It’s been around 2 months since I received my jeans from Roy, but due to assessments and other commitments I haven’t been able to wear them as much as I would have liked. Currently, my Roy jeans is in rotation with my SugarCane sc40300 (two very different experiences, I must tell you!)
Let’s begin with the fit – after an initial hot-soak and approximately 3 weeks of effective wear, the waist feels just about right – I ordered a size 36, but my true waist size is 35. The top block and thighs have also moulded into a better fit now. Also, since the initial hot-soak, I have subsequently hot-soaked the hems again just to get a bit more roping. I have a feeling that there’s still a little bit of shrink left in the denim…
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In terms of the dye – I was surprised to discover that the denim became slightly darker after the initial hot-soak (compare the following pictures to the ones in the first post). In the time that I have worn them, no visible fading has occurred.
Onto the denim fabric itself – some key-words my non-denimnerd friends have used to describe my Roy jeans include: ‘3-D’, ‘crisp’, ‘rough’, ‘heavy’, ‘grainy’, etc.
While the above terms are very subjective and somewhat difficult to grasp via reading this blog, I shall elaborate~ The denim itself is certainly very stubborn (it has yet to loose all it’s stiffness after 3 weeks), on par with some of the Samurai and SDA models I have come across. It certainly is very crisp, in that even after an initial 3 hour hot-soak, the creases have since then set in easily, and sharply (sometimes the honeycombs pinches the back of my knees).
I’m not sure if I would describe it as rough, but certainly the denim is not entirely smooth, small irregularities and slubs provide a subtle texture – and I attribute it’s ‘3-D’ appearance to this texture, which is more apparent in natural light. The denim definitely has a deep, vivid indigo. There is also a ruggedness to the denim that makes it out to be heavier than the stated 14oz.
This White Oak Cone Mill denim that Roy used has definitely fascinated me, and I really look forward to breaking these in even more.
So far there has been no thread breaks or faults in the construction. The pockets are holding up superbly to the abuse my 420 gram crocodile wallet is inflicting upon them.
The leather patch has darkened after some oiling/waxing, and the grain on the surface has definitely expanded quite significantly. I really like how many American makers & designers are using thick, vegetable tanned leather for the patch – this is something I think is lacking (for me personally) in some of the Japanese denim brands. Anyway, Roy’s choice of leather is spot on for me; the only way it could get better is if it was elephant hide or thick bull-shoulder.
All in all, I am very glad that I got my pair of Roy’s before the mad-rush. I hope Roy finishes up the remaining orders and takes a break, sounds like he really needs it; and at the same time, I’m really anxious to see what other denim styles and garments he’ll come up with!
Warning: Rant ~~~~~~~~
Leather patches which are thin, and age/distress easily is something I very much dislike – often you see used jeans on internet forums, and the leather patch is all but destroyed when the denim + indigo is only halfway there.
I understand many Japanese makers do this to achieve a more ‘authentic’, ‘vintage’ style ageing more quickly, but I think there is no short-cut when it comes to leather (truly beautiful aged leather can only come with time, a long time). I prefer my leather to be long wearing, so that it’s evolution is on par or exceeds that of the denim – might as well just use a paper patch otherwise…
End Rant ~~~~~~~~
Indigoshrimp 