He had this to say:

“Here’s another vest fit photo. This one is from Huang Shan, China, where they filmed some of the backgrounds for Avatar. I’m here with my wife and daughter. The big front pockets were perfect for storing three thick passports (which we needed to show to get into the cable car!).”

There you have it folks! If you need to carry passports when you travel there’s no better place to keep them than the deep pockets of the Indigo Vest.

Jesse F. Ruoff
Summer Intern

Here are some pictures of Chris, one of our favorite customers, in his Deadgrass collection jeans and Rising Sun chambray. He got his free pair, who’s next?

Thanks Chris!

Jonathan runs a blog on swing guitar but he’s also known as guitarist and bandleader for a small-group swing dance band The Campus Five, featuring Hilary Alexander as well as the big band orchestra The Jonathan Stout Orchestra. If you are looking to experience the most danceable live swing band, check out their calendar to see where they’re playing next.

Here’s Jonathan wearing his new pair of Rising Sun Standards:

I had been looking for some durable denim and vests for layering since the temperatures can vary greatly from the base of the mountain to the top.  I am also a big fly fisherman who punishes his clothes each season so I really needed something durable but like the vintage style you guys use.  I first found out about your company when I ordered a pair of your Canvas Weathered Worker (Miner) Pants from Orvis and then got to looking at your website.  I am a big fan of American handcrafted clothing and yours is the best I have seen.  Your Orvis Miner pants are just incredible as well as everything else I’ve ordered from you.  I have literally worn either the Worker pants or Ride ‘Em jeans with the Indigo vest every day since I got them.  I can pretty much guarantee I will be ordering a few other items soon.  Thanks again!

Russell at the top of the mountain overlooking Lake Tahoe in the background, wearing the Rising Sun Indigo Vest and Ride ‘Em Jeans.

Rising Sun now has a page on Facebook.  Become our fan and you can interact with us and get updates on events like the one tomorrow!

Visit here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rising-Sun-Co/129095697115644

At the Inspiration LA show we met a Japanese gentleman named Katsu. He picked up a pair of Rising Sun Blacksmith jeans and loved it so much that he custom ordered the companion jacket, the Engineer. Now that he is back in Japan he sends us his regards and this picture showing off his Rising Sun clothing. He tell us he will wear this outfit 3 times a week, which honors us consider he works for Howa, one of the premiere laundries in Japan, and knows a thing or two about denim.

Thank you for the support!

This sweet couple from Germany visited our shop after reading about Rising Sun in a German magazine and we chatted the day away. Customers hungry for denim talk make our work immensely gratifying. After trying on several pairs they walked out with a pair of Standard jeans hemmed on the spot for a perfect cuffing length. The machine used is of course none other than our especially rare black head bulldog Union Special chainstitch hemmer. If you come by the haberdashery in Pasadena we can show you how this is not your garden variety Union Special.

Thank you for visiting!

I am not talking about the workwear brand. Not the clock tower bell either, although Ben Phillips is from the UK. He made a special trip to see us and we thought our meeting deserves recounting.

On the lazy Pasadena morning after Christmas, while workers of Rising Sun and other local institutions were at home hungover from celebrating, our propreitor Mike Hodis found himself compelled to open the store. In his own words not ten minutes after the doors were open “I quickly realized why I had to open that day and that if I had not I would have missed an opportunity to meet one of the most motivated and passionate denim enthusiast out there.” He is talking about Ben, the hulking Brit who deals in American tattoo machines and loves faithfully made denim clothing.

Ben was stateside with his girlfriend who is in a student exchange program in Philadelphia. They made the trip to the west coast to see the sights but “the catalyst for the trip was to come and check out our shop and to purchase a pair of Blacksmiths, in size 40.”

Chatting and swapping stories ensued. Ben’s size served him well in barroom brawls and hard living in the tough, industrial English town he grew up in. His passion for vintage clothing and 40′s era culture gave him a creative outlet to overcome what must have been a rough upbringing. We are proud to count Ben as a supporter and have him wear Rising Sun garments.

This encounter gave much Mike much to think about during this season of thanks and reflection. “The time I spent in the shop with this great guy made me realize that the shop serves more than one purpose. It also serves as a destination for like-minded people whose lives intertwine with mine. The stories as well as the new friendships I cherish as priceless moments in my life.” Thank you, Ben! It was a pleasure meeting you and Ooffii.

What follows is a small autobio by Big Ben himself.

Ooffii and I come from Brighton, England, about an hour south of London. My experiences in the music industry as a tour manager and promoter, and my time working for The Duffer of St. George has generated my interest in tattoos, vintage and especially denim. I now work for Deluxe Tattoo Supplies; I travel throughout the UK selling handmade tattoo machines.

Ooffii is a student at the University of Sussex studying American History. She is currently on exchange at the University of Pennsylvania; for her Christmas break we decided to head out west to get some California sun. My denim obsession forced us to brave LA public transport to make the trip to Rising Sun. We had the best experience in the shop. We hung out with Mike and chatted about everything from denim and vintage to frontier history, mining and our families. It was a pleasure and a privilege to spend time in the shop and get to see the amazing workshop. I couldn’t be happier with my new Blacksmiths and am looking forward to building a up a Rising Sun collection.

Timbo is a sleeve-rolling, guitar-playing, fast-thinking, handy dandy carpenter. We dig his cow punk music. We like his easy style. He is stylish without needing to try. It helps he is often found decked out in Rising Sun clothing for its built-to-last construction. This is Timbo. Hear him roar. And croon. Those sighing sounds are from the swooning ladies.

As his bio states, Timbo was raised in the backwoods of Hammond, Louisiana. He currently resides in Los Angeles where he and his band, Speedbuggy, produce high energy country/roots/Americana music fused with punk rock and rockabilly influences. Speedbuggy is described as a working man’s band and Timbo is definitely hard-working.

He has been a carpenter for 20+ years, specializing in remodeling homes and constructing new houses. For his talent and skills he has worked on television as carpenter to the TV Guide Network’s “Ready, Set, Change,” main construction coordinator on TLC’s “Trading Spaces” and HGTV’s “DesignStar.” His current gig is for the new show, “The Antonio Treatment,” where he is featured as lead project manager.

Timbo is shown here on a job site garbed in Rising Sun’s duck canvas Workers, slub tee, indigo warp and weft selvage canvas Outdoor Vest, American-loomed indigo selvage chambray workshirt, and selvage Ranch Hand jacket. Everything is worn without regard as he knows the garments we make do not need to be babied. These clothes can take care of themselves so the wearer can take care of business.