Locomotive Tattoo

Everybody has a hobby. Some like music, some -me included- like jeans, some like tattooing, some like trains and some.. like both! Our friend Jonathan sent us this crazy picture. I am going to have a 877 tattooed on my forehead next week. Not.

Deus Jockeys

Australian custom motorcycle manufacturer Deus had the bright idea to hire the Harold Park Paceway for a day, get some riders to do laps and shoot a film. Not only is the abandoned horse racing track very good scenery, the additional combo of sun, dust, motorcycles and a great soundtrack do the job. You just want to go there and race around the track yourself. (via Pipeburn)


Deus Ex Machina - Harold Park Paceway Revisited from Deus Customs on Vimeo.

Yamandu's Work Gloves

Last weekend I ran into friend and photographer Yamandu at Tenue de Nimes. He brought us some real Budweisers (a story for later) and some good stories. He was preparing for a new trip as part of his #Europeans project. This is going to be amazing. He left today so follow his journey!

While having a drink he told me about his Dickies work gloves. He said they were the coolest on the planet, and for a special reason. He explained that he always used them for the bbq: he thought it was fun to pick up red-hot coals with his gloves. I imagined they would look burned and hell yeah they do! (pictures by Yamandu Roos)

Red Wing Boat Shoe Navy

We are preparing ourselves for a day in the park. On my packing list are my American Optical sunglasses, a Pendleton Motor Robe, a book and a new pair of boat shoes. We are ready to enjoy the spring weather!

For your own preparation, two colorways of the Boat Shoe by Red Wing Shoes arrived in the shop. A classic boat shoe silhouette with boot durability. This type of light shoe can be a real "treat to the feet" on a hot summer day. It comes in Navy and Mahogany for €179.90. The Sand Yuma colorway will arrive any day now.

Waxed Michigan Coat

Recently Carhartt WIP released 3 jackets in permanent waxed cotton. This industrial way of waxing a fabric - instead of a garment - should, according to Carhartt, ensure rewaxing is no longer necessary and hte initial coating will stay on after washing. Not sure but I think waxing a garment is better because it allows you to include the stitching in the process, a known weak spot in any water resistant product. Any experts want to share their thoughts on this?

The best of the three is the Michigan Coat, a traditional work jacket with corduroy collar and four pockets in front. Hidden features are the cotton lining and inside storm cuffs. Available in four colors Carhartt Brown, Cypress, Black and Dark Navy. The black waxed canvas surprised me a bit, because it sounds like Darth Vader raping Indiana Jones, but the outcome is good.

Journal de Nimes Nº7

Yesterday the 7th Journal de Nîmes was released. The North American issue is a fact. It is a good read, extensive info on the 501, Cone Denim and the Japanese passion for North America. Also you can find background info on the Red Wing Shoes Mohave military leather and an overview of our road trip last June. Read the whole magazine here.

Red Wing Shoes Repair Video

In a bygone era, cobblers lived in every major town and would both build new shoes and repair broken shoes for their customers. In some places, shoes are still made with hand-cut leathers and sewn on soles - shoes that last a decade or longer, rather than a few months - with proper repair. Meet the team who helps restore timeworn Red Wing shoes. If you prefer your boots to have a little history - you will appreciate the restoration process we go through to revitalize a pair of well-used boots.

Special Prairie Boot

It is always fun when we have our friend and photographer Pim van Ingen in the shop. This weekend he told us the story of how he gave his 8" Mocs in Hawthorne Muleskinner a special treatment. After wearing them once he decided he found the color too light. He took a brush and Rapide leather conditioner and started conditioning his boots.

After doing so the most superficial part of the rough surface area came loose. He removed this with a cloth and conditioned the shoes again with a brush. He liked the texture that his special treatment had created and he told us the leather was instantly more supple.

We would not advise this kind of treatment on a roughout, but we do have to admit we like the look of his boots. Thanks Pim for the photos!

Red Wing vs. Uwe Afferden

Our Red Wing friend Fred from Germany (local agent for brands like Red Wing and Nigel Cabourn) has probably one of the coolest showrooms we have ever seen so far. He represents our beloved shoe brand in a store by Uwe van Afferden in Dusseldorf where he is surrounded by incredible design, interior and all kinds of must haves like Roberu, Levi's Vintage and customized Red Wing shoes.

Have a look at his custom Red Wing Iron Ranger which he gave a black toe and heel cap. Ridiculously cool right? Whenever you visit the German city promise us you will drive an extra block to be overwhelmed by this amazing store and the way it fits the Red Wing product. Thanks to Fred for the inspiration.

Noblesse Oblique Exhibition

Scott Campbell has opened a solo exhibition called Noblesse Oblique in the OHWOW gallery in Los Angeles. Not around the corner for us, but that is an extra reason to show some of his works. He uses a wide variety of materials like ostrich eggshell, graphite, currency, copper and neon.

His use of cut currency is very special. In one piece a staggering $11,000 worth of dollar sheets is used, to carve out a skull to create a 3-dimensional piece of art. All artworks show strong influences by Campbells background as a tattoo artist. He honors his background, as the name implies, but still seeks a new context for the art normally seen on someones skin. Read all background info on OHWOW and see more pics at Slamxhype.

Slate Blue Round Toe

One of our favorite newcomers for spring is the 6" Round boot in Slate Blue. It has already gained rockstar status as a collaboration with Nigel Cabourn on a lot of blogs, but that is not the case. What is for sure is that it is a beautiful grey/blue roughout eye catcher. The boot is a basic model from Red Wing Shoes. It just about covers the ankle and has the signature Crepe Wedge outsole with Traction Tred. This will age just as formidably as the already familiarized Red Wing Shoes roughouts like the Muleskinner and Mohave.

For the picture it was laced with rawhide laces. This matches perfectly with the brown welt. The boot comes standard with gold/tan laces and the chrome rawhide laces seen in the picture below. The chromes are awesome but we would recommend burying them under a plant for 2 weeks to give them a worn out look. A dip in a puddle outside might also do the trick. Available at our shop for €239.90.

Apolis Common Thread

Apolis have released a video called Common Thread. It was made by New Yorker Jeff Taylor, from Lonelyleap Film, a production studio in London. The video itself displays the spirit of their "common thread" vision which Apolis describes as "connecting the hands that make our product to the hands that own our product. We really consider it a privilege to be doing what we love.."

Gathering great people around you while working on things you love is the best. Nothing but respect for these people and the way their brand operates in the global market. Watch the video below.

Lonelyleap Film, Case Study: Apolis, "Common Thread" from Apolis on Vimeo.

Palette Coasters

Design duo Labyrinth has created a very transportable set of coasters. The standard euro pallet was scaled down to on tenth of its original design. The stackable coasters are exact miniatures, quality stamps included. Doing all the lifting for you, it is not only for heavy drinkers. (via Selectism)

Self Edge Navajo Bracelet

One of the latest copies of Free & Easy got me interested in Navajo jewelry. A short search on the internet did not really match what I was looking for, but this bracelet from Self Edge is to my liking. It is a very simple single-grain leather band, with 925 sterling silver hand cut S-hook.

It is made by Jeanette Dale, who has 45 years of silversmith experience. She still follows her first mentor's advice: "Leave some mark, a saw mark of something to show that the jewelry was handmade." Beautiful with a rough edge. Available in two colors at Self Edge for $70 dollar. (via Hypebeast)

Harley-Davidson found in the toilet

It must be the ultimate dream for any car or motorcycle lover to enter a barn in a remote place and find the vehicle you have always dreamed of having. Especially when it has stood the hands of time and is in mint condition. I have heard some stories before, but this is so cool we had to share it with you.

It is the story of a Harley Peashooter that was found in the toilet of a mine. In the 40's a Mr Bicker heard stories of a Harley that was left behind in a mine in Western Australia. It was located after an extensive search and it was in mint condition. Quite extraordinary after sitting in the men's room for 20 years. The owner could not get it started and decided to sell it. At home, Mr Bicker easily managed to start it. In January this year, the HD Peashooter auctioned for $125.800 at Bonhams Vegas Auction. Read the full story on pipeburn.com. Thanks Jonathan for sending us the info!

Custom Branded Engineer

A while back we posted about custom Iron Ranger shoes. Master tanner Andy Rhein, of S.B. Foot Tannery, knows a thing or two about custom shoes. He had several completely unique pairs made. Andy is always very enthusiastic and immediately explained how he tanned the leather and got the shoes made to his specifications.

When I received a tour today, he was wearing a pair of custom Engineers. It is made from bull leather. This is a male cow, used not for meat but for breeding. Their hide is much thicker than normal steer and the leather has a special texture to it. The hide was put in the ground for 5 months, dug up, cleaned and dyes were added. This is basically the way leather was tanned 500 years ago. He got the leather cut in a way that the branding marks are covering the instep and the toe area of his boots. Amazing. .Thanks Andy for your time!

SB Foot Tannery

Red Wing Shoes have released its second video today. I am completely exhausted from the flight today, but still I have a big smile on my face after viewing this vid. It shows you a little bit of the SB Foot Tannery and the way leather is produced. I already had the privilege to meet Dave Hill and Andy Rhein before and I am glad I can share this experience with you now. Their amount of knowledge on leather and "the shoe" is almost unprecedented. Enjoy.

On the way to Red Wing

In 30 min I am off to Red Wing. Quite exciting to go there for the second time. I am going to visit the factory, the tannery and have some interesting meetings. Hope to learn more about leather and product development. I will keep you posted. The picture above is a view over Red Wing and the "barn bluf". It was taken between 1865 and 1890 by Charles A. Zimmerman. I will keep you posted.

Camel Boat Boot

The weather is beautiful today, so we are enjoying our life on sunday. The sunshine encouraged me to try on some of the new spring-summer styles of our collection. Today's favorite was the Boat Boot in Camel Muleskinner.

This model in roughout leather is ideal for the warmer season, although it is not averse to a bit of rain or dirt to stimulate the aging process. It features a waterproof boat sole, leather laces and thick contrast stitching. Available now at Red Wing Shoes Amsterdam.

Rewaxing a Barbour jacket

Clothing store Lark from Vancouver has produced a beautiful instruction video. It explains how to rewax your coat made from waxed canvas. A Barbour coat is used in the video, but this method will apply to any other brand or product too. The video itself is well-produced, the instructions are clear, the environment fits the product perfectly and I like the background music. Enjoy.

Lark - Rewaxing your Barbour. from CASTE on Vimeo.

Stevenson Overall Co. Blackleader Coat

Spring is around the corner but I could not resist posting this winter coat. Stevenson Overall Co. is mostly sold in Japan, and only a few stores carry their collection in Europe and US. Too bad because the Blackleader railroad coat by SOC. is what might be considered a piece of art.

At first sight it looks kind of basic, but it's fitted with amazing details. Firstly the leather re-enforced pockets and sleeves - got to love that. New for me was also the combination of the shawl-neck collar and the double breasted buttons. The little chain attached to the tag, going through eyelets around the back, is a great finishing touch.

Red Wing Retail Marketing

My dear brother sent me this picture which he received from one of our friends. It is a fine example of American retail marketing. Just put all competitive prices on a list, add some conditions and tape it to the window. Life is so easy.

I am going to do the same tomorrow with a few additions: like: "Trying is free, but only today and tomorrow." and "Be warned, it is not going to be your last pair of Red Wings." Thanks Jonathan for sharing!

Maiden Noir x Timex Expedition

There are occasions in life where you do not want to wear your favorite watch. Your brother's bachelor party or for example, or maybe that rock concert you visited with your old friends. That calls for an affordable solution that still displays the time accurately.

Maiden Noir has collaborated with Timex on the model Expedition. Called the 'vintage military watch' it comes with a silver case, black dial and two branded canvas bracelets. It is packaged in a small cardboard box with military print. Always a pleasure to see such details. It costs approx 140 euro and is sold at Stless. I find it affordable for a watch, but you can make it work with a smaller budget. Just buy an Expedition on Ebay and change the strap. (via Highsnobiety)