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!

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!

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.

First off, today was the first day in almost two years that I called in sick. I stayed at home and took it easy the whole day. I won’t skip my blog post though. The day went by watching Hong Kong TVB drama series and resting. And it paid off. I feel a lot better already. Naturally there were some work related things I handled via my mobile office but mostly just resting.

Yesterday’s post was simply awesome but now we’re back to the thing we know best. Denim projects. We’ve been posting denim project updates for almost a year already and just this week we threw another set of jeans into our very own denim debate, Remy’s Going to Battle (ex Going to War) Label Momotaro Jeans. Three months in the jeans look great, definitely not torn but worn yet fresh.

Today we take this thing to yet another level introducing another two sets of Momotaro Jeans projects. The jeans belong to our friend Tim from Germany. Shout out to Tim. It’s very interesting discussing denim with folks that share similar interests. It’s a small world and Tim’s Momotaro denim projects have been exactly the same as mine and even in the same order. Both of the jeans have been worn consequently for three months on daily basis.

First off some pics of the Vintage Label 0901 Jeans.

There are definitely similarities with my own 0901 project but the lifestyles of the wearer are apparent with this project as well. For instance the wallet fade on the right back pocket, and left front pocket as well as the whiskers on the front of the jeans.

The jeans still have their dark hue and like new.

On to the next set of pics. These are from the Copper Label G003-MB jeans also worn for three months. One thing that differentiates these Copper Label jeans from mine is the fact that these don’t just have wear but a little bit of tear as well. The stitching on the corner of the back pocket had come loose as you can see.

This is a first one for me although I have seen some very worn and torn Momotaro Jeans with some torn stitching usually on the bottom of the back pocket.

The jeans have been worn for about same time as my current project, but they look totally different. I mean just have a look.

The Copper Label jeans look fresh in every sense of the word. Just like with the Vintage Label jeans there is some creasing on the front as well as on the back of the knees. But as you can see the jeans look totally different.

That’s the beauty of premium denim. When the jeans are truly made by hand without compromise, every pair is different. The natural indigo dye, the tailor made cutting and sewing not to mention rivets and buttoning. Although the jeans might look the same there are differences as the products are indeed man made. The individual nature of the jeans truly comes through with the wear. I’m sure that the extreme winter this year has made a mark on my jeans and one really needs to go through those two meter snow walls to get the same look. Still, no matter where these jeans are worn and for how long they all have one thing in common, the high quality and craftmanship. Well made jeans are like a work of art. If you doubt my word, all you have to do is get a pair and you will see it for yourself.

One more pic for the road. This one with both the Vintage and Copper Label Momotaro Jeans side by side.

That’s all for the day, but I have much more in store for you. Just a little hint before tomorrow’s update. Yuki Hoashi. Oh almost forgot. If you have not checked the new trailer for the Iron Man 2, now’s your chance. Another thing to add to the awesome list.

Super Sunday behind us and I’ve had a rather nice weekend. For those wondering where have we been as there has been only few posts lately, yours truly has been multitasking for the past few weeks on another level. In addition to this, I decided just to take an evening or two off, haha.

But what would a week be without a little checkup on the ongoing denim project.

I can see that others have taken up a challenge of denim project blogging as well. You can take a look at denim debate. They have a pair of Momotaro Jeans there as well. Well back to this wear and tear project. The winter has cooled down (or warmed up) since my last post and last few days have actually been pretty beautiful weather-wise that is.

This week I wanted to post a little comparison to my previous project being that we’ve hit the two month milestone. Starting off with the frontal shot. There are still plenty of miles ahead before the current project matches up with the previous one, but hey we’re getting there much faster than I initially expected.

Momotaro Jeans – Copper Label project:

Momotaro Jeans – Vintage Label project

The light does not do the Copper Label project justice. In natural sunlight the faded blue in contrast with the natural deep blue color of the Momotaro Jeans is really beautiful. I mean the jeans could stay at their current state and they would be awesome, but I am putting them through a lot more wear in attempt to get that ultimate fade, heh. Still plenty of wear ahead.

The stacking on the back of the knees is definitely going to top the previous project, that I know already.

A little closeup of the tags, just for the fun of it.

I decided to call this edition whiskers, because the jeans are really creasing nicely. These creases will most likely stay there throughout the project and will fade to give the jeans a hopefully symmetric set of whiskers. But don’t get me wrong an unsymmetrical set of whiskers couuld be rather nice as well. You can see my iPhone has made its mark as well. Lately I have not kept my wallet in my front pocket and this thus there has not been much wallet fade on the front. But also the left side of my jeans has gotten nice set of whiskers as well. Just a tip, to get a symmetric set of whiskers, don’t keep your wallet in the front pocket.

And then, the ass whiskers.

There were some seat whiskers in the last project but these jeans have defo more. Not that it’s a bad thing. What to do? I sit on my ass most of the day. I wonder if the type of chair affects the type of creasing the seat experiences? I would think so.

Lastly a little cuff comparison.

Those snow lines really fit the winter. I think that once all that snow melts I wither get a pair of rubber boots or the roping will get really obvious even before washing the jeans. Will keep you posted as the project and the spring progress.

That’s all for the day. I will try to chill for few more hours before another week full of crunching. Thus, no matter where you are; have a great and dynamic week ahead. I’m out, peace…

First off, if you’re browsing the blog on your mobile device like iPhone or Blackberry you might have noticed that we have integrated mobile browsing theme to the blog to make it easier to read our updates with your mobile device. So if your checking in with your iPhone the view will be something like this.

To switch back to the normal view just scroll down and choose to turn off the mobile theme.

Now, back to business.

This week I crossed the first month mark in my current denim project and well what can I say. The jeans get better by the day. Well since it has been a month already I should be posting more detailed pics of the jeans but to be frank there is not much to show just yet. Although the denim is slightly lighter in color and also a bit finer in texture, there is still not much marks to show at this point. However I do have to point out that these jeans to wear a bit faster than the Vintage Label Momotaro Jeans. There are certain wear marks already that did not appear until after first washes with my previous project.

The winter still rages on here in Finland and although we did have few sunny days this week most of the time it’s still that same old cold and snowy weather. The roads are totally covered with snow and in some locations the city (or whoever is in charge of the roads and sidewalks) is definitely not doing their share in shoveling the snow from the sidewalks. Like I was showing in my last post, some folks will only find their cars during the Spring when the snow melts.

The deep snow has also worn the cuffs of my jeans at a much faster pace than in the past as you can see below.

The cuffs are usually the first to experience the tear side of things but not yet (touch wood) just some lighter shades due to constant encounters with the snow.

The creasing on the back of the jeans is showing signs of what we can expect as the project proceeds.

This time around I am not planning to give the jeans any soakings until I really need to or until the snow has melted and perhaps I can soak the jeans in the lake like last time. Well that’s only few months ahead but just to keep the jeans as fresh as possible I will bury the jeans into snow for a minute. I know this does not really have much of an effect but it has a psychological effect. Hey, folks with no snow stuff their jeans into a freezer to keep them fresh during their wear and tear projects. Thankfully we’ll still have snow for a long time, haha. No jeans in my freezer, period.

But that’s all for now, my next Copper G003-MB project update will most likely be posted from Copenhagen. Most of our crew will be heading to Denmark for the Terminal-2 fair on Wednesday but I’ll post a little preview on that on Tuesday. Don’t forget our Chinese New Year promotion and stay tuned for our updates. We love you all, I’m out, peace.

When I said let it snow, let it snow, let it snow I did not expect Helsinki to experience snowfall of such proportions. I am not sure if Helsinki has seen such a winter in a decade or something (again I could be wrong considering I have not been around for almost half of the time) but still the winter’s great. I am sure many car owners might disagree with this statement as we see below. Oh, and that isn’t my car.

Keep an eye on your car, or you might not see it until spring.

Back to the denim project. I am not letting my jeans off easy. No holidays and no off-days. The weather has been very snowy for the past few days but prior to this we had a number of really and I mean really cold days. I think it was like -20 Degrees Celsius for like 4 days straight. But it’s fine, on these cold days it’s usually really sunny and beautiful out there and hey, it’s just a matter of dressing up for the occasion. My choice is same as usual, heavy oz denim. You can’t go wrong with that. Naturally I do have a shirt or two as well as a proper parka not to forget my trusted timberland boots, but when it comes to bottoms the jeans have not failed me not even in -23.

The weather has calmed down and warmed up it’s awesome -5 and lots and lots of snow.

So I get to continue my current project where I let off with my Vintage 0901 project. That is, introduce the jeans to snow as often as you can. Because few months later, the snow is nothing but a memory from the near future (seriously few months later the snow makes a glorious comeback).

One thing I realized about this set of jeans is that I start to see fading a bit faster than with the Vintage Label jeans. This could be the result of the special cotton as well as the natural blue dye used with the Copper Label but 3 weeks on and I can see whiskers forming. More of this next week or so. Now, another snowy picture.

I guess I mentioned that I love the fit. The jeans have adjusted really well in the past few weeks and although the jeans are slightly slimmer than what I am used to, the fit is just amazing. As I’m writing this, it has started to snow again and I’m expecting the traffic to be a mess tomorrow morning but that’s cool. Gonna chill for a minute now and gather some strength for another week of on this crazy journey.

Stay tuned for more and don’t forget your car. I’m out, peace.

It’s been long time coming and my new denim Project has officially begun. For the starters I thought of just sharing some detailed pics of the jeans in their current fresh form. I have worn the jeans for few days already and I have to tell you, they’re great. I mean the Vitnage Label Momotaro Jeans are just rugged heavy duty Vintage jeans, but the Copper Label is something else. They’re also the heavy oz selvedge denim Momotaro is known for, but they’re softer than Vintage Label. The softness is partially due to the cotton blend used in the jeans. The fabric is mixture of organic cotton used in other Momotaro jeans, but also features fine cotton used in dress shirts. This gives the denim a very soft feel. The inside (back) of the jeans has a natural indigo dyed fabric, which I suppose adds to the softness, and looks nice.

The inside pockets are also indigo dyed and feature a Japan Blue patch. You can also notice that the Copper Label features the same pink selvedge as the Vintage Label.

Unlike the Vintage Label Momotaro Jeans, the Copper Label comes sanforized. Washed in the essence of Seto Sea water the jeans. They say that “the blue color of the denim is kept more natural by using special cotton with long fibers that lets the jeans wear in unique and personal ways.” Indeed the jeans have a very peculiar blue to them. The color is lighter than in the Vintage Label but very deep. I would imagine they will fade really nicely. Below a pic showing the color of my Vintage 0901 (washed, worn and torn) and the fresh Copper Label denim. Also note the stitching on the right back pocket of the jeans. Something new as the Vintage Label had plain back pockets.

The timing is perfect for the start of the denim project. Winter is at its finest and the jeans have already met with snow, heh. Normally I would give the jeans a hot soaking before starting to wear them in, but this time I skipped this part as the jeans are indeed pre-washed and the fit is pretty much perfect. Thus they have only been “soaked” in snow, heh.

The buttons have an old school look to them and fit very nicely to the rugged but stylish look of the Copper Label.

I will save the fit pics to the next edition but the particular journey has now officially begun. Later this week I will post the summary of the 0901 Journey. That’s all for now. Be safe y’all, I’m out…