Displaying all articles tagged with &ldquo#Blacksmith”
Each stitch on a pair of Rising Sun Blacksmith jeans is at once meticulously researched and totally unpredictable before sewing. Everything from the stitches per inch to the sewing sequence are crucial to creating garments that invoke nostalgia and vintage workwear designs. Despite this careful thought process the stitches on each pair are unique due to the inconsistent characters antique sewing machines create. The old single needle sewing machine we use on the Blacksmith jeans create the beautiful, irregular stitches we love.
The resulting effect is a type of American folk art aesthetic that when viewed through the lenses of say, “wabi sabi,” of finding beauty in imperfection, can be profoundly beautiful. This coupled with the special way our selvage denim and threads fade makes the Blacksmith a one of a kind homage to the living and ever-changing article of clothing that is a pair of jeans.
Levi's accoutrements
Two days a week a gentleman by the name of Levi (real name) works in our haberdashery. The other days he rides and sells motorcycles (Harleys) while breaking in a pair of Rising Sun Blacksmith jeans. Wear marks are beginning to form. In due time his jeans will have a beautiful fade pattern with gorgeous traintracks and all. His inside leg seam already has a mark from the hot motor.
Come in the shop and shoot the bull with Levi. He enjoys talking about vintage, denim, and motorcycles.
Pockets starting to fade
Burn mark from hot motorcycle
The continuous fly piece is one of our favorite details on the Rising Sun Blacksmith jeans. It harkens back to a time when jeans were made tough to withstand hard living. While you may not necessarily apply a miner’s stress and tools to your jeans (although Brit Eaton may) we sleep a little better knowing our patrons are getting jeans of higher standards.
On the outside the button fly does not appear to be of unusual nature.
Careful inspection reveals that the left and right fly are actually constructed of one continuous piece.
We have been raving on and on about our field tested Rising Sun Blacksmith jeans. It is the quintessential jean for any authentic denim lover. It is full of details that anyone passionate about denim can appreciate. From its cinch back, crotch rivets, Cone White Oak selvage denim, to the continuous one-piece fly pattern to the canvas waistband lining and deadstock vintage feed bag pocketing this jean stands out as one of our most impressive models to date.
In the next few days we take a closer look at some of the details that make these jeans so special.
Big thanks to Hiro Matsuyama for the photographs.
One of our most knowledgeable regulars at the Rising Sun haberdashery is Brit Eaton. Even before the New York Times did their March 2008 story, “Indiana Jeans,” on him we already knew him as the Indiana Jones of vintage workwear and especially denim. He has been dubbed the premiere fashion archeologist for his passion and talent for finding vintage (often antique) clothing that inspire present-day fashion designers. When Outside magazine ran their January 2009 feature on Brit a wider audience learned that it takes both perseverance and guts to make a living finding and selling vintage denim. Not to mention a tolerance for crawling into dangerous and dirty places.
Outside writer Steven Rinella writes that he “remembered a story Brit had told me about the time he crawled into a mine and heard the hissing sound of a snake coming from the vicinity of his crotch.”
From Outside.com: 'Eaton on the denim trail; Exploring a basement for forgotten clothes (Tom Fowlks)'
We are proud to have Brit put our jeans to the test in his travels through ramshackle mines, cellars, caved in attics, and other deplorable, forgotten places of the old American west. One of the reasons we craft our jeans the old fashion way is precisely so they will withstand the unforgiving treatment of time and labor. They are made tough like some of the treasures Brit finds. Though age may not permit us to see the day when our creations become treasured vintage many decades from now that is our greatest hope.
A dashing Brit Eaton tries on his Rising Sun Blacksmith Jeans. A careful hem on our antique Union Special and a quick soak will ensure the perfect, comfortable fitting denim for hitting the trail.
Brit, comfortable in finding and dealing vintage denim treasures worth tens of thousands of dollars, requires comfortable jeans for his rugged lifestyle.
Thank you, Brit, for your support!
Brit Eaton’s Carpe Denim
