Notes on Japanese Craftmanship

While continuing a strong emphasis on American workwear, we have shifted slightly to explore the detailing and quality of our friends across the Pacific. Being able to work with and carry a handful of Japanese brands, who we firmly believe to align closely with our strong standard for quality and design, we have been able to appreciate how much Americana workwear has been translated through the perspectives and unique character of Japanese designs. The very looms that have been built years ago in American have mostly found their ways to Japan to continue the storied tradition of hand-loomed selvedge denim. While it is sad to see most of these machines leave our lands here in the US, we have been happy to see how much care and tradition the Japanese artisans have put into maintaining and progressing the traditions of premium denim fabrics we see today, used in the iterations of 90%+ of todays jeans from US and Japanese brands alike. These machines are very old and finicky and take a master of his trade to create the beautiful and unique characteristics of selvedge denim. Countless antique machines are utilized to create the jeans we offer to you in store here at Timber Trade. We are happy that our Japanese brothers and sisters care as much as we do about everything denim and they are some of the most gracious and courteous people we have the pleasure of working with.

An immensely popular brand of denim we carry is Momotaro from the shores of Okayama, Japan, the epicenter of the selvedge denim world as we know it. They offer premium fabrics in beautiful fits that offer both durability and texture that is appreciated across the world. Momotaro is one of the top names in Japanese denim. The attention to detail and masterful craftsmanship sets these jeans apart from a lot of brands around the world. We took them on as a brand in the shop because of their reputation within our niche community. Their jeans exceeding our expectations and continue to be a brand that our customers can count on for years and years.

We are also proud to offer Chup Socks who develop artisanal socks that are a huge success in the cooler months because of their immensely unique patterning and color varieties that are not seen anywhere else in the world. Their unique style and designs are fun and a favorite within the denim community because the quality is second to none. The socks are made on antique machines that are not operable during the hotter months in Japan so they are becoming increasingly more desirable because production of a single sock takes a considerable amount of time and material. Given the considerable maintenance requirements of the machines and the unavailability of parts, Chup socks will be harder and harder to find once these antique machines are worn beyond repair.

With headlining a couple of our Japanese brands carried at the shop, we hope to educate you, our clients, on the indispensable benefits Japanese craftsmanship bring to the denim world. We are doubling-down on our commitment to style and quality by expanding our world of artisanship to another country that values the time and commitment it takes to make something the right way. Durability, function, and style play vital roles in our fight to preserve the traditions of quality workwear that will become staples in your closet, but also legacies of our generation.

Notes on Workwear

Our small shop in Denver is a collection of menswear from the US, Japan, Canada, and Western Europe that offer designs full of character and unending style. We have staples for your closet that are both functional enough for work, and stylish enough for nights out in the city. We offer top-shelf whiskey to anybody wanting good conversation, fit advise for anybody wanting a good pair of jeans, and service that is not pushy, sale-sy, or dishonest. We want you to feel the comfort of a friend who wants you to be satisfied spending your time and money with us. We value conversation, friendships, and our service to you.

The golden age of American heritage; the era in which classic menswear took its design from military and work uniforms and turned them into everyday staples. Quality was uncompromising because there was no time to tinker with their clothing while on the farm, oil rigs, cranes over skyscrapers, and the battlefield. There were only so many hours in the day. Corn needed husking, buildings needed brick laid, and wars need to be won. Quality was a standard because it needed to be as tough as the people who wore them. Wear and tear meant to repair. As the adage goes, “buy a few things, but make them good things”.

We cannot recreate the past. These times have gone and gave way to mass manufacturing, lead by fashion that is fleeting. I hate to use the term, “men’s fashion” because this does not give the proper title for something that is meant to last and survive. We can add new variations of the same designs: make them slimmer, adjust buttons and rivets, move a pocket here and there, and add branding. These are all of the things we have added to these timeless pieces that make them stand out from one another but the intention is the same for all of the brands we carry and represent. Ones old and new are carrying the same weight as their predecessors in perpetuating the American ideals of classic design, durability, and most of all, function. New countries like Japan, Canada, and parts of Europe are taking on our devotion to detail.

At our shop, we work hard to find brands that exemplify the ideals that encaptured our grandparent’s generation of pride and responsibility to their crafts. The men’s clothing we carry is made with some of the finest fabrics, hand-loomed on antique machines that are some of the last in the world. No new parts are being made, nothing but their own engineering to fix a broken loom. Textures and tones of denim that aren’t found anywhere else that exemplifies the uniqueness of the artisan who makes them. We represent these craftsmen and women who devote themselves to a craft centuries old because we care about sending these ideals on to the next generation who can, themselves, give them their own spin and perspective. We aren’t reinventing the wheel- we are just keeping it turning.

The Impact of Cheap Clothing

 Americans produced 15.1 million tons of textile waste in 2013. 85% of all of that clothing has ALREADY ended up in landfills. Read that again.

 Much attention has been cast on what we eat, where it comes from, the way in which it is produced, and the waste we create from it. Consumers in the United States are motivated by certifications and certain assurances of organic, fair-trade, "natural", Non-GMO, gluten-free. This widespread care is relatively new. While a hugely important step in the way in which Americans eat and support small farms, corporations have manipulated what these labels legally mean in contrast to what they actually are. Misdirection is the way in which large food companies use these labels we all know and look for to find every means to dilute and mislead what these labels were originally intended to denote. Farmers are bullied and forced out of business by these companies that use money and political power to their advantage. Foods under the USDA organic labels allow 25 synthetic pesticides and it is becoming extremely expensive for small producers to not only grow our food the right way but to also obtain such certifications as the qualification processes are not only expensive but time-consuming. Anybody familiar with farming practices knows how much time and effort is necessary to keep a farm together and operating smoothly. Non-government funded organic labels have instituted more stringent rules but they are few and far between and less recognizable to the general public. We need to do everything we can in our power to support the efforts of small farms because they are the ones who truly care. Small producers of food and clothing are not rich nor will they ever be. They work because it is what they love and what they believe the world deserves.

Why would our clothing deserve less? Foreign manufacturing has claimed a huge share of the clothing Americans buy and has consequently cheapened not only the prices but the quality of the garments. There is a widespread view by most consumers that cheap clothing is a financially responsible decision but what are the long-term results of these decisions? A pair of quality, domestically manufactured denim lasts for an average of four years of consistent wear. Yes, this seems like a lot of money- it is- but the clothing you wear should be an investment. A cheap pair of denim might seem like a good idea at the time of purchase, but it more than likely to degrade within a much smaller margin of time. A pair of hand-made jeans gets only better with age as the fades bring out a quality of craft and love that is evident to only those that have the pleasure of the wear. Cheap jeans will cost you more money within that four year period than taking the moderate financial hit on the front end and buying a pair that will last and keep fewer garments out of our landfills and put money into the hands of people who love their craft and truly love their customers. We should care who makes our clothing just as much as we care about who grows our food and how. 

 We carry only small-batch clothing made from the hands of crafters that put more time into their product that is even thought imaginable. We curate our clothing with an immense amount of care and personally know many of the people that make the awesome things at our store. We want you, our customer, to care as much as we do and wear with pride everything you walk out of our doors with.

Notes on Heritage

 A man exhibits a certain perspicacity in knowing he is among those who follow in the footsteps of the figures before him in style and image. During my travels in our expansive world, I have attempted to identify what makes American Heritage so unique in its approach to apparel. I believe in the last hundred years, American men have taken an innovative and progressive approach to define themselves in the most profound and unique of ways. We have proven time and time again that a good pair of jeans and t-shirt will define us in our role as the founders of "cool". Our style has found its weave between the fibers of our generations and denim has been the true refrain. America is taking back its place in textile manufacturing and unrivaled integrity because we have demanded quality of craftsmanship and progressive design; by our people for our people. An idea so obvious and important to our local economies, yet forgotten over the past 30+ years that clothing has become cheap and almost disposable in its inferior construction and quality. Local and national manufacturers and craftsmen have sprouted up and are finding new and innovative ways to reach the public with truly amazing products and ideas. Pride in American manufacturing creates pride in its wearer. I have worked passionately for three years with an idea of a menswear shop that curates products from all over the United States typically not found anywhere in Denver. I have traveled everywhere from Portland and San Francisco to Brooklyn, NY to find what I believe to be the best collection of clothing and accessories found anywhere. I invite you to follow us as we get closer to opening our doors and sharing with you a new way to find your perfect aesthetic for every circumstance you might find yourself in. We promise to offer products of unmatched quality and design in an urban-industrial space that will take you back to American clothing heritage brought forward to the present.

Please stay in touch and keep us in mind as we build out the shop and open this Fall. We will be posting updates of the process and will be having a bash to kick off what we believe to be a wild ride.

Cheers friends,

Joshua