As you can imagine, one of the more difficult workings to any heritage company (denim or otherwise) is maintaining tradition while pursuing innovation. Typical proponents of all things heritage and repro, Sugar Cane, recently released their skinniest fit yet, the Sugar Cane 2014 Jean.

Sugar Cane reproduces denim fabrics from 50-100 years ago with restored power looms. Their rich indigo is achieved by using traditional Japanese hand dyeing techniques and producing fibers from sugar cane. You may remember their Sugar Cane Awa, Sugar Cane Okinawa, and Sugar Cane Hawaii lines as each model island hopped their way across the Pacific.

The slim tapered run continues the Sugar Cane heritage with a modern fit and a slight taper below the knee.

Details

The post Sugar Cane & Co. 2014 Slim Tapered Jean – Recently Released appeared first on RawrDenim.com.

If you’re into good clothes, Japan is a great place to be. There are probably more heritage wear stores in this country than everywhere else in the world combined. The Clutch Collection Yokohama Show, held last week for three days, was another perfect example of Japan’s position in the world of fashion.

The show was co-organized by Clutch Magazine and Men’s File, which guaranteed an amazing curation of brands. And the whole thing was backed by the city of Yokohama, hence the venue (breathtaking), and the ministry of tourism via its project Cool Japan, aiming at boosting tourism in Japan in order to support the country’s efforts to revive the economy.

We had the chance to walk through the 85 booths, with the must-see titan brands like Iron Heart, The Real McCoy’s, Red Wing, and Schott but also exciting new or smaller brands like Muller & Bros, Fleurs de Bagne, Dehen, and Comfy.

Muller and Bros

Creative directed by French Tokyo based vintage expert Stephane Muller, and produced at the Nap Inc. factory in the mountains of Okayama, Muller and Bros. makes ’40s inspired pieces from small accessories and shoes to jeans and leather jackets.

Fleurs de Bagne

Very promising brand, Fleurs de Bagne is from South France and the key images of its universe are prisons, bandits, work camps, French military heroes, and sailor tattoos. Each piece has a very clear and precise historical background referring to key characters or events of French history, all 100% made in France with old world techniques.

Full Count & Co.

Full Count was introducing the concept behind their F/W collection, MAKE YOUR OWN JEANS, insisting on the idea that, according to their promotional pamphlet, “the most attracting property of jeans is that everyone wears them a certain way depending on their lifestyle, always creating something unique”.

Brown’s Beach

Created in Massachusetts in 1901, the strength of Brown’s Beach Jacket is in its fabric. Developed by one Mr. Brown over a century ago, their Beach Cloth mixes 27% cotton and 73% wool. The brand fell into obscurity with the introduction of synthetic fabrics in the ’60s, and was only recently brought back to life by Full Count.

Iron Heart

With an entire denim jeans wall and a Harley Davidson in the middle of the booth, heavyweight specialist motorcycle focused brand Iron Heart demonstrated once more they’re not fooling around.

Burgus Plus

Our friends from Ueno, Burgus Plus, introduced their new collection.

Sugar Cane and Mister Freedom

Sugar Cane and Mister Freedom were both present at a huge booth designed with fake red bricks to evoke Christophe Loiron’s shop in LA. Contrasting with his S/S Rock’n’Roll flash collection, Mister Freedom is going all blue and green with inspirations from ’50s French Indochina for F/W.

The Real McCoy’s

Military inspired brand The Real McCoy’s was showcasing their classics and also had a Buco corner with more motorcycle focused garments.

If you want to see more photos from Clutch Collection, check us at @rawrdenim on Instagram and have a look at the official hashtag #clutchccshow on SNS.

The post Clutch Collection Yokohama Show 2015 – Recap appeared first on RawrDenim.com.

New on Self Edge shelves, the Sugar Cane 1953 Type II Unsanforized Raw Denim Jacket is made of a crispy 14.25 oz. selvedge denim and has all the typical Type II trappings – pleated front, dual breast pockets, and side tabs. It was previously only available in a one-wash version, but with some coaxing, Self Edge was able to acquire a small batch of raw versions.

The craziest part of this is the price. Self Edge cut the price in half from when they had the jacket for the first time around years back, and now a Japanese-made unsanforized selvedge denim jacket can be yours for just $240. Okay, that’s still two and a half bones. But, that’s literally half the price of The Flat Head’s version. Josh (the model) looks angry, but he’s super happy about this. Trust us.

DETAILS

• Name: Sugar Cane 1953 Type II Unsanforized Raw Denim Jacket
• Fabric: All cotton unsanforized raw selvedge denim
• Weight: 14.25 oz.
• Unique Features:
  • Iron buttons
  • Deerskin leather patch
• Available for $240 at Self Edge

The post Sugar Cane 1953 Type II Unsanforized Raw Denim Jacket appeared first on RawrDenim.com.

The little details that go into a pair of jeans can often be overlooked by the less discerning consumer. Only the most passionate denimheads care about chainstitches, selvedge lines, and tucked waistbands. But there are two design details few can overlook: the back pocket arcuate–which we highlighted recently–and the design of a brand’s patch. These allow for a designer’s artistic spirit to make a statement, one that might convince or deter a consumer from purchasing their creation.

With this in mind, we’ve assembled a near complete raw denim patch collection of the brands we know and love. Over a hundred raw denim-producing brands have been included, spanning one man operations to enormous denim manufacturers. Some reproduce the old guard’s patches to a near infringing level, while others use a completely original design, while some forgo the patch altogether.

We are only displaying one patch per brand due to space constraints, but many brands have numerous patches and some–like Sugar Cane or Kamikaze Attack–have a different patch for each model. We’ve picked the patches that we feel are most representative of the brand. As always, sound off in the comments section below with any favorite brands we may have overlooked.

3sixteen

3sixteen+

3×1

(No Patch Typically Used-NPTU)

45RPM

Akai-Me Denim

Allevol

Ande Whall

A.P.C.

(NPTU)

Apolis

Atelier Ladurance

Baldwin Denim

Benny Gold

Benzak Denim Developers

Big John

Billiam

Brooklyn Denim Co.

Buck Mason

Burgus Plus

bybeatle

Carhartt

Patch on Pocket

Cheap Monday

Cheese Denim

Denham the Jeanmaker

Denim Demon

Denime

Detroit Denim Co.

Dickies 1922

Patch on Pocket

Dior

(NPTU)

Double Volante

Dry Bones

Dyer & Jenkins

Eat Dust

Edwin

Elhaus

Endrime

Epaulet

Eternal

Evisu

E-Workers

Factotum

The Flat Head

Flint and Tinder

Folta & Co.

Full Count

Fundamental Agreement Luxury

(NPTU)

G-Star Raw

Gap

Gustin

Hiut Denim

Howies

I Love Ugly

Imogene + Willie

(NPTU)

Imperial

Indigofera

Iron Heart

Jack Spade

Japan Blue

Jean Shop

Jelado

Kamikaze Attack

Kapital

Lee

Left Field NYC

Levi’s

Mister Freedom

Mod9

Momotaro

Naked & Famous

Natural Selection

Noble Denim

Norman Porter

Northern Denim Co.

Nudie

Oldblue Co.

OMNIGOD

Oni

Ooe Yofukten

Orgueil

Pace

Paleo

Paulrose Products

Paul Smith

Phable

PI Hagberg

Pike Brothers

Pointer Brand

(Cloth Patch on Pocket)

PRPS

Pure Blue Japan

rag & bone

(lower cased initials on pocket only, no patch)

Railcar Fine Goods

Raleigh Denim

Real Japan Blues

Real McCoys

Red Cloud

Rising Sun & Co.

Rogue Territory

Roy

RPMWEST

RRL

Ruell & Ray

Samurai

Shockoe Denim

Skull Jeans

Somet

Steel Feather

Stevenson Overall Co.

Stone Island

The Strike Gold

The Stronghold

Studio D’Artisan

Sugar Cane

Sunrise Japan

Tellason

Toys McCoy

Triple Works

Trophy

UES

Unbranded

Uniqlo

United Stock Dry Goods

The West Is Dead

Warehouse

Williamsburg Garment Co.

(Embossed Logo Instead of Patch)

WP Lavori

Wrangler

(Patch on Pocket)

The post The Complete Raw Denim Patch Collection appeared first on Heddels.com.

With Iu Franquesa of Barcelona’s Companion Denim, Spain seems like the next big place for small denim labels. Based on the small Mediterranean island of Mallorca uncle and nephew Jose ‘Pepin’ Vives (left) and Jose Luis Vives (right) have blended Japanese fabrics and old American styles with a touch of their local Spanish flair in their brand, JWJ.

With the founders a generation apart, each of the Vives brings a different background in their approach to denim. Pepin was born in the late 1940s, during the oppressive rule of Spanish General Franco, he bought his first pair of jeans as smuggled contraband after seeing the film West Side Story. He worked mainly as an antique buyer but worked a second job as a shoemaker, it wasn’t long before he began to make all of his own clothing.

Luis, thirty years Pepin’s junior, began his work in film and music, concurrently studying film and playing in several bands. Just like his uncle, cinema inspired his first connection with denim.

Although they’ve had plenty of experience tailoring and working with clothes in the past, JWJ is their first brand and they’ve been producing samples and perfecting their designs since October of 2013.

Admitted fans of other small denim manufacturers like Mister Freedom and Roy, JWJ’s designs tend to be more historically inspired. They’ve pored over books of old western clothing and recovered pieces, picking out their favorite details to incorporate into their own designs.

“Our works are inspired in the roots of worker and denim clothes,” Says Pepin, “We document all our designs in the past sources, but the sight of our eyes have changed since Mr. Strauss began. Some small adaptations in lines, drops and sartorial cuts are the instruments that we use to give a little twist to old designs.”

When we had the pleasure of meeting Pepin and Luis at Denim by PV they were wearing two of their earliest samples, cinch-back jackets made of Nihon Menpu’s sugarcane/cotton blend denim fabric. The brand’s Spanish touch comes from the silk-blend ikat fabric that lines each jacket’s collar.

They weave the fabric themselves on nineteenth-century shuttle looms on the island of Mallorca. See a video of their weaving process below:

Pepin and Luis are just about to begin production on their first run, which will include the jackets as well as jeans, vests, and shirts. All are planned to be released in early 2015. They also look forward to producing pieces in other traditional fabrics like Harris Tweed and veg-tanned leather soon.

Keep track of the latest developments with JWJ Brand on their tumblr.

The post JWJ Brand: Spain’s Upcoming Denim Artisans appeared first on Heddels.com.

We’re always excited to see what the folks at Mister Freedom and Sugar Cane have in store for us for each of their seasonal collaborations. The MFSC collabs have offered up some beautiful could-have-been pieces that look to the past for inspiration without fully engaging in reproductions.

One of the most recently released pieces from the duo is the Mister Freedom Okinawa CPO Shirt. The shirt boasts some serious 11 ounce unsanforized denim–rarely found in the world of shirting–which is composed of 50 percent cotton and 50 percent sugar cane. It’s also left-hand twill, which, is softer than its right-hand cousin. As you can see from the pictures, there is some strong texture going on, with a slubbiness evident on the exterior and some hardcore nep outside and inside.

The fit and construction is based upon a military aesthetic, offering a version of the classic casual outerwear piece that takes its cue from the functionality and clean lines of a uniform. The Okinawa keeps in the tradition of offering a heavier piece: at 11 ounces, it outweighs most of its shirting counterparts.

Suffice it to say that we’re excited to see how the fades shape up on this shirt.

Details

• Name: Mister Freedom Okinawa CPO Shirt
• Weight: 11 Oz.
• Fit: Military uniform fit, similar to the Patrol Shirt from previous season without the expansion pleats in the front and back
• Fabric: Left-Hand Twill 50% cotton, 50% sugar cane fiber
• Other Details:
  • Side gussets with selvedge ID
  • Black anchor buttons
  • Olive green 100 percent cotton stitching
• Available at: Self Edge for $385

The post Mister Freedom Okinawa CPO Shirt – Just Released appeared first on Heddels.com.

As you can imagine, one of the more difficult workings to any heritage company (denim or otherwise) is maintaining tradition while pursuing innovation. Typical proponents of all things heritage and repro, Sugar Cane, recently released their skinniest fit yet, the Sugar Cane 2014 Jean.

Sugar Cane reproduces denim fabrics from 50-100 years ago with restored power looms. Their rich indigo is achieved by using traditional Japanese hand dyeing techniques and producing fibers from sugar cane. You may remember their Sugar Cane Awa, Sugar Cane Okinawa, and Sugar Cane Hawaii lines as each model island hopped their way across the Pacific.

The slim tapered run continues the Sugar Cane heritage with a modern fit and a slight taper below the knee.

Details

The post Sugar Cane & Co. 2014 Slim Tapered Jean – Recently Released appeared first on Heddels.com.

If you’re into good clothes, Japan is a great place to be. There are probably more heritage wear stores in this country than everywhere else in the world combined. The Clutch Collection Yokohama Show, held last week for three days, was another perfect example of Japan’s position in the world of fashion.

The show was co-organized by Clutch Magazine and Men’s File, which guaranteed an amazing curation of brands. And the whole thing was backed by the city of Yokohama, hence the venue (breathtaking), and the ministry of tourism via its project Cool Japan, aiming at boosting tourism in Japan in order to support the country’s efforts to revive the economy.

We had the chance to walk through the 85 booths, with the must-see titan brands like Iron Heart, The Real McCoy’s, Red Wing, and Schott but also exciting new or smaller brands like Muller & Bros, Fleurs de Bagne, Dehen, and Comfy.

Muller and Bros

Creative directed by French Tokyo based vintage expert Stephane Muller, and produced at the Nap Inc. factory in the mountains of Okayama, Muller and Bros. makes ’40s inspired pieces from small accessories and shoes to jeans and leather jackets.

Fleurs de Bagne

Very promising brand, Fleurs de Bagne is from South France and the key images of its universe are prisons, bandits, work camps, French military heroes, and sailor tattoos. Each piece has a very clear and precise historical background referring to key characters or events of French history, all 100% made in France with old world techniques.

Full Count & Co.

Full Count was introducing the concept behind their F/W collection, MAKE YOUR OWN JEANS, insisting on the idea that, according to their promotional pamphlet, “the most attracting property of jeans is that everyone wears them a certain way depending on their lifestyle, always creating something unique”.

Brown’s Beach

Created in Massachusetts in 1901, the strength of Brown’s Beach Jacket is in its fabric. Developed by one Mr. Brown over a century ago, their Beach Cloth mixes 27% cotton and 73% wool. The brand fell into obscurity with the introduction of synthetic fabrics in the ’60s, and was only recently brought back to life by Full Count.

Iron Heart

With an entire denim jeans wall and a Harley Davidson in the middle of the booth, heavyweight specialist motorcycle focused brand Iron Heart demonstrated once more they’re not fooling around.

Burgus Plus

Our friends from Ueno, Burgus Plus, introduced their new collection.

Sugar Cane and Mister Freedom

Sugar Cane and Mister Freedom were both present at a huge booth designed with fake red bricks to evoke Christophe Loiron’s shop in LA. Contrasting with his S/S Rock’n’Roll flash collection, Mister Freedom is going all blue and green with inspirations from ’50s French Indochina for F/W.

The Real McCoy’s

Military inspired brand The Real McCoy’s was showcasing their classics and also had a Buco corner with more motorcycle focused garments.

If you want to see more photos from Clutch Collection, check us at @heddels on Instagram and have a look at the official hashtag #clutchccshow on SNS.

The post Clutch Collection Yokohama Show 2015 – Recap appeared first on Heddels.com.

What a difference a year makes. Today’s Fade of the Day is a pair of Sugar Cane & Co. 2009 jeans that have been faded well on their way to perfection in just 12 months. Reader Parker Newton  of California wore these bad boys daily, including in his life pursuits with his VW Bus. He recently darned the crotch himself after a blowout. Nice handiwork. Here’s hoping he keeps wearing them and fading them into perfection.

Check out Parker’s adventures on Instagram.

Details

• Name: Sugar Cane 2009
• Fabric: 100% cotton double ring-spun raw unsanforized Japanese selvedge denim
• Weight: 12oz.
• Fit: Slim Straight
• Unique Features:
  • Pure indigo-dyed yarn
  • Zimbabwe and Texas cotton blend denim
  • Leather patch
• Available for $199 at Self Edge.

The post Fade of the Day – Sugar Cane 2009 (1 Year, 1 Wash, 1 Soak) appeared first on Heddels.com.

Do you find yourself every late June swapping out those heavy oz. denim pieces for your light weight rolled up khakis and unbuttoned polo shirts? Well one thing is for sure, Sugar Cane is here to say otherwise with their new line of Summer Indigo Shirting to kick off the warmer months.

Right off the bat, you’ll find two new 8oz. denim button downs. They’ve done well covering their bases too, with one western styled option and one more standard, utilitarian variant. Next, there are two lighter colored and tight-checked shirts that look right out of the farm closet, made with a unique and exclusive Sugar Cane developed woven fabric. And finally, classic plaid kicked up a notch in the Desolate Indigo Castle and Panama shirts. Almost a mock sashiko job, Desolate features a three shade indigo dye with natural yarn needlework throughout for a unique yet appropriately airy take on the summer shirt.

Available from $170-$230 at Self Edge.

The post Sugar Cane Summer Indigo Shirting appeared first on Heddels.com.

Over the years, Self Edge has carried many products from long-time denim makers Sugar Cane & Co., many of which were made using their unique Okinawa denim. They longed for the day that this denim would be cut into a lightweight pair of slim tapered jeans. The good news is that day has arrived just in time for summer with the pair’s latest collab – the Lightweight Okinawa 509SE Jeans.

More specifically, the fabric is a 50/50 blend of cotton and sugar cane fiber, and weighs in at a breathable 12oz. They feature a classic five pocket design with matching denim pocket bags. And as the leather patch hilariously implies, these are unsanforized and will shrink when they meet water for the first time. Only 90 pairs were made and right now they are only being sold in store at Self Edge Mexico, but lucky for you, they’re also online.

Available for $295 at Self Edge.

The post Sugar Cane & Co. for Self Edge Lightweight Okinawa 509SE Jeans appeared first on Heddels.com.

Five Plus One is our weekly series of buyer’s guides. We pick a specific category and dig up five great options along with one that’s a little outside the norm.

Nobody has trouble picturing a Hawaiian shirt in their head (read more in our full guide to Hawaiian shirts), but it is much more difficult to define what Hawaiian shirts are. Generally speaking, they are relaxed-fitting shirts with short sleeves, a wide and flat collar, and bright floral patterns, but beyond that there is no clear definition.

1) Reyn Spooner: Lush Grotto

No article about Hawaiian shirts would be complete without some mention of Reyn Spooner, a company that has been producing Hawaiian shirts since the 1950’s. Their Lush Grotto shirt has several characteristics that are common to Hawaiian shirts, such as the floral design and pattern-matched front pocket. However, perhaps the most interesting detail is the reverse print fabric. Rather than sewing this shirt with the pattern facing out, it is sewn with the pattern on the inside; this makes the shirt’s coloring appear a bit duller and more faded–a common motif in Hawaiians.

Available for $98 from Reyn Spooner.

2) Gitman Bros. Vintage: New Wave Palm Camp Shirt

Gitman Bros. Vintage’s take on a classic Hawaiian shirt (a.k.a. an Aloha shirt) is simplistic. It features a loose fit, short sleeves, wide collar, and a high-contrast tropical pattern. Although it doesn’t feature a front chest pocket or reversed fabric, this shirt clearly follows the same trend lines as other Hawaiian shirts.

Available for $126 from Gitman Bros. Vintage.

3) Anatomica: Hawaiian Shirt in Forest

One interesting aspect of Hawaiian shirts is the fabric used to make them. Both highly textured twills and smooth silks have been used to produce Aloha shirts, in part due to textile trading with Asian countries. As such, I’m sure it comes as little surprise that Japanese clothing companies now produce some of the most iconic Aloha shirts. Anatomica‘s Hawaiian Shirt is another great example of a geometric pattern, although this one also features a tropical motif. Each shirt is finished with a chest pocket and natural nut buttons.

Available for £153 from Superdenim.

4) Sun Surf: Cryptic Goldfish Throne Hemp & Cotton

Sun and Surf’s Cryptic Goldfish shirt is a slightly atypical Hawaiian shirt because it is a popover rather than a buttoned shirt. That’s not necessarily non-traditional, but it certainly goes against many people’s preconceived notions as to what a Hawaiian shirt is. Furthermore, the collar of this shirt secures down with buttons, which is very different from the wide collars typically seen on Aloha shirts. Be that as it may, the textured fabric, tropical pattern, and muted colors are all familiar themes of Hawaiian shirts.

Available for $170 from Self Edge.

5) Scotch and Soda: Hawaiian Shirt

One of Scotch and Soda‘s main assets is their ability to consistently released unique products that don’t break the bank. Their Hawaiian Shirt is made in a classic cut, and with the same understated colors that ar on many vintage Aloha shirts. To set this piece apart from the rest, Scotch and Soda added a small cuff to the end of the short sleeves.

Available for $62 from East Dane.

Plus One – Star of Hollywood: Caribbean Vibes

Star of Hollywood, a now defunct Hawaiian Shirtmaker, was recently acquired by Toyo, the owner of Sugar Cane, Buzz Rickson, Sun Surf, and several other brands.  They are now producing famous Star of Hollywood designs from custom made fabric, such as the one used on their Caribbean Vibes shirt. It features a graphic scene, a common element of many Aloha shirts, which reflects the uniqueness of each design element.

Available for $215 from Self Edge.

The post Hawaiian Shirts – Five Plus One appeared first on Heddels.com.

Back in the olden days, people wore their pants higher and their jackets shorter. As fashions have changed and waistlines have dipped, many purists have kept these original proportions in their repro clothing, but for those of you who’d like some options, brands like Sugar Cane & Co. are here to help. The Japanese repro experts have redone their standard Type II denim jacket, but extended the size run up to 44 and added 1.5 inches in length to the waist for their American counterparts at Self Edge.

Don’t worry, all the same details in the hardware are there, as is the brand’s unsanforized denim, so you can still shrink it to your heart’s content, but maybe show a little less midriff.

They’re available now for $240 at Self Edge.

The post Sugar Cane 1953 Type II Modified Length Unsanforized Raw Denim Jacket appeared first on Heddels.com.

We’re all about freshened up classics ’round here, and Sugar Cane‘s hank-dyed work shirt hits every mark. The fibers used to make the 3.5oz. 100% cotton selvedge fabric are carefully hank-dyed to provide richly textured, long-lasting color in ranges of blues and greens. Contrast stitching and blonde wood buttons help to make the tailoring and the quality of the dye really pop.

Extra design details include selvedge gusseted side seams, chain stitch run-off, and dual-chest pockets. Made in Japan with midweight fabric and short sleeves, it’s a versatile piece for this transitional season.

Limited quantities available from Self Edge for $245.

The post Sugar Cane “Blue Moonshine” Hank Dyed Natural Indigo Workshirt appeared first on Heddels.com.

Those who know Mister Freedom know that they have a long standing collaborative work relationship with Japan’s Sugar Cane Co.....

The post Mister Freedom x Sugar Cane mfsc 10 Year Anniversary Collection Preview appeared first on Heddels.

It’s time for Fade Of The Day, and we’re taking a break from indigo denim to appreciate this pair of...

The post Fade of the Day – Sugar Cane Type III Black (8 Months, 3 Washes) appeared first on Heddels.

If you find yourself getting ready to dust off your summer wardrobe but you’re feeling disheartened at the fact that it...

The post Sugar Cane Light 3/4 Sleeve Gauze Workshirt appeared first on Heddels.

Many people try to limit the amount of sugar in their life, but ’round here we’re suckers for some raw Sugar...

The post Fade of the Day – Sugar Cane 2009 (5 Years, Unknown Washes, 1 Soak) appeared first on Heddels.

One of the latest additions to Sugar Cane‘s Summer 2017 lineup is this fresh new “Prizm Fear” Dice-Weave Short Sleeve Shirt....

The post Sugar Cane “Prizm Fear” Dice-Weave Short Sleeve Shirt appeared first on Heddels.

It’s Fade Friday! And today, we have some Sugar Cane goodness to make your weekend a little bit sweeter. This Sugar...

The post Fade Friday – Sugar Cane 1953 Type II (20 Months, 2 Washes) appeared first on Heddels.