollar for a pair of jeans from a thrift store. 501's were my favorite so I went to the mall and bought a pair of STF 501's and took them home. I was confused because they were totally different than my favorite 501's from the thrift store. No hidden rivets was the first thing i noticed. Anyways….this is how I slowly started figuring out good from bad (although i guess thats in the eye of the beholder).
When I moved to Massachusetts in my early 20's I had a friend who worked at the amazing vintage store Bobby from Boston and he totally schooled me on Levi's and Lee jeans (more like gave me some basic knowledge, i will never know as much about the subject as he does). I started buying LVC 47's in the early 2000's and swore by them. To make a long story short.....as LVC quality started to fall I began searching for other good reproductions of vintage jeans. I tried just about everything out there and came to the conclusion that most of it sucks (i think Giles's conclusion about the 5 best japanese denim brands and IH being the best spot on). I found out about Self Edge from some other denim snobs ( I had no idea there were other people who thought about this stuff hahaha). It took me a couple years of being aware of IH before I could make myself spend the money, but I'm truly glad that I did. I'll never go back. I love IH because there is an obvious respect and understanding for the history of denim with a timeless look but everything is much more utilitarian than their peers.
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I loved blue jeans from the first time I saw this picture:
Then I worn Levi's for almost 30 years, and a few Diesel from time to time. 4 years ago I discovered Japanese Jeans: Edwin, Evisu, Prps, Dior MIJ. All expensive stuff, pre-faded and deranged. My philosophy was: i like to collect a lot of pairs of jeans, and it's impossible in my lifetime to wear 30, 40 pairs from raw state to evolved state, so better buying them pre-faded!
But deep inside I knew there was a world of magnificent "real" stuff", outside over the Internet, but I kept my eyes closed, because I was - in a very strange way, lazy.
Then, one day, I asked Google for the best jeans in the world…
made a few experiments, and here I am. -
All this talk about how some of us arrived here at this forum has raised another question with me.
What is your clothing evolution story?
In other words, how did you get to wearing Iron Heart in the first place? I'll give you mine as an example….
- Trip to Tokyo
- Found Bathing Ape in Harajuku
- Bought Shark Hoody (thought it was amusing)
- Got home and did some web research on the brand.
- Discovered Superfuture, Hypebeast, Bapetalk and other forums.
- Through reading forums moved onto Supreme, Wtaps, Visvim etc..
- Saw some cool fits of Japanese street clothing mixed with guys wearing over sized Samurai 710's.
- Became addicted to reading Superdenim
- Purchased Samurai 710's and began contributing on Superdenim
- Became obsessed with heavy denim, and the whole denim scene (boots, shirts, jackets etc...).
- Started the Heavyweight contest.
- Met so many cool people through Superfuture
- Purchased IHSH-07 from Supermarket.
- Asked Beats about the IH party in September.
- Purchased BB Raws, and IHSH-33.
- Went to party, and had such an awesome time with some amazing people.
- Wrote this long ass boring post.
The whole journey took almost 6 years, from being a guy who bought Levis, Nikes and H&M, to where I am today.
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- Wore proper Levi 501's in my teens
- Continued to buy them through my 20's and 30's, but did not really know or understand why they were getting shittier and shittier
- Despite that, I kept every pair I owned, thinking that some day would be good to give to someone
- Started wearing Gap selvedge as they were better than Levis in 90's
- Decided 7 years ago to sell a pair of Levis from my horde
- Researched the denim scene and realised there was a large subculture around Japanese denim that I knew nothing about
- More research
- More research
- Found out that some of the really good Japanese jeans brands were not represented outside of Japan
- Emailed Haraki. Haraki, he say yes
- Got banned from SuFu
- Stared the IH Forum (thanks for the idea Hectic)
- Loving what I do and wear
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- Wore the baggiest jeans I could find in my teens because I thought I had large thighs: Levi's, not the raw ones & JNCO
- Mother bought me a pair of Lucky brand when I was 18 (2002), thought they were IT, threw out my old Levi's
- Mother bought me a pair of first batch Diesel 772 in 2003, these were definitely IT, gave the Lucky's to my bro
- Wore the 772 until 2007 when my roommate bought a pair of Nudie Bootcut Ola's that were too small (29"W)
- Wore those everyday for 13 months until the crotch ripped…washed...had fixed...put them back on...I was hooked
- Wore until 2009 when I bought a pair of Nudie Bootcut Barry on sale on gilt. thought raw denim was the best ever!
- Wore those until 2010 when the crotch ripped, bought a pair of Naked & Famous black selvedge on sale at barneys
- Wore those until March '11 when I became addicted and bought a pair of N&F broken-twill while still wearing the blacks
- Crotch seam blew on both pairs in July 2011, found Self-Edge online, found Iron Heart, wanted heavier, stronger denim
- Found a sample pair of 634SR on ebay, soaked twice in hot water per Haraki's instructions, put on while damp, ahhhh!
- Bought another pair of 634SR from Self-Edge online, bought the IHSH-04 from jacoavlu, there is no going back.
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- being influenced by grunge and punkrock in the early nineties
- wore crappy jeans that I overdyed with bleach
- bacame a Metalhead for some years and wore black leather pants
- rediscovered punk and hardcore in my early 20ies, so wore denim again (destroyed Diesels and stuff like that)
- read by accident about nudie jeans and how you can wear in your own pair of dries
- bought first prewash nudie, as I didn't know what dry denim looked like
- realized I got the wrong pair
- first dry nudie
- first selvage nudie
- resaerch brought me to mynudies.com
- found out about japanese denim
- first japanese denim
- first LVC
- saw beatle's pair (SEXI07) and fell in love with overdyed denim
- first IH, after I found that forum and listened to beatle's sizing advice
etc.pp.
So, it's beatle's fault that I spend a good amount of my money round here.
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I've already written short version here
http://www.ironheart.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=234.msg5084#msg5084 (should the threads be merged)Back in the years of Sword and Shield I wore Levi's, Beavers, (a domestic brand) mostly Levi though, from late 80's till millenium and a bit beyond I had Levi's, Crockers when they were made of quite nice denim, Their bootcut model was pretty much similar cut to 461, and some Diesel Fankers, also back at the day when Diesel used heavier denim. And no pre-washes/fades for me, ever.
Since I wrote that I've acquired couple of more IH bottoms, Lee's (selvage and non, 1966 straight cuts) GAP's 1969 straights, yeah, go figure, but they were 25$ shipped. And Dickies workchinos…
Shirtwise I'm sticking to my cheap SS workshirts, El Cheapo Flannels, Lounge shirts etc.
Jackets, Leather is my Choice or then Carrhart Duck or something similar. Rugged...and cheap if possible, not in leathers though.Shoes I have always tried to buy so that they'll last 5-10 years or more, and are timeless models.
RW's are hyped too much so I seek alternative brands. Let's see what you folks say when you see what I have incoming...That's it
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I used to wear skinny levi's.. Then I found a pair of Levi's matchstick skinny jeans made with Kaihara selvage, and bought them.. I started doing research on selvage jeans and found superfuture.. My eyes were opened to the world of raw selvage denim and I fell in love. Started reading superdenim religiously and decided to buy a "real" pair of Japanese denim, The Flat Head F310. I wore them a couple months and then heard about the IH Devil's fit. I found the IH forum and joined. I received sizing advice from beatle and pulled the trigger.. And of course I fell in love with Iron Heart and the camaraderie of the forum. Bought my first IH shirt, the 33, and decided that clothing couldn't possibly be more well constructed than this…
End of story..
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- Wore proper Levi 501's in my teens
- Continued to buy them through my 20's and 30's, but did not really know or understand why they were getting shittier and shittier
- Despite that, I kept every pair I owned, thinking that some day would be good to give to someone
- Started wearing Gap selvedge as they were better than Levis in 90's
- Decided 7 years ago to sell a pair of Levis from my horde
- Researched the denim scene and realised there was a large subculture around Japanese denim that I knew nothing about
- More research
- More research
- Found out that some of the really good Japanese jeans brands were not represented outside of Japan
- Emailed Haraki. Haraki, he say yes
- Got banned from SuFu
- Stared the IH Forum (thanks for the idea Hectic)
- Loving what I do and wear
research,research…more research
.......he ask the BOSS....he said YES;-)
AMAZING STORY!
THANKS SOO MUCH GILES & HARAKI SANmy story
last year........-search high end quality DENIM & Clothes...make for long time to wear-and no mainstream!
-research google
-find the IH FORUM
-see fit pics and read posts from member & owner of IH
-Read IH History
-find DC4.de....contact with DANIEL(great Guy-Thanks Daniel for the input about DENIM and Iron Heart!!!)
-order my first 634s in 36/36...but they was too big in the waist-give them a hot hot soak-but they are sanforized-immunochemical to big-give they my brother the 634 s
-order a 634 sr in the right size:-)
-order a second pair of them-the last sr from DC4.de
-order a few IH stuff again....and since i´am infected about the stuff-the quality is amazing! -
I think I started thinking about what I was wearing after a Stranglers gig at the Apollo Manchester in 1977, I was 14 and wearing the usual parka/jeans/adidas samba combo that was the standard uniform of my generation. I found myself surrounded by the Manchester Punk scene. Kids wearing all sorts of gear, looking cool.
Within a week I looked as weird as school would allow.
Flirted with Casual fashion around 80-81.
I remember reading an article about big E Levi's and Selvage in The Guardian around 1984 and spent the next few years hunting through Affleck's Palace for the odd treasure find of Big E. Morrissey and Johnny Marr seemed to have an arrangement that all the best stuff was reserved for them.
Continued flirting with shit clothes.
1996 Bought first pair of Japanese jeans, Edwin from Richard Creme in Manchester. I had actually gone in to get a pair of Evisu. He explained how Evisu Europe had gone shit, showing me the difference between the last MIJ pair he had (not my size) and the Italian pair over the road at Aspecto.
1997 For Christmas, my girlfriend got me a pair of Japanese Silverstone Groundalls R501XX from Richard. Company now gone. Still have the jeans.
1999 Bought first pair of LVC 1873 1st Blue Jean from Geese, Manchester
2001 - 2004 Bought tons of LVC from TK Maxx, which inexplicably was selling Valencia St. made stuff for £19.99.
2004 Started buying stuff on ebay, selling it when I got bored or wanted something else.
2009 Discovered Superdenim on Sufu and started learning about other denim brands from Japan.
2010 Bought 2 IH shirts & IH jacket from Sufu after joining as a member.
2011 Got banned from Sufu as redchris, joined again as rusholmeruffian, got banned again. After spending a fortune on clothes, now settled on wearing my best stuff all the time. Jeans in my closet : 2 x warehouse, 1 x Groundalls, 1 x Evis, 1 x 1873 Duck.
I have 2 x sugar cane pants for work
Sept 2011 Bought first pair of IH jeans, BB SBG, now gone because Heavy jeans just are not for me.
I have a number of IH shirts and 1 Type III
After wasting an awful lot of money, my wardrobe is now:
Japan:
Flathead
Full Count
Sugar Cane
45 RPM
Mister freedom
IH
Haversack
RRL
Tenderloin
SDA
WarehouseUK:
ARN Mercantile
Nigel Cabourn
Barbour
TrickersUS:
LVC
Red Wing
WolverineStick with these 3 , Master Luke, well made they are.
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Great thread!
I was very much in to clothes in my younger years, but that interest waned for one reason or another. As a result, much of the 'denim movement' has passed me by until very recently.
I started reading the ModCulture forums a couple of years ago, which is what introduced me to selvedge. It also introduced me to Men's File magazine, and that's where I first heard about Iron Heart.
I'm still to purchase a pair of IHs - my current denim 'collection' (it's purposefully small) amounts to a pair of APC New Standard and a pair of Albam straight leg - but rest assured they're on my list.
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Late 70s/early 80s - Skinhead stylee
Mid 80s Next, Fosters & Burton! (aka high street crap)
Late 80s - Well known brands (e.g. Levi's) from catalogues (aka popular crap)
90s - 'Designer labels' (aka expensive crap)
Early 00s - 'Fair Trade' brands (aka ethical crap)
Late 00s - Outdoor brands
Now - Mainly (but not exclusively) products made in England, Japan, USA, Western Europe - brands including Albam, Buzz Rickson's, Yuketen, Grenson, Heritage Research, Red Wing -
I got into this game by seeing an article about raw denim a few years ago. It piqued my interest and I started looking around. 300+ dollar jeans were out of the question at the time so I got some $35 STF Levi 501's. Eventually I worked my way up to the good stuff. Now I find myself trying to convince myself to not buy another pair of $300 jeans and just wear what I've got.
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It was back in high school when a close buddy of mine introduced me to raw denim.
He purchased a pair of black Imperials and the huge arcurate caught my eye. I asked him what it was purely out of curiosity and he spilled what he knew on the raw denim world. My first reaction: No way in hell would I spend that much cash on a single pair of jeans.
A year later, another close buddy of mine purchased his first pair(APC's) and I began criticizing his jeans. Ignorant as I was, I had no idea the intricate history the denim culture had. Curiosity got to me again and I began researching on raw denim. What is was, why it was so sought after and how people can spend so much for a pair of jeans that'll fade and get dirty.
After many hours of researching, I realized how personal a pair of raw denim jeans can be. The fades one had were like a storyline. No one else would have the exact jeans as you. Since then, I was hooked on the culture. But because I didn't have much money to spend, I was more of spectator to the various denim pictures on the forums. It was all eyecandy and I swore one day I'll cop my first pair of raw denim. Time passed and I eventually saved up to by my first pair(APC). But just like every denim fanatic, you want a new pair to beat up and carry the memories you had with it. So after two years or so, I finally saved up enough money to buy a pair of IH(301sOD). I've been hooked on this brand since.
Although I don't discriminate on what brands I wear, I do prefer IH's (or rather Works Inc.). Their history and persistence to give you what they believe is top quality really stood out to me. Especially how style is in no utter priority. And here I am now…
Shout out to SelfEdge and IHUKHQ for introducing us to this culture. Life changers.
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Everybody at school had jeans except me…Mum finally capitulated when I was 11 for the school disco!!!
As a teenager I raided the now defunct Soldier Blue in Kings Road for bleached Levi's - especially slim fit silver tab Levi's.
Then in 2000 I moved to Paris where I joined 3 movements-
The "Diesel heads" - every season the latest pair
Japanese jeans made with real indigo
Real genuine vintage Levi's- of which I had 2 pairsThen I developed ulcerative colitis and lost so much weight I ended up age 35 wearing Diesel age 6 and finally 4 months in intensive care.
After 2 years in hospital I moved back to the UK but am unable to live alone and apart from paying for my and my 2 Siamese cats keep, spend my sick money feeding my clothing passion.its hard to track down incredible jeans and they're all too big- ive had one fantastic pair made and am designing the next pair but that won't be soon as I'd like to fill out a bit and get great fades on what I do have without going through the knees as I usually do.
Heavyweight (above 14oz) has been so far impossible to find but I wear my jeans skinny and have been warned that I might not be able to bend my knees.
Reading the Forum and surfing is a great journey and I'm sure one day I'll find my dream jeans but as I'll never work again it's hard to imagine when.I take inspiration from the great brands and from my life in Paris and just hope I live long enough to realise my ultimate work in progress and create my ultimate jeans.
IQ
