Close Up and Private x After the Denim

It seems, that After the Denim is going from strength to strength these days. And I can't thank everyone enough. Not only did James Taylor write a great piece on buying vintage clothing and tweed, which FYI has become the most read post on ATD, but I was also approached by the marvellous artist Sergei Sviatchenko during One Month of Denim.

I have mentioned Sergei once before and many of you will already recognise his name as the founder of Close Up and Private - the ultra Stylish, online lookbook with the artist twist, that is so easily and instantly recognisable. For this reason Close Up and private has every style blogger pressing the re-blog button again and again. Some of you may even recognise his name as a gifted artist, that does beautiful collages and paintings.

Sergei contacted me offering some exclusive photos, that all evolve around the subject of jeans. I didn't want to spoil them by including them in One Month of Denim, so I decided to do a regular post on them or possibly a One Month of Denim finale.

I can't thank Sergei enough for letting me post the pictures on this blog. It is an honour!

Since he has allowed me to do so, I can only encourage the readers to go and check out Close Up and Private and do so on a daily basis! It is definitely the world's best blog, when it comes to original, inspirational images.

The set is named "Ladies in Denim"

The X in the titel may indicate, that this was a collaboration. It wasn't. I didn't do a thing.

One Month of Denim - Day 30

Last day. I made it through. Each and every day for the past 30 days I sat down and did a post on denim. It has been hard, and I won't be doing a month like it for a very long time, if ever. I think a week suffice in the future. But I hope this has been of some help to some people, although the information I have provided you with, is probably rather basic for many of you. 

Today I was going to write about indigo dying, but I ran out of time, instead I got the idea to write about one simple term based on the pictures of the hairy denim on the work jacket from yesterday and that term is singeing.

Singeing is a process where a gas flame (most often, but I do believe you can also use razor shar knives) to burn of the tiny hairs on the denim or any other kind of fabric. This fluff is what you see on the surface, when you look across it and it looks almost sort of dusty. This fluff has been getting a revival because Japanese makers started introducing it again. To this one operator from Cone Mills noted, that they had invested heavily in singeing machines, but now the customers wanted overly hairy denim fabrics, so these expensive machines looked a bit useless now.

The fluff is generally a sign of an inferior cotton because of it shorter staple length. This is normally one of the qualities of cotton from Texas. However this is often how denim from the late 60's to early 80's looked.

I have even seen a pair of jeans from the Swedish brand Indigofera, where the hairyness has been overly exagareted. Again, not to anybodys taste, but it surely adds to the character.

Lastly a little Levi's commercial with lots of character.

One Month of Denim - Day 29

One Month of Denim is coming to an end. I was thinking about writing about the big three - Levi's, Wrangler and Lee, but you probably already know a lot about them, and if you don't it is fairly easy finding some trustworthy information elsewhere. Furthermore I figured giving you some Danish denim history might expand your horizon a bit.

Today's post may bear a resemblance to yesterday's post, however I figured it would still be of some interest. This FE Engel jacket I found recently. It is probably from the 50's or the 60's like the other jacket, but this is probably more recent. In case you are wondering, this jacket is slightly too small for me, so I'm sending off to a new, good friend of mine, who I think will appreciate it.

F. Engel was founded by Carl J. Engel Senior in 1927 in the Southern part of Denmark. Today the business is still family owned, however production has moved to Lithuania, just like it is the case with a lot of Danish makers.

Back in the days everything was cut and sewn in Denmark, often using what is known as "Bull Denim" from Erwin Mills in the US. For your information; Erwin Mills were the first to use Sanforisation, as mentioned in a previous post. Bull Denim is a rather heavy denim weave with the typical twill construction, except it is later piece dyed.

I don't think F. Engel continued using denim from Erwin Mills, I suspect, that they - along with other workwear makers - started using denim, that was woven locally on Grenaa Damvæveri, which closed it doors 10 years ago.

On to the jacket.

The construction is pretty basic. Short jacet with two front pockets.

Big front pockets with brass snap buttons. The pockets are internally reinforced.

As you can see all seams are felled and triple stitched. The two top buttons are snap buttons, whereas the rest are regular buttons.

Selvage runs down the placket and the buttons are hidden. Pretty crude construction.

Concealed button.

The waist is elasticized, which gives a more modern and in my opinion a better fit.

The denim is has a purple hue or cast.

Furthermore it is quite hairy and slubby, which is a sign of using a cotton with a short stable length. This is normally a sign of a poor quality, but it ads to the character in my opinion. Purists are sometimes going for this look - For instance Roy Slaper made a pair of contest jeans for Superfuture, which was made of a special fabric from Cone Mills, that was very hairy and slubby.

It even has some mill flaws, which again ads to the character.

The American inspiration becomes quite obvious, when you see, that the snaps are made by Scovill, which also supplied many of the big American jeans and workwear companies - including Levi's.

The tag is quite cute. You don't see anything like that anymore.

One Month of Denim - Day 28

Danish denim history is hardly worth mentioning, if you want 5 pocket jeans. But if you are into workwear history, I think Danish denim history is very interesting.  Two of the biggest makers of workwear in Denmark, F Engel and Kansas, were both founded by men, who had been to the US and seen how well denim served the labourers.

Over the years I have found several interesting workwear-related denim garments in thrift stores in Denmark. I have passed on many and many I have passed on to friends, but I have never found anything for myself.

It's not unlikely, that Kansas will be covered at some other point, if I find something interesting from them and tomorrow I'll probably also be writing about Danish denim history - showcasing denim workwear from F. Engel. But today we will be looking at a denim coat from EK, that I found and passed on to my good friend Rasmus, who both contributes with a lot of photos for AtD and occasionally writes a post.

Now on to the jacket.

As you see the model is a pretty standard chore coat, however the bottom of the front pockets are lined. If I were to determine the age of it, I would be guessing, that it is from the 50's or the 60's. Other than that I'm guessing that it was made in Denmark, using fabric that was also woven in Denmark in the mills of Grenaa Dampvæveri, which closed its doors 10 years ago. I have no information on the company EK.

With nice brass buttons and keyhole buttonholes.

The denim is selvage (it runs down both plackets) and it is quite slubby or it has some irregularities. The cast is greyish light blue. As you can see all seams are felled and triple stitched. Lastly it has been hemmed using chainstitch.

Notice the selvage detail on the locker loop. 

The pockets have all been bartacked with a contrasting red thread and this particular jacket has a very nicely made embroidery that says BD

But what really makes this jacket jacket stand out and makes it very special, is the interfacing or backing of the embroidery. This is made by old news papers or what I'm assuming is news paper. You are able to make out actual words on the backing, which is really funny. I have never seen embroidery made like this. In order to fully appreciate this jacket, you have to know about this great, little feature. As you know, God is in the detail.

If you like workwear, I can't recommend Mono's Workwear magazines/books enough. Although all text is in Japanese, you can just browse the wonderful images.

More importantly if you have any stories, info or details on the Danish garment industry, please do share them with me - either in the comment section or via e-mail.

One Month of Denim - Day 27

One the subject of wearing and thus fading jeans I would like to put in my tuppence worth.

There are many rules and equally many misconceptions to wearing - and washing - your raw denim the right way. Just thinking about doing something the right way, rubs me the wrong way. By that I mean, that no one should tell you, how you wear your jeans. 

If you feel uncomfortable wearing your for six months straight without washing them, then that is not the right thing for you. If you on the other hand enjoy doing so, and every now and then go a couple of years without washing your jeans, then I salute you too.

I know this may sound a bit incoherent, and it is. I know. But while I was doing what little research I have done for "One Month of Denim", I came across a lot of people, who were telling other people, how they were supposed to wear their jeans. That is just wrong to me. So now I'm telling you how to wear your jeans: The way that suits you. Be that washing your jeans 7 times a week, then that is your way, and your jeans will fade according to your lifestyle.
That brings me to, why I find jeans so damn incredible. They become a screening of your way of living. They become a reflection of your daily life. They become second skin.

Besides these hollistic bogus statements I just came up with, I would like to address some things or rather make some suggestions to wearing raw denim. As always in no particular order.

1. Always wash your denim inside out in order to avoid weird vertical white lines

2. If you are wearing shrink-to-fit denim, then wash/soak your jeans once or twice before wearing them

3. If you are wearing sanforized denim you may also want to soak your jeans before wearing them in order to remove some starch

4. In the summer it is fun to wash your jeans in the ocean and letting them dry in the sand and sun - experiment with your jeans

5. Mineworkers and cowboys didn't wait six months before they washed their jeans. They washed them, when they could or when they needed washing

6. Wearing your jeans daily for at least 6 months before washing, will give you high contrast fades, that Superfuture members will give you plus rep for

7. Wearing you jeans daily and washing them regularly will give you more vintage-like fades

8. If you don't remove the starch from the rigid fabric by rinsing, washing or soaking, your jeans will be more prone to crotch blows, due to abrasion of the rigid cotton fibres

9. Do what you feel like, they are your jeans

10. Do what feels right. If not they won't be your jeans.

Sorry no pics in this days post.

One Month of Denim - Day 26

These are the hands of a passionate man

We are getting closer and closer to the end of this marathon. I'm almost out of things, that I want to write about, but I think I'll make it. Then we will take a long break from denim, unless something amazing is uncovered in the deserts of Arizona or something sensational happens.

That sensational thing happening could be coming from the English brand Tender Co. and I would be foolish to not include Tender in a write up on denim - especially on modern denim -, as I see this brand as one of the most innovative.

So what makes Tender more innovative than others or rather should I say, what makes Tender so great? That might seem like a fairly easy question to answer, but there are many things that you need to include in order to answer that question fully.

This list might give some perspective to why Tender is so great. In no particular order of course.

1. William Kroll seems like friendliest man alive. Probably also one of the most passionate and creative.

2. Everything is cut a sewn in England using small factories and artisans - you can take this literally

3. The use of natural dyes like woad dye (I type of indigo dye), logwood and weld

4. The use of full grain leather that has been oak tanned in England by an amazing tannery called JF Baker - (I have used this leather myself and I have to say it is the best belt leather, I have used)

5. The overly excessive use of small, well-thought details - for instance the "snob's thumb pocket"

6. Not necessarily making slim, basic 5 pocket jeans a la the New Standard

7. Custom made (in England) wax cast solid brass buttons

8. Custom made (in England) wax cast belt buckles of very original designs.

9. Tender has a piece of soap in their assortment

10. Small, well curated collection - that grows organically

11. Collaboration with Hickorees Hard Goods in New York - Don't you love this?

12. Loopwheeled t-shirts with print or hand dyed

13. The level of almost full disclosure through the Tender thread on Superfuture. Definitely worth a couple of hours of browsing due to the pictorials posted by William himself

14. Ingenious construction of the garments - bias cut and one-piece cut

15. The introduction of sheepskin mittens in the collection and small runs of denim aprons

16. Beautiful print illustrations done by an old artist named Dorrit Dekk

17. For having a wall clock as a prime feature on the website

18. You can ask him anything in the Superfuture thread, and he will probably provide answers for more than you asked

19. Do you need more reasons? Really?

20. If you need more, watch this film

I wouldn't mind a pair of these, although my taste is probably a bit too conventional (boring) to pull them off on a daily basis.

One Month of Denim - Day 25

Until about an hour ago the Buddy Lee fan group had 101 fans, but then I joined the group, and the number rose to 102. I felt bad doing this, as I found it quite symbolic, that the group had 101 fans, knowing that the iconic Lee model is called 101. Was this a coincidence? I'll let you make up your own mind.

Buddy Lee. The little doll, that became the mascot for Lee or rather became synonomous Lee, was created by a Lee sales manager named Chester Reynolds. He was originally featured in Lee commercials from the 1920's to the beginning of the 1960's and he has later made appearances and still do so.

Buddy Lee is a highly collectable item in some of the early editions and can fetch very high prices to the right collector. Buddy Lee has been suited in all kinds of different outfits - from railroad worker to cowboy. Buddy has done all kinds of odd jobs.

Originally he was only supposed to be used as a sort of sales promotion in the shops. After the promotion shops were encouraged to sell the dolls to the customers. This caught on and later the small Buddy Lee doll was turned into a piece of sales merchandise and a succesful one. When Buddy was pulled from the market in 1962 it was the second-highest-selling doll in the US. 

Of course I also found a movie for you to watch.

One Month of Denim - Day 24



As always my weekends are kind of busy, so again I find myself with very little time to write about denim. So today you will have to settle with a link to a visit to the Cone Mills White Oak plant in North Carolina. This visit was done by Mr. Denim - Paul Trynka.

Cone Mills was one of the original suppliers to denim - besides Amoskeag, which folded many years ago - and they are also the supplier of many other brands. Cone Mills denim is probably not the most interesting choice of denim, although their technical department have done some amazing fabrics like the "Tweed Denim", that the American brand, Left Field used for a very limited run of jeans. I helped a friend of mine get hold of a pair and I can truly testify, that they are very unique and very beautiful. What you do get, when you buy Cone Mills denim is a very strong, hard wearing and very reliable fabric. So it is obviously one of my favourite fabric, which is also why that I decided on buying Cone Mills denim, when I acquired some denim. Other than that the denim is still mainly woven in the US and they also offer some other fabrics such as indigo dyed selvage canvas and some pretty rad cotton duck.

For the article - GO HERE!

One Month of Denim - Day 23

I have been posting a lot of videos the last couple of days, and how I wish I could continue doing so. I know, I can't do so for all eternity, but I'll keep going for another day.

Here are some good denim-related videos in a mixed order and with a mixed quality or relevance.


























If you have some denim videos, that you want to share, feel free to do so in the comments or send an e-mail and I'll them to the list

One Month of Denim - Day 22

There are some factors to what makes a great denim fabric and one of these factors are besides what cotton type, also how the cotton or rather cotton yarn is spun. When speaking of yarns used for denim there are generally three ways. The first being Ring-spun denim, second Ring-Ring denim or double ring-spun denim and finally Open-end denim.

Ring-spun denim was the most common method used up until the 1970s. In this method the cotton yarns are twisted together for a stronger and harder-wearing product, which will also fade like the actual vintage jeans.

The Ring-Ring denim creates the best quality denim, as it employs Ring-spun yarn for both the warp and the weft. This is the traditional way of producing denim.

Open End was introduced in the 1970s and it reduced the cost of producing denim, as well as reducing the quality in many ways. The cotton fibres are mock twisted by blowing them together. This creates a fabric that is more coarse, dark (because it absorbs more dye), bulkier and it doesn't wear or fade as well as Ring-spun denim because of the extra dye.

It is possible to create a denim using a Ring-spun warp and an Open-end weft. This gives the fabric some of the strength and the look of Ring-spun denim, but it is still cheaper. It should be said, that just because you are paying large amounts for a pair of jeans doesn't mean you are getting a quality product. Some of the biggest designer brands are known for using Open End denim...

One Month of Denim - Day 21

Roy Slaper of Roy Denim is an artist. No doubt about that. Just like Blue Highway, he is making his own jeans one by one, but he has got a bigger and better selection of machinery. The cool thing is that he makes everything himself and he does all of it on old machines from Singer and Union Special for instance. Before reading anymore you should just watch this video done by Self Edge.

When he started out he offered made to order jeans for customers through Superfuture and they were definitely in demand, so much that he decided to focus on making jeans and selling them online exclusively through Self Edge.

I think I could write a lot more about Roy and his one man operation, but I think many people have done so and done so with a great angle in the past, that I would much rather turn your attention to them. But may I just add, that I love the scalloped stitch, he uses.

Grain & Gram

Denim News

Revolver

Superfuture

Did I mention, that he makes a pair of fantastic jeans in duck cotton? Well, he does.

And did I mention, that there is another movie of his jeans-making-goodness floating around? Well, there is.

One Month of Denim - Day 20

I'm sick and tired of thinking about writing a post on denim on a daily basis, but as I promised, I will keep doing so, so it's just my good fortune, that we only have 10 days left.

- I'm kidding. I love writing about denim, and I hope it has helped some people out there. But I hope it hasn't made people believe that this blog is all about denim because that is not the case.

In the question the other day, I mentioned something called "Big E" in regards to vintage Levi's jeans. The red tab was introduced in 1936 as mean of identifying a genuine pair of Levi's jeans. Until 1971 one the red tab had LEVI'S written in all capital letters, and after that it was spelled Levi's. This was the end of an era for the most part.

Levi's decided to put the red tab on their jeans because they hadn't trademarked the arcuate on the back pocket by 1936, which meant a lot of competing companies were adding arcuates to their jeans. Wrangler and Lee even had an arcuate that looked VERY similar to the Levi's V-arcuate before they more or less settled on their W- and Lazy-S arcuate.

Levis arcuate (hand sewn) - pre 1936 

Wrangler jeans - 1940's

Lee jeans - 1940s

The arcuate is now conceived as the oldest clothing trademark. It was used by Levi's from the beginning basically, however it has been speculated that they weren't the first to employ it on the back pocket. Although they hadn't trademarked the arcuate by 1936, they did so in 1943.

Fun fact about the arcuate around that time (during the Second World War) is that it was painted on the jeans instead of it being stitched. This was done in an attempt to save on materials including thread.

Levis - painted arcuates - which would wear off in time leaving blank back pockets

In recent times Levi's sued a lot of Japanese denim brands because they used arcuates and red tabs that resembled the ones Levi's use. Read more about the lawsuit here and here on the great Swedish denim blog, Repeat to Fade, which unfortunately seems to be no more.