Another sunny afternoon! We’re back in the “buzz” of the Helsinki City after a rather relaxing weekend. First off, I was about to post last week’s Copper Label project update last night, but it so happened that for the first time in a while I gave into the temptation of doing nothing on Sunday evening and just watched Marley and Me with the fam’lay. It was a good choice as this week I’m back in action better than ever.

My latest Momotaro Jeans project was taken back to my hometown for the weekend. Since the weather was fantastic and there was a lot to do, the jeans naturally got into plenty of action as well. From “fixing” cars to trips to the summer cottage, BBQs with the family and time spent with the dogs outside sitting on the grass I felt that the jeans needed their second soaking. Off to the washing machine the jeans went. Washed in warm water with mild detergent and afterward hang dried outside overnight the jeans got a lot softer. Not just that, the fading is clearer and the jeans smell very nice. Nothing beats a fresh pair of jeans! From now on I will wash the jeans once a month to keep them fresh. Going against the grain and the common belief that one should not wash his/her jeans I hope to show you will see that all important evolution even after washes. And hey, you don’t have to go all extreme (machine wash) with the washing, instead you can hand wash the jeans to have more control over the washing. Nevertheless, the bacteria that forms into the jeans after lots of wer is not good for the fabric, nor to your social life. There are ways to “eliminate” the stench for a short time by freezing the jeans or by applying plenty of perfume on your pants , but this is just a momentary remedy. This could and has produced plenty of interesting discussions and as always feel free to tell us about your denim washing preferences. You can comment or use the Soap Box, it’s all good. Do as you please, just remember that jeans are just fabric where as the owner brings life to the precious apparel. There is no right or wrong way to wear or wash your jeans, each their own as they say.

But enough of that, now for some pictures. The pics were taken straight after I took the jeans off from the rope after the Momotaros had hung there overnight.

The fading is surprisingly strong on the front of the jeans.

The backside is looking good too, the creasing (honeycombs) are thee to stay with even some permanent creasing there not just the typical fading.

The cuffs are still intact though very worn.

The jeans feel good and look good, now for another week of wear and tear. One thing is for sure, the jeans should get plenty of exposure to sun this week. Let’s just hope the weather stays the same.

I’m out y’all. Peace!

What a day. First off shout out to our very own Jeci Chao, Happy Birthday! May Day’s ain’t got nothing on May 2nd. On that note Happy Golden Week National Holidays to all of our friends in Japan! We take it as if every day’s a celebration. Life’s good, especially when the sun’s shining and the weather is clear.

I promised some fit pics of the Copper Label project and since I’m a man of my word, here you go. I have to say, I love these jeans. They’ve adjusted perfectly in these 16 weeks of wear and tear. I have to say that the wash at 3 month benchmark did the jeans good. Well enough talk, and more pictures.

As I have mentioned in the past, slim fitting jeans just don’t fit me and my tall frame. The scarecrow on steroids reference still applies. But I find the Straight Leg Copper Label jeans slightly slimmer than the Straight Leg Vintage Label Momotaro Jeans. The difference is not that huge, but enough to notice it. Nevertheless, this is a fit that I love. Roomy, but not too baggy. Classic straight leg jeans.

There’s some major stacking going on at the back of the knees.

I want to save the detailed pics for the next post, but the jeans are evolving fast. Below just few nice details. There’s some twill breaking on both of the inseams near the cuffs. But the jeans are still as solid as ever.

This picture below shows the state of the color on the front (thighs) of the jeans. Loving the faded blue. Pictures don’t do justice to the color.

We pretty much spent the day at the city walking around and embracing the fine, warm weather. Just look at the blue skies. Damn.

The winter is but a distant memory and we’re getting ready to the summer. Expect to see plenty of more evolution of Copper Label Denim in the following weeks.

Enjoy the Golden Week no matter where you are and stay safe. Big up, I’m out!

Hope your weekend has been a relaxing one. Helsinki was soaked in sunshine and we made the best of it by having a little photoshoot in celebration of the Spring season. More of that later but this edition is about my Copper Label project.

I dug up my previous project for the purpose of the photoshoot yesterday and I can tell the jeans felt very nice, very nice indeed. I have been wearing the copper label for “so long” I totally forgot how great the Vintage Label jeans felt like. Even after nearly year of wear and tear. Not that I have anything against my current project, the jeans are lighter, softer and very different from Vintage Label but hey the current project is about Copper Label. I’m getting really anxious the closer we get to summer. One season behind us, the second one is on its way and two more to go following this splendid Spring.

Below a picture of the Vintage Label 0901 jeans taken in natural light. For those not familiar with my previous project, these jeans were worn every day for nearly a year and soaked after 4 months of wear following which they were washed once a month. I hid the jeans away since the Copenhagen Fashion Week and now that I dug them out, I really like what I see. I think few more months of wear and the jeans would have been (if possible) even better.

The funny thing is, after 14 weeks of wear and one wash after 3 months of wear the jeans have pretty much same look and color as the previous project after nearly a year of wear. Of course the above project had a lot more wear in it, but after six more months I do think this project could end up with even better results.

The backside of the Vintage Label project does show some signs of wear, but no major tear. That’s fine with me, goes to show the jeans can take plenty of wear without major damage.

I’m sure that at the end of the year, these jeans show as much wear on the back side as on the front. There are lines all over the seat and back of the legs, without forgetting the snowlines on the cuff regions. One thing that I am really curious to see is if the signature stitiching on the right back pocket will withstand the wear or will it tear?

I will leave you with a sneak picture of the NDH SS 2010 look. With that, take care of you and yours and we’ll be back with more updates and writing shortly. Cheers!

But that does not mean I’m having a break. Theme of the weekend, get as much done in two days as you possibly can and if there’s time, charge some batteries for next week.

In my last post I promised to publish an update on the G003-MB project. Well I’m a man of my word and this week we’ve got a set of detailed pics that show where are we at with the jeans. The Spring season has granted us a day of sunshine and what better way to take pictures than with natural sunlight. No flash required and every little detail on the denim surface will show itself. Kind of like the moonlight showed the true character of the pirates in “Pirates of the Caribbean”. But no zombie pirates here. Just worn blue jeans. Japan Blue that is.

Not even sure where did all of those fine lines come from but more and more surface every week.

The jeans’ front is looking pretty worn. Pretty awesome. I’m happy with the progress this far.

The left pocket is getting some wear too. It took ages before this pocket faded with my previous jeans and this time both of the pockets are pretty much at same stage.

The fading on the back of the jeans is naturally limited to the back of the knees as well as the seat. But just like with the front, more and more fine lies appear each and every week. Probably on daily basis, I just don’t pay attention on these changes every day.

The first sign of twill breaking. Nothing major just what you expect to happen with all the stress these pants go through. I’m actually surprised there are no more twill coming loose.

The left back pocket has gotten most of the impact…

…although the right one is not far behind and is suddenly starting to show signs of wear as well.

The cuffs have gotten the worst of it. I mean all that snow, grime and sand. I’m honestly surprised there’s not much more damage done to the chainstitching or the cuffs altogether. Looking good.

Next up, just a little image taken from the right thigh of the jeans. Why I’m showing the picture is that it perfectly shows the fading from the original indigo to the most faded part of the jeans. Naturally worn jeans. Three months in and I can’t wait to see how these babies look like in 6 months’ time.

Finally the lines on the knees are getting stronger same as every other line developed this far. I also like the picture because it has that blue jeans look to it. I mean natural indigo color gone lighter.

The snow is melting at record pace and soon we can see spots of ground already. Once the snow’s gone and the ground a bit dryer, it is time to introduce the jeans to grass, sand and when the time is right the Finnish lakes.

I’m gonna leave you with another sneak peek of what’s to come maybe tomorrow or latest on Monday. The picture needs no further introductions, the grand blue next to the original melange denim. Enjoy your weekend folks, I know we will. Peace.

Don’t worry, nothing really devastating has happened but I have done something that would sure be unappreciated by many.

I gave my Copper Label Momotaro Jeans a wash.

Yes, I know. Shocking isn’t it? Not really if you ask me.

Three months in and the jeans got a gentle wash (in a washing machine) in 40 degrees with mild soap. I felt sorry for my jeans really. They have seen a lot. From puddles of mud to fresh white snow and everything in between. As announced early on, this is a wear and tear project. I do not baby my jeans, I appreciate and respect them but no babying involved. They have been tossed turned, twisted and so on. Now they have been washed in the waters of my trusted washing machine.

I present to you, my Copper Label project after wash and night of hang drying.

First off, the fit is even better than before. I am truly fascinated by these pants. The jeans now look like my Vintage Label jeans looked after probably more than 6 months of wear and two washes. All of the fine details and creasing are now highlighted. I knew that the jeans had developed quite a nice set of wear-marks but still I was positively surprised this morning when I took a first glance of the jeans post soaking.

The creasing is not only case of the front of the jeans but the back as well. The seat whiskers are pretty impressive although somewhat one-sided. At least there are more lines visible on the left side. The back pockets share a faded lighter blue color with the wallet side more worn than the other. I don’t really mind as I hope to reserve the stitching on the right pocket as long as possible.

The sides of the knees have developed nice creasing that starts from the back of the knees and goes all the way to the sides and almost until front of the knees.

One thing I really love about soaking the jeans is the roping effect that “comes to life” after a good soaking. All thanks to the chain-stitching.

The leather patch is still alive and well. The soaking turns the patch brown and after some washes the patch will have a much darker color from the very light color of the present.

That’s all I have to show right now. It’s been like 3 months since the first time I wore these jeans and they’re developing very nicely. If you ask me the jeans are even better now after the wash. Mark my words, grime is not good for your jeans. Wash them. Provocative enough? These jeans fade like nothing I have ever seen. Something you have to try to see it yourself. I believe even more firmly that these jeans can reach the same look as the Copper Label Jeans present at Terminal-2. We will just have to wait and see.

Thanks for reading. Tomorrow will be the anniversary of our dear blog. Can’t believe it’s been one year already. More of that tomorrow. Now, have an enjoyable evening and see you soon. Peace!

What’s good? What’s really good? Well today has been a busy one. Nothing new nor special there but you ned to start your post with something. I was actually rather tempted to post more information on the Momotaro Jeans – Europe Collection already today, but I will keep that for tomorrow. Really looking forward to releasing the material and getting comments from you guys. But we’ll get back to that tomorrow.

Today it’s all about my Momotaro Jeans – Copper Label project. The project has progressed all the way to week nine. Time flies doesn’t it. Well this week I thought of doing something I have done in the past, taking pics of the jeans with the iPhone in natural day light. This plan came true due to the fact that we actually had some natural light today. It’s still freezing cold but at least we have some sun. The thing about the camera phone pics is that it somewhat shows the jeans in different light. Probably not as accurate, definitely not as good as a semi-pro SLR but different.

So let the pictures speak on my behalf.

The creasing (fading) below the seat is becoming more and more obvious with one line on the right side and two on the left. The left back pocket where I keep my wallet is starting to show more signs of wear and an interesting “hidden rivet” dot in the middle of the pocket. Well this is not actually a hidden rivet but rather rivet from my wallet that has made its mark. The respective hidden rivets have however made their presence known on the corners of the back pocket.

The next picture looks funny and it’s pretty self evident. The stacking is something else with these jeans. I would have imagined that the creasing behind the knees would have been less in comparison to my previous project because of the fabric is lighter and softer (not sure where I got that idea from) but when it comes to fading of Momotaro Jeans there very little to no difference between the fading of raw and sanforized denim. That is in the sense that both fade. Wear the jeans and they will fade.

The creasing (whiskers) is not fully balanced but that’s just fine. The pants have a life of their own. Not that they’re so filthy they meet me in the morning when I wake up, no not at all. But they evolve along with the seasons. And as the days go by I see more and more happening on the surface of the denim.

Tomorrow I will continue where I left off yesterday on my Europe Label Sneak Preview. So be sure to tune in to hear more on what the label and its products are all about.

Have a great evening. I’m out, peace…

Good evening! The wonderful Copenhagen Fashion Week has come to an end. Or it did, yesterday. For us at least. My apologies for not being able to post the update in real time, but the day was just to say busy. We’re back in the snowy old Finland all safe and sound. The flight was pleasant and everything went well if you don’t count few obstacles on the way from Helsinki-Vantaa Airport back to our crib. But I rather focus on the pleasant things like the last day of Terminal-2 and the fifth week of my Copper Label project. Some fit pics from Copenhagen, a reference point as well as status pics.

As always the day started with a walk to the CPH-Vision venue at Øksnehallen. The week went by so fast. Time flies when you’re having fun, damn right.

The shuttle bus driver was the same guy as on previous mornings and he still spoke only Danish with me, heh.

Off to the Terminal-2. You know it’s funny how I never had difficulties hitting the fair venue even in the early morning after next to no sleep. I’m gonna miss the venue. See you next time, or next year…

There was plenty of speculation whether there would be any people at the venue on Sunday. Well, I’m pretty sure Sunday was as buzzing as the other days. Most of the visiting folks were indeed part of the general public with most of the buyers already back to their respective homes. Still, plenty of action for a Sunday.

At this point a shout out to our neighbors from New Balance.

So a general fit picture of my current Momotaro Project. The jeans are developing rather nice whiskers on the front. Some fading on the front around the pocket areas but the jeans are still as fresh as they were a week ago.

Still, there’s a long way to this…

It’s not just about the fashion and business but also about great people you meet.

Next up, some pics of the project. I’m really amazed of how nicely the jeans fade. It’s been a month and I see fades that I only saw months later with my last project. I do have to say that the Vintage label jeans are dyed with darker indigo. But still… Damn, I’m pretty sure this is going to be an awesome project (it already is). So for those who are in doubt of whether sanforized denim fades as nicely as raw denim? Yes they do, denim fades as long as you wear it.

The cuffs and back of the knees are fading nicely as well. At this pace the jeans will have a nice collection of details by the time I give them their first soaking.

The obvious, hidden rivets and the spots between the stitches have gotten much lighter since last week. One of the special features of Momotaro Jeans is the special way the middle of the belt loops as well as the “pocket borders” are sewn folding the fabric inside to create an embossing that will fade really nicely.

That’s all for now. I have nothing more to say tonight, as said, it’s the people that make the difference. Thanks for a great fair guys! Stay tuned for more. Although the Copenhagen Fashion Week is over, we’re just getting started. Peace, I’m out…