These are some pictures from the trip and the Kuroki mill

Suspension bridge from Okayama to Shikoku island

Shuttle looms at work

Selvedge yarn dyed chino twill

Mike with an operator


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 details-focused Blacksmith jean took up the lion’s share of our time. Working with antique sewing machines require care, finesse, and lots of patience. The results make the extra energy we spend very much worthwhile.

The Worker jean continues to be a big hit. Here we have the patches drying after the Made in USA shield stamp was applied.

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!

Rising Sun has been collaborating with Deadgrass to bring you the most true-to-period, well-crafted 1800′s duck and denim garments. The first time we are previewing select pieces from the Deadgrass Manufactured by Rising Sun line will be at this week’s Inspiration show, the newly crafted and vintage clothing show organized by Rin Tanaka (My Freedamn!).

This will also be a rare opportunity to see antique clothing from the Rising Sun Archive and Deadgrass collection never publicly shown before. Deadgrass founder Michael Harris, longtime denim relic hunter and collector, may well own the most coveted collection of 1800′s denim in existence. He will be bringing some of the rarest antique pieces in the world including the oldest riveted pair of waist overalls to be found.

Other treasures to be displayed will include a collection of 1870′s Levi’s cinch straps and waistband pieces that show the chronological progression of detail changes.

If you miss this opportunity to study these in person the next time you see these may be in his highly anticipated book “Jeans of the Old West.” This “comprehensive study of duck and denim made in San Francisco in the 1800’s” is due for release later this year and contains over a decade of research and 20 years of collecting.

In addition to all this we have many more exciting goodies planned for the show. We hope to see you there!

Get your tickets on the Inspiration website.

Event: Inspiration: The First Annual Kulture Recycling & Vintage Clothing World Gathering
Who: Rising Sun and other exhibitors join event organizer Rin Tanaka
When: Feb. 12 – 13, 2010
Where: Barker Hanger in Santa Monica Airport, 3021 Airport Avenue, Suite 203, Santa Monica, California 90405

Jesse Thorn and Adam Lisagor did a fantastic job so be sure to also check out their future shows.

Put This On, Episode 1: Denim from Put This On on Vimeo

These striking scissors we employ for the cutting of pattern paper and other light use. The brass handles are comfortable and balanced for extended use. They come to us by way of the old American, high quality blades and cutting tools maker Hyde. Its founder, Issac P. Hyde, started producing in the 1870′s under the name Hyde Manufacturing.

Today Hyde Tools continues to sell superior cutting tools. Their website boasts “if it’s made of paper, cloth, plastic, leather, or rubber chances are a Hyde blade was involved in its manufacture.”

We are proud to manufacture Rising Sun’s products with a stunning relic from an American company with such a long history of craftsmanship.

Cloth Patch on Rising Sun Yukon

The Rising Sun Yukon jeans is often regarded as the most period-correct jeans we offer. Whereas the Blacksimth jeans exemplifies the beauty of the single needle