Come celebrate with us the release of the much anticipated denim history book, written by Michael Harris. Covering the origins of denim in the ol’ west frontier of San Francisco from 1873 to 1890.

You will have a once in a lifetime opportunity to purchase a few of the mine found items chosen to be recreated by “Dead Grass” & manufactured by The Rising Sun on period correct machines using period correct fabrics and hardware.

* LIMITED QUANTITY AVAILABLE *

Saturday August 7th
6pm to 9pm

Hosted by
Rising Sun & Co

107 S Fair Oaks Ave
Pasadena, CA 91105

Below is an excerpt from the book, an example of what you will learn from denim history:

In the Old West, blue jeans were one of a workingman’s tools. They protected his lower body and they carried items of use, and they were comfortable enough to wear all day long. And, with the invention of the riveted jeans, they were sturdy enough to last for years.

To me, old San Francisco-made blue jeans have functional beauty – like old steam engines with all of the pipes and workings on the outside. Not only the riveted jeans of Levi Strauss & Co., but also, and perhaps more so, the non-riveted jeans with strengthening features sewn on the outside, like the designs of B. & O. Greenbaum, A. B. Elfelt, and S. R. Krause.

Although this book is primarily about the jeans manufacturing companies in San Francisco during the late 1800’s, there were a large number of independent tailors working in San Francisco at the time who made clothes-to-fit. Work pants could be bought ready-made off the shelves of dry good stores in all of the Western towns and mining camps of the period, but dress clothes were probably mostly purchased from these independent tailors.

Remember that the first rivet denim jeans were made by Jacob Davis in his tailor shop in Reno, Nevada. In fact his inclusion of a watch pocket on work pants may have been because of his being accustomed to making suit pants, which customarily came with one. Also, Jacob’s addition of a back pocket to his work pants, something not normally found on work pants of the period, but often on dress pants, suggests that he used a dress pants pattern for his work pants design. So, the modern form of jeans, with a watch pocket and back pockets, probably owes its existence to the melding of features from dress pants with work pants by a tailor.

So don’t forget to mark your calendars for August 7th!

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!

There is heavy denim talk on every corner. Stories about vintage finds are abound. They should rename this event to Heaven.

There are a few things you may find interesting about Rising Sun’s shop besides the products. Our haberdashery’s building, 107 S. Fair Oaks, is a historic building in Pasadena. It was constructed in the late 1880′s and served as a showroom for stage coaches or horse carriages. By the early 1900′s it became the Hotel Mikado a Japanese hotel that mostly catered to Japanese Americans. By about World War II the hotel was sold to the family of Mr. Percy Carter who converted the hotel to The Hotel Carver (after George Washington Carver), Pasadena’s first hotel owned by African-Americans. Its primary clientele consisted of visitors turned away by the Hotel Green, which serviced mostly well-to-do, white clients.

During The Hotel Carver years the then well-known nightclub, The Onyx Club, which eventually became The Club Cobra, featured jazz talents of the time in the basement. Below is a picture of the wall in the basement today.

By the 70′s the building was converted to artists studios and the Pasadena Repertory Theatre, which won the LA Drama Critics’ Circle Awards for Best Director and best Screenplay for its staging of “In Celebration.” Other acclaimed creatives associated with the space include Paul McCarthy (contemporary artist), Steve Gerber (Marvel Comics creator, The Defenders, Howard the Duck), Gill Dennis (writer, Walk the Line), Betty Dore (painter), Herbie Lewis (jazz musician), and more.

Today Rising Sun does not forget the important history of Old Town Pasadena and the stories these walls would tell if could speak. With time we will perhaps weave some tales of our own for the history books.

When we worked on the space our belief was the only way to build ourselves a haberdashery was from the sweat from our own brows. The leather floors were install by Mike, friends, and family. The carved wood found in the haberdashery were done by his family. So were the tin ceilings. We pride ourselves in upholding the fighting spirit that is still very much alive in the building.

Please visit our shop at 107 S. Fair Oaks, Pasadena CA and enjoy the local history.

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

Rising Sun will be participating in the first Inspiration show in Santa Monica, California on Feburary 12 and 13, 2010. The self titled “Kulture Recycling & Vintage Clothing World Gathering” is organized by the inspirational Rin Tanaka (My Freedamn!) and is poised to become one of the most exciting newly crafted and vintage Americana clothing events in the world. Our fellow exhibitors include brands like The Flat head, orSlow, Stevenson Overall Co., Studio D’Artisan, Feal Mor, and more. Vintage purveyors include Strongarm C&S Co., Mister Freedom, Chuck’s Vintage, and many more. You can also expect to see our friends from Heller’s Cafe as Rin recently published a book featuring them entitled, “King of Vintage No. 1: Heller’s Cafe.” There will be 600 copies available at the show.

The Barker Hanger in the Santa Monica airport provides the coolest setting for such an event. We may just need to set up our recently acquired WWII-era tent. Join us and thousands of other vintage fashion enthusiasts from around the world in celebrating our shared passion and exchanging new ideas.

Get your tickets in advance 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

We are continuing our leather jackets blogging marathon with a very important, collectible type: A-2. The A-2 is the quintessential bomber jacket. It was Army Air Corps regulation flight jacket in 1931 as an update from its predecessors and went on to become the legendary leather jacket that today is mostly associated with American heroes in World War II. Today modern A-2, genuine issue jackets are permitted for aircrew personnel who have completed their mission qualifications. In civilian life the A-2 silhouette and styling have become popular with motorcyclists by the 50′s. Vintage A-2 are prized for their relative rarity, horse or steer leather (compared to goatskin on modern issues) and slimmer fit.

This particular piece in the Rising Sun Archive is made of horsehide tanned to a nice russet color. According to government specifications the back panel is a single piece of leather, the front is two, and the sleeves are two pieces each. The patch pocket with flaps each have snaps. The original knit cuffs and waist are also to government specs. The lining is an olive drab poplin.

An Acme Thunderer whistle is attached to the jacket via a hook and eye closure. If the wearer were to become stranded in dangerous terrain the whistle would help the search and rescue team locate him.  How do we know it was a him? “Harold W. Lindt” is written on the inside.

All in all a fantastic piece full of research and inspiration value.

This beauty here is what many motorcycle jackets aspire to be. Pony horsehide. Late 40′s / early 50′s. Worn in to a beautiful stingray tone. Maker: Los Angeles Sportstogs “Sportswear from California.” This is the real deal.

Besides the beautiful leather and romantic nostalgia it invokes the jacket is also interesting because it was likely a highway patrolman / motorcycle patrolman jacket. The dark football shape you see on the left chest is a result of something having been there for ages, protecting the leather from fading like the rest of the jacket. It was probably another piece of leather that had eyelets for securing a police badge.

Other details include original Talon #8 zipper with stirrup puller. The chunky teeth on the zipper are beautifully aged and still very sturdy. From our experience one must look far and wide to source such quality trims and hardware these days. Likewise the heavy, black sateen lining is also fantastic and in great shape considering what the piece must have been through.

Here is a late 20′s / early 30′s sportsman jacket with its steerhide still in superb condition. There is a hint of early flight jacket influence in the styling as aviation “fashion” played a role in cycling and motoring cultures. It comes with original Amazon rain forest nut buttons and the button holes are double welted. Pocket flaps utilize snaps for easy access and closure during riding. A cotton twill lines the jacket including the sleeves and does not limit arm movement because it is a light weight lining.

One of our favorite parts of the jacket is the deep arc shaped yoke on the back of the jacket. Does it remind you of a certain San Francisco brand? In fact the pocket flaps take on arc shapes too. The nice panel work and pleats in the back are also very interesting. This is another piece we proudly own.

The label shows “Herford Jacket” and there is a debate here as to whether this was of English origin. We will post updates if we find any additional details.