Nonetheless, the jeans are looking dynamite, following the Gold Label post I would say that the blue is almost that of a Gold Label (not even close). But there is still another 6 more months before these babies get any rest.

I have not had the time to take proper pictures of the jeans in their current state but I’m making up for that this week. So first off, the damages.

The cuffs are getting pretty banged up, but yet they remain intact. You can’t really count the stitching as the hems are still in their full form with no rips.

The right pocket fabric has been a bit torn, but since the tearing is places in between the stitching the pocket also remains intact, jsut includes some added edge with the tearing.

The twills have broken a bit in the crotch, inseam and back of the knees, but just one pic below to show you what I mean.

What I’m really happy about is the constant whiskering and evolution that happens on the surface of the denim. The washes have not slowed down the evolution at all. It’ more like the effect is getting stronger and the signs of wear are more obvious.

The back of the knees or the honeycombs are developing nicely. I’m pretty sure the summer heat and constant sitting in font of the computer is doing its fair share of the development.

So here you have it the jeans in their current state at the end of week 27 but that’s all for this week’s Copper Label edition. Stay tuned for more updates and upgrades. I’m out, peace!

Another day another project, not a denim project but a positive challenge nonetheless. Finland is experiencing the highest temperatures in a century (global warming anyone) and you know what, I love it. Reminds me of Malaysia. All we need is 50% more humidity and that’s it. People are going crazy and acting crazy as well. I mean folks don’t feel like working (which is why majority of the country is on summer vacation right now) and those who do work mostly complain about the hot weather. Chill folks, no pun intended. It’s summer time. Just sit back, relax and listen to some Aston Martin music.

The heat is doing “wonders” to my denim project as well. Yeah, I do wear my jeans all-year-round. It’s a wear and tear project after all. From -30 to +30 degrees Celsius, these jeans have seen it all. And the more I wear the better they get. I try to retain the once a month washing cycle, but I can tell you, it ain’t easy. I like my jeans clean and fresh and summer is treacherous. Still, loving every minute of it.

Here’s a view from the surface.

I thought that it would be good to post a little comparison of the fresh out of the box and my worn Copper Label Momotaro Jeans. Kind of like a before and after shot. Don’t worry you’re not seeing double, and I did not accidentally post two very similar pictures. One is with the natural sunlight (inside the house) and one with flash.

It’s amazing that there are more and more things happening right every week. I must say it’s a very interesting project. Another 6 months to go. Following the summer heat, there is the Autumn grime and winter snows. Four seasons anyone? These babies will see it all. But now, I’m off to lounging. The sun is still shining and I think I’m finished with everything today.

Go out, get some sun and eat an ice cream folks. Or if not that, a glass of water will do just fine as well. Peace.

Today was spent lounging, eating good food and enjoying the sun with few gin tonics to cool things down. Now back on my blog. I did not post anything yesterday due to the very hectic day moving from one apartment to another. The kitchen/bathroom renovation drew us out of casa de Stark and such a move usually involves plenty of work. I was basically carrying stuff the whole day.

Lucky we had some help!

Well after all those boxes, washing machines and ovens my jeans were feeling filthy. That said this morning I threw the jeans into the machine for another wash. It’s all good, it’s been almost a month since the last wash anyway.

The jeans before the wash and after the wash hanging outside.

Now that the jeans have dried nicely outside in the shade and sometimes under the sun they look nice and more importantly smell and feel fresh.

Although the color is much lighter again, the jeans don’t really leak much color during the wash. I purposely added a light cloth to the machine to see the end result and the cloth is still white.

The creases have left their mark on the back of the jeans and some of the twills have started to break. Nice add to the look.

The creases and lines on the jeans are getting lighter and lighter. It’s like a map o nthe jeans’ surface.

The patch is also nicely tanned, although I have seen some patches that have a much darker shade though they have been washed only once or twice.

The cuffs are very worn and starting to tear from the hem. Not really but both at least the jeans look like they have been worn a plenty.

All and all the jeans are lighter and look awesome. The fades on the front are there to stay and are bound to get lighter. I will post more pics next week, but I think this is enough for today. Need to catch some shuteye to make sure all the batteries have been charged for another dynamic week ahead.

Stay safe everyone, I’m out. Peace!

My personal Momotaro project just reached six month milestone and they’re still getting better by the day. Our friend Tim has been wearing his G003-MB Momotaro Jeans about the same time and I have posted his project updates every now and then.

Interesting enough his project has certain similarities with mine, one of which is the pocket fabric ripping. Although my pocket fabric rip posted last week is still unattended Tim got his fixed mixing the original Momotaro fabric with some Aachen style fabric.

This oughta keep the pocket intact.

The leather patch on Tim’s Copper Label jeans seems to be tanning faster than mine. This is of course affected by where and how you wash the jeans. As previously discussed, the denim aging is much affected by the washing qualities. For instance jeans worn and washed in Japan usually have a totally different outcome from that in Finland etc.

The cuffs are usually among the first parts of the jeans that start to experience the wear and tear. In this case both cuffs seem to be wearing and tearing in unison.

The unraveled hidden rivet / back pocket corner seems to have been fixed as well.

It’s the patchwork and fixes that really make your jeans yours. There is no other pair alike since your jeans wear in according to your lifestyle.

For instance, you can see the Momotaro stitching on the left back pocket is showing signs of wear which is possibly due to wallet carried in this particular back pocket.

You can see whiskering developing on both legs.

Good look. That’s all I have to share with this edition but as you know we’re back on the blog before you know it. Enjoy the sun if it’s sunny at your neck of the woods and hey if it happens to be rainy, enjoy the rain. It’s all good. I’m out, peace!

Happy Midsummer! I’m still on holiday mode and I can’t even remember when was the last time I spent few days without plugging in my notebook. I have kept checking my emails and such but since I’m still on holiday this 6 month mark of my Copper Label project will be production of my trusted iPhone.

My jeans are still airing outside following a very nice BBQ session. Barbecue is an important part of summer and I love it although following that the jeans usually smell a bit smoky. Like after Devin the Dude concert but with different smoke.

The latest thing I need to look into is the torn pocket fabric which has been unraveling for a while thanks to the platinum and diamonds on my right hand’s ring finger. The rough surface has been slow and steady ripping the fabric as I keep my phone in this particular right pocket.

But talking about unraveling, my trusted belt which I bought almost two years ago from Seleven Gallery in Hong Kong is finally giving in to the wear and tear it has gone through. The belt has been worn non-stop for the whole time and no, I do not wash my belt (surprise). Just yesterday the metal piece of the “belt hole” came off. I’m actually surprised it has not come off before this. But hey, yesterday was as good day as any.

The jeans are blue as the skies and you can see the mobile phone has been kept in the pocket more than often with obvious “phone fades” on the right pocket.

Interesting enough the left back pocket has gotten most of the worn (due to the wallet inside the pocket) where as the right back pocket is still all intact. Even after six months the Momotaro stitching is still there. Need not say the back of the knee creasing or honey combs are forming nicely and looking pretty cool. The ass whiskers are still forming more obviously on the left side. Again, this is perhaps because of the wallet.

I will have more pictures of the jeans soon, next time possibly with a proper camera. The skies are blue I’m feeling good and I don’t know why but Ihave Young Jeezy’s My President ringing in my head. So that’s all folks, My President is blask my Lambo’s blue and I be god damned if my rims ain’t too…

Today has been one for the books. I mean casa de Chao-Kuisma is looking like a refugee camp (not that I have ever seen one outside the TV) and it will look like this until we move to our temporary apartment to escape the incoming bathroom/piping renovation. Basically they’re going to rip the pipes off the bathroom and unfortunately our kitchen and replace them to new ones. This however means that we are outta here, since we’re not too keen on staying here without electricity and water for the next three months. It’s all good, it’s just three months right?

Well while we were not packing we also got around to have a brief photoshoot to bring some fresh pics to the Ladies section of our site. You can click the pictures below to check the new pics. The weather was definitely on our side. Clear blue skies and a beautiful sunshine.

Not sure who’s feeding the birds but they’re not at all afraid to get to know you.

We’re satisfied with the pictures and had good time. I myself got in front of the camera few times jsut for the purpose of this week’s blog update. Now I did post a little sneak peek yesterday on Twitter and Soap Box but here’s what the jeans look like at 23 weeks. We’re coming close to the 6 month mark and I have to say, the jeans are still developing. So to those who doubt if jeans will fade and evolve after washes, they do. The whiskers are getting more and more obvious and the thighs have faded rather nicely. The current Japan Blue color matches the blue sky nicely as well!

I’m sure we’re going to see a lot more developments in the next 6 months but even if stopped wearing the jeans now, I would still be satisfied with the outcome.

Another week, another step on the journey. Remy’s got a post coming up and I’m off to watch some more soccer before charging my batteries for tomorrow. Stay safe everyone. I’m out, peace!

Sundays are usually pretty damn good. I mean I’ve been lounging the whole day. My biggest achievements of the day have been couple of emails and cooking pancakes for my wife (and myself of course). So how to start the Momotaro Jeans Copper Label update of the day? I think it’s best to approach this chronologically with all starting on Friday 4th of June.

Needless to say the day started really early with the NBA Finals kicking off. Starting your day at 4 am instead of the typical 7-8 am takes it’s toll at some point. While I was burning that midnight oil the whole day, I was still a bit more exhausted than usual around 8 pm. Well instead of logging off and chilling at home I was heading to a rap concert in the Helsinki Central. Greats like MC Eiht and Devin the Dude came to Finland and my friend did not have to ask me twice if I wanted to check the concert out. I didn’t even realize that MC Eiht was performing as I went there to see Devin. Below a clip from each artist in case you’re not familiar with their work.

So the event was supposed to be from 10 pm onwards. However being that I’ve seen quite a few concerts and when the event starts at 10 pm the concert is definitely not starting before midnight. So it was going to be a long, long day. I met up my friend at the venue around 10 pm. Good chance to shoot some breeze and get few drinks before the concert.

Well we definitely had good chance to chat because the warm up bands only entered the stage close to midnight. A message to promoters and concert organizers, nobody cares about the warm up bands. I mean you go there to see a specific artist whose concert only starts after midnight. It could be that it’s just my theory but I think it’s all so that folks would keep buying drinks and keep bringing money to the lounge. But damn. I have no idea who the artists were but listening to “local talents” and cover songs for 2 hours is not what I paid for. Maybe I’m just getting old, but I was really checking my watch like every 5 minutes when the dudes were performing. It’s all good, do your thing but just cut the warm ups short.

Fortunately MC Eiht got on the stage at a decent hour around 1 am I guess and the show go under way. While his performance was solid, it was also something like an hour. Another message to the organizers, why the hell are the sounds so loud? The sound effects like machine guns sounded horrible with capital H. I mean it’s always funny to hear the guns popping on the albums but concerts like these, it just sounds silly and got us laughing. Still, well done MC Eiht. Keep doing your thing.

OK, so it was close to 2 am and still no sight of Devin, the people got mroe and more drunk and more and more people entered the venue. At this point I will direct the story back to my jeans, which I had been wearing non-stop the whole day from 7 am until now 2 am. Well there was this gentleman who for some reason wanted to park his drinks on our table that kept talking to me but being that he was too drunk and the music was too loud I still have no idea what he was saying. Well peace to him but he was able to pour portion of his drink (I think it was White Russian) on my left knee. Now if I was your average ignorant drunk dude, I would have probably started a fight but instead I wished the guy a pleasant evening and he moved to somewhere else. I was sure my jeans would meet some accident, it was a rap concert after all. Finally Devin entered the stage and the crowd went wild.

Wild enough to dig up those joints from their pockets and lighting them up in celebration of Devin’s weed praising lyrics. Devin himself lit one up and shared the joy with the crowd. I have not seen more weed smoked in a public place before (then again I have never been to Amsterdam). There were some pot smokers in the Too $hort concert last year but nothing like this. The packed place smelled horrible. Devin also had a solid set, unfortunately way too short. I mean the dude you went there to see performed much shorter sets than the warm ups, not cool. Another message to the organizers, not cool. Seriously, cut the warm ups.

Back to the situation. My midnight oil was running out as it was something like 2.30 am I had been up for 22 hours, not something I do on weekly basis. Again, I must be getting old. I called my wife and thankfully she came to pick me up from the central. One thing I have to say is that the sunrise between 3 am and 4 am looks pretty nice.

Back to the jeans. My clothing smelled so bad I’m sure if somebody burned them they could have gotten high from the absorbed weed smoke. there’s no way I would keep wearing them until they were properly washed. First thing on Saturday morning, off to the machine they went.

Yesterday became the first day I did not wear my jeans as I spent my day in shorts. Not too bad, it was a warm day. I could see that the result of the wear, wear and wear was visible already on the wet jeans, I could not wait until they had dried. So without any further due, here you go. The jeans at 21 weeks, washed three times.

If I was a pessimist, I would argue that the jeans will have this look until the end of the project, but I know that’s not the case. I know the jeans will only keep evolving from here on. I will still keep up the once per month wash cycles unless the jeans occur more of these impromptu events which force me to wash the jeans more often. Wring continues as per usual and I will keep reporting the progress. But until our next edition, stay safe everyone and be easy. I’m out like last season. Peace.

I’m just back from a nice few mile walk in with the wife. The weather is still a bit chilly but at least sunny. It’s awesome to see the nature blooming and coming into life very rapidly. It’s like Hanami out there. No cherry trees around though. But hey, there’s always apple trees.

Now then, let’s continue with the project update.

This week’s edition is titled Damage Control. No, no, nothing to worry about the jeans are all intact getting better by the day. However unlike with my previous project, I have started to see some tear this time. No big deals and most likely some would laugh me off with these bits of information but hey, it’s a wear and tear project and everything will be reported.

First off, the chainstitching in the crotch of the jeans has unraveled from a 1 cm area. This is actually nothing to be worried about as the stitching holding the crotch part / fabrics together is still all intact. However, with more wear there could be a chance that the stitching would come loose as more pressure is applied on the part. To balance it out, I took out my trusted needle and thread and using my artisan skills sewed the part together. You might be wondering, why black thread? Well mainly for demonstration purposes. The black color stands out well in the pictures, but does not really show on the indigo side either as you can see from the second picture.

I noticed the second unraveling this afternoon. A small hole on the pocket fabric. This type of stuff I have seen a lot with plenty of other jeans but not with my Vintage Label project. The reason is simple enough, the fabric is a lot softer than the Vintage Label pocket fabric.  It could be that the hole has been there for a while already but I am not too worried. Of course a small hole can easily expand and soon I will be wondering where’s my iPhone at? So without further due I fixed up the the whole with the same needle and black thread.

Problem fixed.

I am actually surprised there hasn’t been more tear on the jeans since they have been through plenty of use and abuse. But it’s all good but to be honest, I expect nothing less from Momotaro Jeans. The fabric is very soft and comfortable and I think after one wash they will be perfect.

More pics will follow next week but until then, enjoy the remaining Sunday. Oh, and GO LAKERS! Peace…

What a weekend. Yesterday was as many deemed it “the last warm day in a while.” So we spent most of it outside. True enough it started raining in the evening and it has rained most of the day, but I’m not mad, I love the fresh “after the rain” air. This week’s Copper Label project update is presented to you without detailed pics but rather an alternative way of rocking my jeans during the warmer days.

I only cuffed my Vintage Label jeans into short form maybe once last summer when visiting a beach. But the softer 14.7 oz denim somewhat enables easier cuffing and you know what I thought the jeans look pretty nice cuffed. They somewhat remind me of Momotaro’s bicycle shorts.

Now cuffing your jeans into shorts is would be a tough task with slimmer jeans but the straight leg jeans have enough space. Such cuffing does have risks such as stretching the jeans and if worn in such a cuffed way for a long period the jeans might end up with interesting horizontal lines as well. But as mentioned before, this here’s a wear and tear project so we’re checking what the jeans are all about. If you ask me the jeans also work well as shorts. Good for those warm Summer days should you opt to keep wearing your jeans no matter what the weather.

Other than exposing myself and my jeans to sun I have also been doing some updates on the site. Visual “upgrades” with more information and text. There will be more updates coming up so keep you eyes open.

Enjoy the Sunday where-ever you are, I’m off to chill for a moment before another dynamic week ahead. Stay safe y’all, I’m out…

It’s looking like we might actually get some rain today. It’s been warm and sunny the whole week and the pessimists are saying that the summer as we know it is over (in Finland that is). Well since it’s not even June yet, I’m not jumping on that bandwagon but hey, who knows. No matter what, it’s all good.

We had a post free day yesterday with Remy somewhere having a bachelor party, not his own though (hangover the movie anyone?) and yours truly was keeping busy as well. Nevertheless this gives a good opportunity to follow up on Remy’s GTB project update. Although I’m saving my project update for later I’m sure you’re gonna love this (probably more than my regular updates). The below jeans were part of a Momotaro Jeans denim contest so you thought your jeans are faded, take a look at these.

G003-M Momotaro Jeans, an older model but still as fresh as any other Momotaro Jeans design out there. The below jeans were worn for three years and washed with denim detergent.

Next up a nice little benchmark to my Copper Label project. Yes, the below jeans are G003-MB, although they look like some other design readily distressed. I’ve seen some ish but these… speechless.

The jeans were worn for two years and hand washed with Momotaro Jeans denim wash (SZ-001). The owner wore the jeans daily driving bicycle which explains the repaired crotch and seat pieces. You can see different fabric used for the repairs. Take a look at the pics, all I can say is, I like.

Pictures courtesy of JapanBlue Momotaro Jeans.

Again, you can see that even though you would assume the jeans fade similar to every other pair out there, it’s obvious that every pair is different from one another. I think I’m on my way with the current denim project so let’s see how they’ll end up in one year’s time or perhaps two.

That’s all for today, but mark my words more will follow! I’m gonna log out now and perhaps watch a movie with the wifey. Take it easy everyone and enjoy the summer!