Displaying all articles in the category &ldquo Interesting People &rdquo
Tadd Myers has just updated his Portrait of an American Craftsman website to include our traditional denim manufacturing workshop. We are very proud to be apart of of this project. Tadd is a very talented photographer who is dedicated to capturing the spirit of American craftsmanship. I would take the time to go through all of the showcased craftsman but, if you must, you can skip right to the Rising Sun section by clicking on the small icon of the jeans (see example below).
We were pleased to have a visit on Sunday from the master of outerwear, designer Nigel Cabourn. He was taken aback by our haberdashery and came back on Tuesday for a meeting. While exploring our workshop on his first visit, he called it “the greatest shop in the world”, admiring the craftsmanship behind each pair of jeans we make. We were flattered when he asked us if we would be interested in a collaboration Rising Sun jean for Nigel Cabourn… there will be more to come so stay tuned for updates!
Sam (Nigel’s friend and business partner), Mike, and Nigel in the workshop.
There is an encouraging new artisan movement in Los Angeles where local products are made the old-fashioned way using the best and most authentic ingredients. Many of the craftsmen in this movement have been drawn together as a result of the common thread they share.
One particular artisan, the boot maker – Julian. He is known amongst fellow craftsmen as someone who takes joy and pride in every step of the process from hand carving lasts to hand making every single pair of boots, right here in the America. While riding in Hodis’s pre-war hot rod as the navigator on the Annual Reliability Run, meandering through the San Gabriel Mountains, the idea of the collaborative effort was born.
We took an English last (the last makes the the shape of a boot) from the time period before the First World War. This last was the shape that was used by Welsh miners in the United Kingdom during this pre-war period. We made a couple modifications for comfort and fit and then we applied a pattern that was commonplace in that time up until about 1920.
The boot that we created is all handmade solid leather throughout (100% leather sole and upper), crafted in the old-fashioned handmade way, the same way that it would have been done back in that time period.
One motivation behind this project is that we see people are becoming very serious about buying local products made with old-fashioned techniques and with the highest quality of goods. We believe some of this was born out of an intrigue with vintage products because they were always made and bought locally, and with highest quality materials. It is in opposition to most of the products we buy today that have been made in the farther parts of the world.
We made only 5 pairs of these boots which will be available for boot enthusiasts to look at, try on, and purchase at our event on August 7, along with our mine-found recreations.
The Rising Sun booth got very busy.
There is a perfectly good reason for why our blog has not been updated in some time. In preparing for Rin Tanaka’s Inspiration show our good propreitor Mike Hodis reminded us how madly dedicated he is to his work at Rising Sun. Running for days with barely any sleep and lots of RS coffee Mike moved practically half the shop to the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica airport. Human limits were tested. We took great pains (ie, back pain, shoulder pain, etc) to carefully move our sewing machines like the ol’ black head Union Special bulldog hemmer, our lovely black head single needle, the black caballo, and a special triangle stitcher (more on that last piece of equipment next time but it has this neat attachment and cam that make it perfect for stitching leather reinforcement on seams). Not to mention putting in tongue and groove pine floors, crates, stock, heirloom showcases, and so much more.
All these and the required raw materials were transported there for us to set up a temporary haberdashery to stitch up a fine pair of jeans and show off our passion. We also flaunted our and Michael Harris’s vintage collection in wooden showcases that are sisters to the ones in our shop. Considering visitor reactions we think we did a pretty good job and wonder if maybe we should hit the road more often (no).
Showcase of vintage pieces at Rising Sun booth.
Mike with JP Plunier.
Mine finds from Michael Harris's collection at Rising Sun booth.
Heller's Cafe put on quite a display of amazing vintage pieces. In both quality and quantity the collection displayed is one of the finest in the country. Important artifacts of denim workwear pieces included racks and racks of chinstrap shirts and Stifel pieces including shirts with removable collars still attached.
The most interesting and memorable booth for us is Julian boots'. His booth was right behind ours and he was making a pair of booths right there and then. Julian is an old school craftsman who makes boots the old fashion way in America. He will measure your foot, feel your foot, and goes through the whole process needed to get a handle for what your feet needs before carving a last just for you to ensure the best fit. Very rarely do you hear about custom bootmakers who go through such lengths.
Julian only worked on spiffing up one pair that day and Mike was super impressed with the results. He exude such pride and joy in his skills at the art of a fine polish.
The Mr. Winter booth
Mr. Winter's vintage racer. From 1939.
Chuck's Vintage booth.
Mister Freedom booth.
Given the opportunity we will definitely do the Inspiration show again. Besides being one big party for denim and vintage lovers the show also gave us the chance to meet unique craftsmen like Julian. If you missed the first show be sure to keep an eye out for the next one. See you there!
JP Plunier is one of our biggest supporters and the Vans web zine just did an interview with him about his life, work and recent collaboration with the brand. You will see he is wearing the Rising Sun Workers pant in the interview along with his rare, vintage camo smock. In addition to being the creator of Feal Mor he is also a record producer. He is a prolific guy and very inspirational. You can read all about him here.
Meet Satoshi. He is a vintage dealer at the Rose Bowl Flea Market and we consider him a good friend. He is a diehard collector of vintage American militaria. At the Rose Bowl he sells clothing he has refashioned from vintage pieces. One of the rare items he sells is this A3 WWII US Army Air Corps HBT mechanic cap. The stencil is still visible!
Mechanic cap
If you are going to the Rose Bowl Flea Market next month be sure to look up Matsu, a master leather craftsman. He is a highly skilled leather carving artist. Our good friend shows off his wallets, studed belts, and bags at the Rose Bowl so be sure to check it out.
