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!

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

If you missed the Man Up pop up market in San Francisco in January you may still view some super rare Rising Sun pieces at this week’s Inspiration show in Santa Monica this weekend. We will be unveiling a collaboration with Deadgrass focused on really amazing pre-1900’s workwear that the world has not seen since, well, the 1800’s. More on that later.

Right now check out some great pics the Man Up team sent us of the event. They did such a great job!

The Sack Coat is offered in two fabrications. The first is a chino twill with indigo warp and black weft. The sleeves are lined in light chambray made from super strong, extra long staple cotton yarns.

The coat is also offered in a double face fabric. The special double weave allows for a jacket with great drape without compromising with a light fabric. The outside features a 3×1 weave and inside shows a chambray weave.

Both models feature authentic horn buttons and have a causal fit inspired by authentic 1920’s sack coats. Labels are chainstitched for added fabric dimension. They are available in both rinsed and raw. You can see the pieces in person at the Rising Sun haberdashery in Pasadena, CA or at the upcoming Inspiration show in Santa Monica, CA.

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

Rising Sun will be participating at the San Francisco Man Up pop up market, which starts this Friday and runs through the weekend. Since their website describes the event so well we replicate their text here.

“Real men care about the way they look and how they spend their money. Man Up. aims to improve both. There’s nothing manly about looking like a slob. Man Up. is hosted by the Durable Goods Concern–four guys who enjoy well-crafted, fine-looking products that last. They also like to drink.”

There will be free drinks and art. It will also be a good opportunity to see Rising Sun pieces that are not normally shown outside Pasadena where we make our haberdashery home.  In addition to our well-appointed jeans (Yukon, Blacksmith, Standard, Ride’em) SF shoppers can also examine our selvage indigo canvas Outdoor Vest, hats, tees, jackets, and other goods made in our shop with our own hands with the help of some very antique and vintage sewing machines.

This here is a crate full of stuff we shipped up for the event.

Event: Man Up.
Who: Rising Sun, Unionmade, A-B Fits, Taylor Stitch, Room4 Vintage, more
When: January 29th (3-9pm), 30th (11am-7pm), and 31st (11am-6pm), 2010
Where: 1035 Market Street, San Francisco, CA

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.