Rising Sun

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 perfect jacket to complement your raw denim is here. The Rising Sun Sack Coat is the well-appointed indigo lover’s dream. It is single-needle stitched with indigo dyed threads that fade beautifully over time with the fabric.

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.

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.