Denim Adventures and Misadventures
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High end denim can be an expensive hobby, and if you’re passionate about it, it can also be a consuming pass time too. I was reminded when looking through some old pictures a few days ago that things don’t always run smoothly for us denim heads. Sometimes, with the best of intentions, we can drop an error with expensive, embarrassing or just plain amusing results. Here are a couple of mine….
My first real “high end” Japanese denim purchase was a pair of Levi’s x Fragment 501’s, a collaboration between Levi’s and celebrated Japanese designer Hiroshi Fujiwara. They cost me a king’s ransom (at the time) of £225 on a trip to Kyoto in 2007, an amount I never saw myself paying for something as utilitarian as a simple pair of five pocket jeans (how little I knew), and I ruined them after one wear.
Basically, the nice man in the shop explained to me that the jeans needed to be washed before they would fit me properly, he spoke little English and I spoke no Japanese so I threw them in my washing machine when I got home. The result being horrible streaks and faded vertical lines which completely ruined the jeans. Lesson on washing learned.
Secondly, after being a denim collector a bit longer and learning a bit more about a range of Japanese brands I used to trawl eBay for all the brands I was aware of. Back in those days I got some great bargains, a pair of Samurai S710 for £50, a pair of the original Beatle Busters for £75 along with a few more choice items. The most incredible bargain I thought I had ever scored though was two pairs of Oni jeans, the old “Oni Red” and “Oni Blue”, for less than £20 each !!!!
A bargain so good had to have something wrong with it right? My first thought was fake, so I posted the pics from the auction on Superdenim to confirm they were legit, and they amazingly were. Unfortunately, in my rush to get the bargain, I neglected to notice that no measurements had been given aside for the waist, so when they arrived I found that they had been hemmed to 26”, who even has legs that short with a 36” waist? Lesson on asking questions before buying.
So, let’s hear your stories of mistakes made, lessons learned and maybe even fortunate happenings that you have come across in your denim adventures.
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I found that they had been hemmed to 26”
Should've shipped 'm to me - perfect to keep the first 26"es of my cock warm…
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Samurai 710's, loved them to bits, I bought a second pair a couple of years ago and was not so impressed.
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Bought my first pair of IH in SENY in 2014. They were my third pair of "proper jeans", but my first Japanese brand. I went in the store planning to buy BB's or 666's but the assistant assured me that the 21oz 301 was the best fit and denim, and based on what I saw in the mirror I couldn't argue.
Here's the thing, I had been on vacay in NYC for a week already. I had two major purchasing goals, a pair of Iron Heart jeans and a pair of Adidas from the Rivington Club. Out of deference to my wife I waited until the end of the holiday to pursue them. A little more background info: May in NYC can be hot and it was pretty warm that day I went to SENY. Also I'd been eating sushi by the bucket, burgers by the bucket oand Italian food by the bath tub for seven days. Oh and drinking. A lot. So safe to say I was a bit of a bloaty mofo.
The tag 36 seemed just great in the shop. They hemmed them to my specs (3 inches too long, I thought stacks suited everyone, but that's another story) and I picked them up the day before we left. It was too warm to wear them, so I saved them for the flight home. The same day I picked up a rather expensive pair of white OG Adidas Samba in suede from The Rivington Club and was very, very proud of them and my jeans. The next day I put on my awesome denim and awesome kicks and got on the plane, drank whisky and fell asleep. Woke up during the landing in Stockholm to find my beautiful pair of suede sneakers were thoroughly covered in indigo. One week later, when the holiday bloat was gone and the 21oz did its amazing expanding trick, my amazing first pair of IH looked like a pair of clown pants. That low 301 rise combined with a waist band suddenly two inches too big is a one way ticket to Cracksville. So a completely fucked pair of trainers and a ridiculously poor fitting pair of jeans was the result of my trip to NYC.
Pics of how the 301's ended up here:
http://www.ironheart.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=434.msg462505#msg462505The Samba's are entirely unwearable
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Indigo transfer is a badge of honour, arse crack is not
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Indigo transfer is a badge of honour, arse crack is not
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This was at a time when, in my deluded mind [emoji148]were more important than [emoji158]and keeping white trainees pristine was a badge of honour, so it really was a disaster on all counts. I've grown up a bit since then. Allegedly. -
I originally went through a Diesel/True Religion/Rock n Republic phase when I was 19 or 20. Everyone makes mistakes at that age, and those giant feminine pocketed, extra boot cut jeans were not a good look no matter how you shake it. Live and learn ya know.
First pair of "fancy", "normal" selvedge jeans were a pair of Nudie Slim Jim's I bought about 10 years ago (didn't realize I had been in the 'game' that long until this thread, thanks a lot Mega). Needless to say, the jeans name suited them. The thighs were snug and, while I don't think Nudies are actually a cheaply made jean, the denim felt so thin I thought they may split at any moment. Fortunately, I moved on from them before any real disasters happened, and I definitely avoided jumping spiked fences as they would never protect my nether region like XHS.
Probably 8-9 years ago I scored some Kicking Mule Workshops for about $30 each in their 1950 cut. The brand closed down years ago but they made a very good jean when they were up and running. I still have one of the pairs which I have never worn and am saving for a rainy day. Maybe in 50 years they'll be a super rare denim head dream.
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Good work fellas, top stories all round
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Wore new sample jeans to watch Tommy's football training, his new ball got booted onto a building site…..this happened
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You should go the full Ruedi and not wash them.
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And the Russell's too
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They're BvS socks actually (Father's Day gift)
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Too late you bald freaks
