Tenue de Nîmes Indigo-dyed Chuck Taylor All Star

This Friday Tenue de Nîmes are launching a collection of special, hand-dyed, natural indigo, customized Converse Chuck Taylor All Star shoes. The Chuck Taylor All Star serves as a perfect muse for Tenue de Nîmes. With deep roots in style and culture, both the Chuck Taylor All Star shoe and indigo denim have led somewhat parallel lives. The Chuck Taylor All Star shoe and a pair of jeans have long been a staple of youth culture and music and have served as a symbol of independence for decades. Fittingly, Tenue de Nîmes asked the legendary denim experts, the Manabe family from Okoyama in Japan, owners of the Momotaro brand and Rampuya dyeing factory, if they would be able to indigo-dye a limited amount of 50 pairs. More info here.

Naked & Famous x Tenue de Nîmes collaboration

Tenue de Nîmes have teamed up with the denim-heads at Naked & Famous for a limited run of 24 pairs of jeans in a 13oz green, rope-dyed army repro denim. The mid-green color proved a particular challenge since the dye is very unstable, but the hard work has paid off, giving us a beautiful and truly inspired army-color. More info here.

Sugar Cane Vintage Wash & Premium Care

What should we do with a nice rigid denim when it's dirty? I have multiple ways of keeping it clean but I have never used any form of washing machine or detergent. This special treatment by Sugar Cane involves eight steps to clean your precious jeans. The treatment seems to be denim friendly so I am going to give it a try for my current project, a selvage 501. More info on RAWR Denim.

Eat Dust Wallet

Yesterday I had a drink with the guys from Eat Dust Clothing. Keith and Rob are genuine motorcycle fanatics and have a lot of experience in denim. These passions are clearly visible in the denim brand they started last year. Eat Dust Clothing is about good quality jeans and apparel with details inspired by classic motorcycle and their culture.

A month earlier I noticed on their blog that they were releasing a limited edition, hand made wallet.  It is made by Chris Earhart from Holliday. The combination of natural tanned leather and the Japanese 13 3/4 oz. ringspun denim instantly caught my eye. K&R were kind enough to send me some good pictures for our blog. Imagine how the denim will fade and the leather will obtain a rich dark brown patina. The wallet comes with special packaging and includes a t-shirt. Release info and price will be added to this post asap.

Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots.

Today I found some cool pics via the LIFE archive in Google. Looking for old denim pics I came across a picture of veteran performer Vaughn Monroe enacting the song "Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots." My curious nature made me gather some background information. The song was a hit from the Cheers in 1955. Vaughn covered the record.

This song is supposed to be the first real biker song. Not sure how the pictures were used in the magazine, but they look great. Vaughn wears a classic leather jacket, his straight cut jeans folded up high and he wears a pair of aviator sunglasses. Who knows what kind of motorcycle this is?

Listen to the original record from the Cheers below.

Levi's Cycling Denim

Levi's is introducing specialized cycling denims. As 90% of my body is always covered in denim and as the proud owner of a fixie I wanted to see what this is about. Cycling blog Prolly sat down with the creative team and put some items to the test. The collection will consist of both jeans and a jacket. Levi's has developed a special nanosphere treatment to avoid stains and smells.

The denim looks a bit cheap unfortunately but the details on the jeans are nice. A zipped back pocket, a U-lock holster, fluorescent 3M lining on he cuff, a gusseted crotch - nice - and a higher cut back area. The jacket is a rebuilt version of the trucker jacket. It has a stretching construction around the back, with air vents, 3 pockets, a scooped tail and longer sleeves. Levi's will release some special editions so I am hoping for a jacket in Cone denim with my name on it. Click here for more pics.

Denim Fatique Shirt

The Curator is specialized in making "new vintage" clothing. All inspired by moto, velo and military from the vintage era. The club sweaters look good - made in Italy - but my favorite is the USN Denim Fatique shirt. 

It is based on a 1940's US Merchant Marine fatigues smock. A smock is a loose overgarment to protect your clothing. According to the website it is not an exact replica, but that is not always important. Ideal to have for the spring-summer season. It is something you can wear as a thin extra layer, plus you can easily put it on or take it off. I would wear this with a wool flannel or a thick chambray shirt underneath.

Buddy Lee

Always in search of additional vintage must haves for our collection we came across this heavily beaten up Buddy Lee doll. The seller simply mentioned this buddy needed a new home where it would get some extra love and care. This damaged doll supposedly dates back to the 1930's. The jeans the doll wears are incredible, especially because of the classic 'donut' rivets. The shirt fits nicely but is not a Buddy Lee original.

MS&Co. Denim Sleeves

This cool brand MS&Co. from Oregon have produced a new line of sleeves for your favorite accessories, made with premium American 13.5 oz. selvage denim from Cone Mills. My enthusiasm is so huge it is lost in translation. Included in the collection are covers for iPhones, iPads, field notes, sunglasses and passports. All products are lined with 100% melton wool. Everything is made in the USA.

The MS&Co. website informs you that their next adventure will be BBQ sauce! I love the sense of humor. Can not wait to see more and test out their stuff. The loafer socks also look good. Might come in handy for your Wabasha oxfords in spring.

(via Selectism)

Tenue de Nîmes Website

Just before Christmas our friends from Tenue de Nîmes released their new website. The design by Anothercompany is refreshing and it adds a lot of functionality. The blog and online store are both an integrated part of the online denim domain. Every product features a detailed description by one of the founders of TdN. A great personal touch to the website I must say. Check it out here.

Have a nice Christmas!

TAKE 5 10th Anniv. Denim Collabs

One of Asia's best denim shops is TAKE 5. This shop with its large assortment of premium denims celebrates its 10th birthday this year. They will do a staggering number of 10 collaborations with denim brands. HB released some pictures of the collaborations with Pure Blue Japan, Momotaro and Samurai Jeans. The models shown in the pics are 16 oz. Samurai S710XX, a PBJ XX005 SLIM CUT and our favorite the 15.7 oz. 0701 Slim from Momotaro. (via Hypebeast)

Eat Dust Denim Jacket

Finding a well designed denim jacket is harder than it seems. Aside from the classics, you know there are very few contemporary interpretations that can blow you away. This Heavy Duty Worker Jacket from Eat Dust did just that with me.

It is made from heavy 13.25 oz. Japanese selvage denim. It features 2 hip pockets and one breast pocket which all feature the signature Z-Bar stitching. This a clear reference to their motorcycles as it resembles a type of handlebar. Not to be missed are the blue corduroy collar, the faded copper buttons and the extra button hole. Apparently for decoration, it was placed lopsided between the first and second functional button holes.

The brand itself is quite unknown and it is hard to find some proper background information on it. It seems be from Belgium and started by biker enthusiasts who share a passion, not only for bikes but also for denim and proper garments. Their blog does not reveal much but their webshop is online.

This post will get a follow-up if I can find out more.. (via SpeedSeekers)

Denim Demon Aquavit

A good drink is something I enjoy and it is the same with Anton and Oskar of Denim Demon. Next to their great denims, the news has just been released that they produced their own Schnapps. The Denim Demon Aquavit is brewed in collaboration with Buustamon, Sweden's smallest mountain distillery. Only 72 bottles in both small and big size are available.

Where can place my I order?

Ultimate Denim Boot

No, this is not a pair of Red Wing Shoes made of denim. Neither is this a collaboration with a big, fellow American brand. This is just the ideal 6" Moc for rigid or raw denim. The Hawthorne Abilene Roughout (8173) is most vulnerable to indigo bleeding. Wear them under your new denim and they will slowly turn blue.

Most people would find this scary, but to the denim enthusiast it is more like a sign his boots are aging, are getting more character. The bleeding will create blue spots on the upper and will create a unique look over time. This Moc comes with the standard gold/tan laces. Try the black laces as pictured or leather laces if you can find them in the right size.

Denim Sweat Pants

These "jeans" are not actually made of denim. In fact, they were made of fleece with a denim model digitally printed on the fabric. Each print resembles a specific model from denim history. The pants are made by Japanese label The Talking About The Abstraction Collection, which is famous for this kind of printing. Always up for a joke, I would to love to go to the gym in these. (via slamxhype)

Levi's Meatpacking

Last Thursday Levi's opened a new concept store in the Meatpacking District of New York. Quite a big space with its surface area of 420 square meters. The collection available contains Levi's Vintage, and the collaborative "Levi's Workwear by.." collections with Filson and Pendleton.

I was pleasantly surprised to read that they are also going to sell accessories by Billykirk and Upstate. There is an actual tailor in the store were you can get your denims modified or repaired. Not cheap, but I like that this service is offered. The pictures shown are a selection from the interior design and a peak into the tailor shop-in-shop.

(photo credit - Phillip Angert Photography)

Cone Mills x Levi's 505

The 505 is a good classic. Originally from 1967, not as famous as the 501 one but very popular because of its different fit around the waist. Lay the 505 and the 501 next to each other and you can clearly see the difference. Levi's released a 505 jean constructed with the infamous Cone Mills denim. No mill today is as rich in history, and it still has strong ties to the Levi's brand because of the interconnected heritage.

The Cone Mills x Levi's 505 Limited edition - only 505 pairs - is sold at the Levi's Concept Stores in San Francisco and New York Meatpacking District. It costs an affordable $178 USD. The only thing missing is the chainstitch on the hems as commented on HB's original post. Too bad, but that is something the guys from Tenue de Nimes can solve for you.

(pics via Hypebeast)

Bares, Broncs, and Bulls

Following the first preview at the end of October, more and more news about the collaboration between Levi's and Pendleton comes in. Marking this collaboration, Levi's has worked together with VICE / VBS.tv on a documentary which will air on VBS.tv on november 15th. The movie will focus on the lives of young Navajo cowboys in the desert of the US. Selectism had the honor to be the first to show a trailer of the film.

I am really looking forward to seeing the film. From a marketing perspective I am curious what VBS.tv came up with to integrate the products in the documentary. Product placement? What is the connection between the products and the Navajo cowboys. Is there any? We will see.

Roy's Jeans - Video by Self Edge

A new video about Roy denim appeared on the internet. This video shows your more about the process of making a pair of selvage jeans. Roy Slaper does everything himself and the way he uses his antique machines is really inspiring. The video was directed by Kellen Dengler and was produced by Self Edge. Make sure to check his website if you like denim.

Levi's 507XX Jacket

Every 4 years you need a new rigid denim jacket. Why 4 years, and not 3 or 5? It will take you about 2.5 years to properly break in your current one. After the first dry cleaner appointment, it will take some years before it looks its best. After 4 years of frequent wear it might be best to start a new project. Otherwise it will get too worn out and this is not what you want. My Atelier laDurance jacket - which I will show soon - is so well worn in that I decided to buy a new one for myself on short notice.

I already decided 2 years ago that my next one would be a Levi's jacket. Why? I want to break it in so hard that collectors will confuse it with a real vintage. I am still a bit in doubt, but the the 507XX is on my hit list. The box shape, the selvage denim and all the classic little details get me excited.

In a few years it should look something like this:

(image 1 via superfuture, image 2 via rakuten.jp)