Queste Vans California Authentic hanno la tomaia in sporco denim ‘Stained’ riottoso anni settanta. Disponibili nella versione Olive o Light Blue. Cercatele nel vostro shop di fiducia.
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Jeans made from recycled brown beer bottles in NYC
As the name implies, I AM NOT A VIRGIN uses recycled—non virgin—materials to produce their jeans and T-shirts. Now nearly four years into the business, founder Peter Heron is reaching out to his audience with a Kickstarter to keep the NYC-based label alive.
As with many entrepreneurial ventures, IANAV has diverged from its original path over time. Heron began by making prototype jeans from fabric scraps collected at various Chinese manufacturing mills with the goal to reduce factory waste, but it didn’t seem to be working. Spurred on by a friendly tip in early 2011 Heron started experimenting with a new American-made fabric of 75% cotton and 25% recycled synthetics, including brown beer bottles collected from recycling factories. Although the recycled percentage doesn’t seem like much, Heron explains it’s actually more stable this way. “You need a certain amount of virgin cotton for durability,” he says. “It’s the same as if you were making denim from scraps, the right balance of polyester and cotton will give you a long-lasting jean.”
The process of breaking down the beer bottles to a thread-like material is just about as complicated as one would imagine. Once collected in a recycling facility, the bottles are sorted and ground, labels, caps and all into small chips. The chips are then placed in a water bath where the paper and scraps float to the top and the usable chips sink. From here the usable chips are ground down even further into a fine particle, which is actually the same compound found in polyester. The particle is then melted and squeezed through a high-pressure nozzle, creating a continuous strand of loose material ready to be twisted into yarn, and subsequently blended with virgin cotton and woven into denim.
To show the unique properties of this particle, IANAV has created a limited run of 400 brown beer bottle jeans, stitched inside out to reveal the unique weave. Heron says these fit more like a comfortable straight leg trouser than a jean, as they’ve been washed without dye. The standard IANAV men’s jeans, on the other hand, are dyed a dark indigo and left raw, while the washed women’s jean is woven with 1% elasticity for stretch.
Armed with the knowledge he’s gained, Heron has brought on a partner—Walt Connelly, former executive creative director at JWT and Ogilvy—to keep the creative train moving. Once funded the two have big plans for the company. “We will eventually have different lines of jeans made from green soda bottles, blue water bottles, and my original idea of using fabric scraps collected at the manufacturing mills,” says Heron. “We’re also making T-shirts that are made with recycled food tray (tri-blend black color), clear water bottles (white color), discarded x-ray film (light gray color) and in the future empty yogurt cartons. The T-shirts are super soft and feel great.”
To help support Heron and I AM NOT A VIRGIN make a pledge at their Kickstarter page. For $55 you’ll get a limited edition T-shirt made from recycled food trays or water bottles, for $100 or more you’ll be rewarded with a pair of indigo jeans and so on depending on amount of pledge. For those feeling particularly philanthropic, a pledge of $5000 earns you a pair of limited edition brown beer bottle jeans along with whole slew of goodies like t shirts, VIP acess to future parties and a heads up on to-be-released jeans. While you’re there you’ll notice Heron’s other crusade—keeping the rights to his tongue-in-cheek brand name, which is being disputed by Virgin (they suggest slightly less captivating names like I AM NOT CHASTE or I AM NOT PURE). There’s a petition in IANAV’s favor if you’re so inclined.
For a more detailed look at I AM NOT A VIRGIN jeans see the slideshow.
Our latest video explores the machine driven approach of Oakland’s denim master
Hidden on a back street in Oakland, California in an unassuming warehouse lies what may be the pinnacle of denim craftsmanship in the USA. Roy Denim, the second of our videos to premiere at last week’s 99% Conference, is actually just one man, Roy Slaper, whose obsession with making jeans has driven his small business into the conciseness of denim heads everywhere. In our video we learn about Roy’s machine driven approach in creating his jeans, the birth of his business and how his obsessive attention to detail results in some of the toughest, nicest looking denim around.
Repurposed skateboards and recycled cutting boards handmade in Southern California
by Liz Cebron
On a recent visit to the made in America brand collaborative Shelter Half, we discovered Stormy Monday Goods—thoughtfully repurposed and redesigned skate and cutting boards, branded with a simple thundercloud and given a second shot at life. These one-of-a-kind creations are the labor of love of Neil Harrison, a Southern California native who, after nearly two decades in the industry—first at Quiksilver, then helping friends get a “little brand” called Volcom off the ground—decided to slow down and work with his hands.
Stormy Monday was conceived during a trip to Portland in late 2006—Harrison was in the Pacific Northwest visiting friends, one of whom had reshaped a couple of used skateboards and was drawing on them as an art project. Harrison made one for himself and after that, he was hooked. “I was really into the idea of re-shaping a board—not only because it gave me the opportunity to work with my hands, but also from a conceptual standpoint—I liked the idea that a used board could get back on the road again, so to speak.” Upon returning to Southern California, Harrison started collecting used boards from his friends in the skate world, team managers and team riders, who tended to have stacks of used boards laying around and with the underlying ethos of “Recycle, repurpose, reuse,” Stormy Monday was born.
First is my least favorite part, stripping off the grip tape. Some tape is friendly and peels off in one to three pieces. Sometimes it breaks into a million bits and pieces. Once the grip is removed, I trace a shape pattern on to the board and cut it out. Then I smooth out the edges and brand the “3 Bolt Storm Cloud” logo on to the boards. Next is staining, painting and completing the rails and wheel wells. The wheel wells are one of the trickiest parts because you’re doing one at a time and you have to match them to each other as close as you can. Sometimes I’ll let boards sit for a little while before I do this part as I try to get myself psyched up to do them—you can ruin the board very easily after all that work. Each board is then number stamped, signed and logged in the book. Every board to date has been logged, including the cutting boards and now our surfboards (dropping this spring).
The process of creating cutting boards or cheese boards is very similar to the skateboards. I work out of my friends’ woodshop in Santa Ana and sometimes they have woods that are deemed “undesirable” for cabinets because of knots, sap or mineral streaks. I’ll also find scrap wood that someone leaves out on their yard for pick up. If I can’t find any wood via those two sources I’ll go to the lumber yard and buy their “damaged” wood. It’s perfect because those characteristics or flaws in the wood make our boards interesting looking and unique.
It certainly wasn’t on purpose to have them in the mix. It was a happy accident if you will, and they have only come to be part of the mix somewhat recently. It was only after I saw some scrap woods that I thought I could make nice cutters for some friends and after making a few, realized how much fun it was working on them. Then I thought it’d be funny to add to the skateboard order form.
After that, I started getting orders from friends and then eventually stores. There’s the whole thing that’s happening right now where people want to know the story behind the product and/or know the person or persons who are making them and I think that’s what’s great about where we’re going as a country, not as whole, but on this very intimate underground level and it seems to be slowly effecting the grander consuming audience.
The logo and name were inspired on that same visit to Portland. Jake had a simple cloud painting that he had made. It was a puffy cloud with three bolts of lightning floating beneath it and the word Monday at the bottom. So Monday was the original name, then I added Stormy to make it sound heavier. I started working up stylized versions of Jake’s cloud painting—I wanted it to have a Native American look and vibe to it, like a modern version or a petroglyph. Simple, strong and to the point.
I was born in Bellflower and grew up in Buena Park—home of Knott’s Berry Farm. My mom loved to go to the beach and she would take us to the OP Pro, which, at the time, was the big surf contest in Huntington Beach. I was just boogie boarding then but after watching the guys surfing in the contest that was all I wanted to do. I was starting to skate around this time and honestly don’t remember how or who turned me on to it but it just found me. Skating was obviously more obtainable for an inland kook such as myself, so I was a skater first, surfer second. We had this ditch behind a drive-in that was close to my house and we skated that thing every day—it’s all I could think about in class! We were surfing the ditch walls before we learned how to surf real waves.
After I graduated high school in 1988, I moved to the beach and my friend got me a job working in the warehouse at Quiksilver. Over the next couple of years, I went from the warehouse to the art department, and then into the design dept. Around ’92 I left Quik and took up with some new friends to get the brand Volcom off the ground. I worked there as design and art director for about 15 years and left in 2006. I laid low for a few years, worked on an avocado grove I owned with some family at the time, and did some freelance design art projects here and there. Then last year my friend Danny called and asked if I’d like to stop fooling around and turn Stormy Monday into a proper brand. And here we are.
Stormy Monday currently sells skate decks for $125 and completes for $225 through Shelter Half, with denim and Hawaiian made surfboards on the horizon. For direct ordering and more information see Stormy Monday directly.
See the manufacturing process at Cone Mills
Generally considered the arbiter of denim, Self Edge recently took a trip to Greensboro, North Carolina to visit the world’s oldest denim mill and document the making of Roy‘s new denim. Designed from warp to weft by Roy Slaper himself, the custom denim also marks the first unsanforized fabric produced by Cone Mills for anyone in more than 60 years.
The insightful short shows the fabric come to life as huge scans of simultaneously selected thread move through the denim production process and into massive vats of 100% pure indigo dye. Whipped around like salt water taffy the denim strands are eventually woven together to form brilliantly dark raw denim weighing in at 14.5oz per square yard—which actually swells to 16.25oz after a hot water soak. Described by Self Edge as simply a “tough fabric,” the new Roy denim is dyed with the darkest indigo Cone to produce a unique wash that’ll only evolve with age.
The new run of Roy jeans have been tweaked to improve fit and will be available in an adjusted version of Roy’s straight and slim fits. Look to Self Edge in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York City this Saturday, 24 March 2012 when the latest Roy jeans will go on sale at 12pm in each respective time zone and online at 9am (PDT).
Reworking the all-American five-pocket jean
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Having built a brand based on better-fitting pants, Bonobos recently sought out to rethink the five-pocket jean. For the Premium Denim collection the brand made sure to incorporate the Bonobos fit—marked by a more tailored thigh for an athletic fit that’s not too tight or baggy, and a comfortable mid-rise—and it was important that this line be produced in the U.S. Not only was denim born here, but domestic construction gave Bonobos the chance to oversee every detail and produce a truly unique style of pant. More than anything, the team focused on creating a pair of well-constructed jeans with a democratic fit and a reasonable price point starting at $125. From today through 23 March 2012, new customers can visit Bonobos’ website to get 25% off Premium Denim with the code COOLHUNTING25.
Cone Denim’s White Oak Mill in North Carolina marks one of the last strongholds of U.S.-made denim and the go-to supplier for top-quality fabrics. The century-old mill produced a solid, supple 12.25-oz fabric for Bonobos that acts as the cornerstone of the new line. The hardware comes from YKK’s U.S. branch, using a classic shank front closure.
From there, Bonobos headed to Caitac in Los Angeles, a Japanese-owned hub for high-end denim. They started with the basics—a resin rinse jean in straight-leg fit without any dry processing—and expanded from there. The distressing on their medium and light washes is done by hand, sanded to create a more comfortable fabric and light whiskering on the hip. Opting for a simpler look, Bonobos nixed the logo in favor of a subtle contrast stitch box pattern on the waistband.
Bonobos successfully translated the success of their trousers to the new line of jeans, which come in straight, slim and bootcut styles. They kept the washes conservative and the branding minimal, but threw in a few denim-head details like the busted seam stitch on the outseam. Contrast stitching on the interior and nautical-inspired pocket bags with the motto “Conceived in NYC, Born in LA” keep in line with the company’s playful attitude.
This spring, Bonobos is bringing in more washes with detailing to go with warmer weather—April will mark the launch of a selvedge style with a weightier fabric, and they’ll introduce two new spring washes. In addition to Premium Denim, for those looking for more colorful options, Bonobos’ recently launched “travel denim” comes in light and mid-weight fabrics with a hint of stretch, in a range of garment-dyed colors.
Head over to Bonobos Premium Denim to see the goods and take advantage of the 25% discount for new customers with the code COOLHUNTING25 through 23 March 2012.
Wales is making jeans again
Along with a beloved old T-shirt or a perfectly worn leather jacket, jeans often have more of a backstory than a regular article of clothing. The recently launched Hiut Denim encourages the wearer to officially document their relationship with their pants from the moment they first put them on. Built into each pair is a HistoryTag—a unique code enabling an online memory bank for jeans. By setting up a special account, people can upload pictures and stories about their adventures in denim. The archived information about each pair is maintained even as they’re passed from one owner to the next.
Interested in the stories behind the clothing we wear, David and Clare Hieatt founded Hiut—the name is a combination of “Hieatt” and “Utility”—to bring denim production back to their hometown of Cardigan, Wales which previously housed the U.K.’s largest denim factory producing 35,000 pairs a week. When businesses began moving operations east, the plant was closed, leaving a talented workforce behind.
With the new Hiut factory, the Hieatts hope to regenerate the local craft industry and in doing so, employ about 400 people in Cardigan again. Operating under the motto, “do one thing well,” Hiut has Grand Master denim cutters and machinists focusing their efforts on making just two styles of jeans—regular and slim—in a choice of two denim fabrics, organic from Turkey and selvage from Kuroki, the artisanal Japanese denim mill.
In the face of fast mass produced fashion Hiut is taking a more focused approach, celebrating each individual pair of locally made jeans—and encouraging those who buy the wares to continue the process with the HistoryTag. Hiut is available on the brand’s website, where you can pick your denim (organic or selvage), and then your cut (regular or slim), at prices starting at £130 a pair.
La Clarks Natalie con tomaia in denim, la si trova sullo store giapponese.
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Custom denim built by brothers at Northern Sweden’s Unionville shop
There’s a special level of appreciation for denim in Sweden. Acne, arguably the country’s most directional label, began as a project to make a few pairs of jeans for the founders’ friends. Fast forward to today and, on top of Acne, there are a host of denim brands whose cuts have endeared them to the fickle undercurrent of raw denim lovers including Nudie, Cheap Monday and other smaller brands who specialize in working with raw denim. Perhaps it’s the country’s affinity for utilitarian apparel, its strong subculture scene or maybe simply because Swedes gravitate toward quality above other more aesthetic attributes.
Almost a year to the day of its opening, we took a trip to Unionville, a specialist denim and workwear emporium on Stockholm’s Södermalm island to speak to Douglas Luhanko, who co-founded the store with his brother, Hampus and fellow denim specialist, Fredrik Johansson. Unionville sits on a quiet street behind its sister store, Sivletto—Stockholm’s Rock a Billy paradise—stocking a carefully selected blend of Japanese brands like The Flat Head and Iron Heart alongside classics including Levis and Wrangler and local labels Denim Demon and Blue Highway.
Blue Highway marks the work of the Luhanko brothers, whose passion for denim runs much deeper than just designing it. “We started six years ago,” explains Douglas. “My brother and I were still in a small town in Northern Sweden and we’ve always has this shared love of jeans and the history of denim itself. So Blue HIghway actually started out as a blog where we talked about vintage denim, its cultural references and history,” says Luhanko.
Pointing to one of Unionville’s hand-sourced machines, Douglas tells the story of how he and his brother acquired it after seeing a local advertisement—although it was only a single-seam stitch, it was enough to start with, and Blue Highway began to morph from a blog into what is arguably Sweden’s only truly custom denim brand. “Despite living at the time in Eskilstuna and working from a small basement there was a clear benefit in the small, isolated town in that it’s got a really long, industrial past,” says Douglas. “So we were able to pick up more machines over time, which are the ones hissing in our workroom here at Unionville.”
“I love how raw denim is brought to life by the person wearing it,” he adds. “Even though it may look like a normal pair, the owner knows that behind each line, fade, mark and crinkle is its own personal story.” While the brand has been growing organically for six years, the brothers have been involved in garment-making for much longer. Sharing a strong desire to return to the ideals of an 18th-century tailor, the Luhankos create everything from scratch for each client.
As Blue Highway began to pick up more clients, the pair began their never-ending search for authentic deadstock rolls of denim. “We’ve been through about 15 different types of denim,” Douglas says. “At the start we just hunted on Ebay but in Sweden that’s really expensive. We’ve gotten better at sourcing as time has passed,” he continues, pulling out their latest find, Cone Mills deadstock. “This one was meant for Levis, and it’s a little wider than the narrow shuttle loom denim we’ve had in the past,” he explains. “It’s about 11 ounces, and not so slubby like you’d get from Japan, but already now, when I feel it, I can see the possibilities.”
The brothers make everything in a workroom at the rear of the store, in full view of visitors. “Each pair takes around six hours to make,” Douglas points out, going on to explain that Blue Highway will never be about the money. “For us, it’s about the attitude of creation itself and paying a genuine homage to each piece of fabric and exploring the limits of our own creativity and cratsmanship at the same time.” He is quick to stress that their brand will always be completely handmade, so their vision remains imprinted on every aspect of the finished garment.
Given the duo’s pedigree as denim historians, Blue Highway’s cut is proudly based around a classic 1950s five-pocket cut. Each pair is single-stitched and overlocked on original, period sewing machines, while belt loops and bartacks on the rear pockets are completed by hand. Blue Highway denim sports special brass hardware that’s embossed in the workshop, and hand-cut, stamped leather patches. Perhaps in homage to Levis, Douglas is quick to mention that they don’t do riveted pockets. That said, they have added their own special twist on the coin pocket, which is sized large enough to fit a watch, with a slightly scooped cut to enable faster access to its contents.
The cost for this labor intensive process runs around 3,000 SEK (approximately $440), available at Unionville.
Swedish denim specialists release an exclusive, limited-edition batch of recycled jeans
Swedish denim purveyors Nudie Jeans will soon stock a short run of just 500 pairs of their straight-leg Slim Jim jean in a unique “Post Recycle Dry” denim at Barneys New York. While the limited-edition style lacks the coveted selvage weft, the raw indigo dye creates a brilliant color sure to wear in well over time.
The “Post Recycle Dry” jean is made up of old Nudie Jeans denim, which is then cut, milled down to a pulp and blended with virgin organic cotton. Due to the recycling process and the material’s subsequent natural irregularities, the denim takes on a distinctive slubby look up close, but from afar maintains a clean, vibrant blue hue. By dropping the signature bright stitching they’ve become known for over the past decade, Nudie keeps all attention on the denim itself.
Starting 12 January 2012, the Post Recycled Dry jean will be available in-store and online exclusively at Barneys for $215. For a better idea of how the recycled jeans are made watch Nudie Jeans’ informative video.
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