Leave it to the Dutch to do something completely different. Denim manufacture Glue Jeans does just what their company name implies: instead of stitching the denim together, they've glued it with a super holding glue. What seems like a cleaver gimmick actually looks really cool. Raw denim next to the heavy lines of red glue gives it a sharp look. It’s different enough to turn heads, but subtle enough to leave people wondering. Glue Jeans has tested their product’s durability for the past two years, but if the glue wears off and your pants disintegrate, remember these jeans were invented by people from Amsterdam. A little public nudity isn't one of their biggest concerns.

Throwing away jeans is kind of like throwing away a kidney–it’s a part of your body, you use it every day, but lets be honest…you have two. If you have to toss a pair, the most karmically responsible thing you can do is turn it into insulation for a home in a needy community. National Jean Company and Earnest Sewn are sponsoring a denim drive benefiting Cotton. From Blue to Green. The goal is to get 1000 pairs (insulation for two homes) and after a charity fashion show last week, they’re half way there. Just show up at any Nation Jean Company location in NYC or Long Island for collection. They’ll understand if you need a moment to say goodbye.

It takes a tough man to live Down Under…what with all of those poisonous animals, arid Outback, and the possibility of Paul Hogan at every turn. Which is probably why they make some damn fine denim. The Imperial Denim label hails from the country of murderous ex-Patriot criminals (Writers note: Our sincere apologies, Heather). The mantastic styles, made of Japanese dry weight selvage, come in a few different offerings: Duke, King, and the nod to hard working sheep farmers–Shearer. If this press release is to be believed (and they most always are) you can wear these pants an entire year without them disintegrating on you. We wonder if they make underwear? Get your pair exclusively at Context (and order online using the special code: MEMBER at checkout).

We know you're a fiend for jeans. You've probably got a pair for every day of the week…at least. However, if you spend all day, dreaming about a sportier pair to add to your collection, perhaps you should seek out the new line of Adidas Denim Originals by Diesel. The collaboration between the two global megabrands combines Diesel's unique sense of youthfulness with the classic appeal of the Adidas sportswear. The jeans are emblazoned with the Adidas logo in the patch area in addition to the ‘three stripes’ trademark found on the pant leg...and the fit...well it's just as snug as your favorite pair of Sambas. We recommend heading down to the nearest Adidas store as these babies should be available any day now.

Via Denimology

While love may make the world go round, denim keeps the majority of the world's inhabitants from being pantsless. It's a rare phenomenon where one material has become the textile of choice the world over, but have you ever stopped to wonder why? Maybe you will, thanks to UCL's Global Denim Project. The project was borne out of a collaborative effort between anthropology students Daniel Miller and Sophie Woodward, and takes aim at creating a hub for people interested engaging in academic research on what your blue jeans are made out of. People from Turkey to Texas have been inspired by their trousers and the project's website also trumpets the product of that inspiration, displaying a laundry list of ventures related to what my mother still refers to as dungarees. Perhaps it's time for you to explore what it means to be in your jeans.

I’m supposed to be telling you about denim; denim contrived in D.C., made in L.A., and available for shipping anywhere your doorstep may reside. However, the photography on DURKL’s site was too, too incredible to focus only on their new cut-and-sew pantalones (available in both classic and slim fit cuts), so I’ll give you a brief rundown, then move on to what I really want to say. Brief rundown goes as follows: If the tight, acid-washed denim that you share with your girlfriend lost its charm when you and your nine-year old cousin showed up wearing the exact same outfit this Thanksgiving, this is where you go next. It comes in purple, cyan, yellow, black, and white, and a better pair hasn’t existed since whatever everyone rocked in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Some free advice from me: You’ll want to wear your pants — any pants — with the Pump (in white) tee or the Crooked (in orange, if you can pull it off) tee. Note to boys: some of the guys on that site are modeling the shirts in sizes too big for their bodies. Let’s not take any cues from that — I had a boyfriend like that once, and it sucked. Draw inspiration from the well styled pics of the Summer ‘07 line instead, and buy some of it if you can. And here’s what I really want to say: Your girlfriend wants these. Trust me.

Yesterday evening, in the middle of too much green tea at a local sushi spot, a friend asked me what today’s interview was going to be about. I kind of mumbled the answer; “Krudmart, with this guy Steve,” expecting the response of a few politely interested, half-garbled-sushi grunts. However, I was met with the opposite reaction, as several of the table’s occupants mentioned they’d been to Krudmart, or emailed with Steve, or had “…really wanted this one v-neck t-shirt there, even though, ugh; hate v-necks.” I was kind of shocked, because Krudmart is a young streetwear shop located in Buffalo, NY — making it about 3,000 miles away from the location of our little dinner party — and a strange-ish subject on which to find common ground.

That conversation solidified what I was already thinking about Krudmart: Aside from being a ground-up operation that has made a huge name for itself (with a very un-huge amount of people power), the small store has one very big thing going for it. This is sort of a risk, but I’m going to say it anyway; that “thing” could very possibly be a man who calls himself Steve Kay. Krudmart’s founder, visionary, and voice (though in all fairness, I have to point out that the entire team over there kills it), Steve has taken a place to buy jeans and turned it into something worth knowing about… even on the opposite coast.

This interview is probably going to make you laugh. That’s an awesome thing, because it’s Friday, and we all need to shake off the shoulder tension that’s been building over the work week. If you quit laughing long enough to experience befuddlement over the question regarding a brick, it will help to note that that is in reference to a little act of vandalism that recently befell the shop. If you want the juicy details of that story, crawl over this way; if you’re ready for another tasty SpearTalks, scroll on down…

Joshspear.com: Walk us through Krudmart; its roots, its progress, its future…

Steve: I started out in 2002. I’d just come off a year and a half stint of moving around (Australia, LA) and learning a bunch of random life lessons but had no real direction, money or college education. I went back to the skate shop I worked at right out of high school and talked the owner into letting me sell some of his inventory online and taking a percentage of the sales. Shit blew up pretty quickly and even though we were friends, he and I weren’t seeing eye to eye on where to take the project so I went off on my own.

From there I started working out of my dad’s apartment. Growth was slow but steady for a year or so then it just kind of went nuts again. READ MORE…

When Godmother, co-founder of premium denim label 5EP, learned about the Styleforum message boards from a member/customer, her interest was piqued and shortly after, she was signed up and posting. What she found was a diverse collection of (mostly) males discussing a broad range of topics from clothing trends and design to more practical subjects such as pricing or laundering techniques. The ball was set in motion, and soon moderator LA Guy and Denimbar owner Mauro found themselves corresponding with Godmother on a potential special edition collaboration between 5EP and Styleforum. Released this week, as a culmination of over 7 months of work, with leadership and final approval from the aforementioned trio, plus dozens of pages of feedback from forum members: a straight leg jean with a mid-low rise cut from raw Japanese selvage. The denim is a slim cut, not super skinny, so you’ll want to get your true size for a slim fit or size up one if you don’t want to deal with the hassles of not breathing as you break in your pair. Limited to just 200 pairs, they will be available from Styleforum, Denimbar, Oak, and Hollywood Trading Company. If you’ve grown out of your True Religions and Diesel jeans and are ready to move up a tier in the world of premium denim, you might want to give any of these locations a call, or better yet, visit them and try on a pair.

The guys behind the ever-enigmatic Los Angeles-based jeans brand Crate Denim are getting set to show off what’s to come for their Spring/Summer ‘08 Collection, and if past seasons are any indication of their plans for next year, then you denimheads out there best be getting excited. These are the same lads who are responsible for the appointment-only boutique Secret Service in L.A. that I wrote about a few months ago and that many of you were eager-beaver to experience. If you find yourself in Las Vegas on August 26-29, you should make every effort to forge through the desert heat over to the Platinum Hotel. In typical Crate Denim fashion, they don’t tell us much besides what’s on the flyer and this buried treasure-esque map, so if you have other questions, email them at info[at]cratedenim.com, and maybe they’ll get back to you. Fashion is a little more fun when you have to do some detective work to access it, don’t you think?

I live in jeans. As a result, I go through between fifteen and twenty pairs a year– sometimes it has to do with bad choices/impulse buys (hello, OND), weight gain/loss (hello, Christmas) or the downright abuse that occurs when I fall in love with a pair of jeans (see: Esprit, on sale, for $17. I bought three pair.) I’ve had my True Religion Bobby skirt for almost two years now, and I have a sad feeling it may die sometime this summer. If everything is right in the world, I’ll be able to pick up a pair of Paige leather-trimmed bootcuts this weekend without bursting into tears or killing a sales associate. I like to switch up between premium denim and consumer denim– after all, I’m not wearing a $200 pair of jeans to tend bar where they’ll inevitably end up covered in beer, Jagermeister and who knows what else, but on the other hand it’s still important my butt looks good in them.

So the question here is, folks: what denim are you wearing? When was the last time you bought a pair? Do you mix it up, or are you a fierce loyalist? Are you like my friend, Steven, who stockpiled twelve pairs of 501s back in 1996 and haven’t bought a pair since*? Tell us in the comments because it’s, you know, Talk Shop Friday.

*Seriously dude, it’s been over ten years. Its time to go shopping.

Not to be outdone by my AB Fits post yesterday, my Austin peeps have chimed in with their favorite denim bar. Austin’s Hem Jeans is truly “A Denim Bar for Jeanaholics.” I would love to list all of the brands of denim they carry, but I think my fingers would melt. At Hem, you are going to get one-on-one customer service, free wine and/or beer while you shop, flat screens (so you can watch that UT football game that you skipped to go buy jeans), and in-house alterations for you short people out there. Loree and Aimee Lindgren, Seattle natives who know the importance of denim (see, e.g. Grunge Era), pooled their talents in 2005 to open Hem– the first denim bar to grace the laid back yet hip Texas alcove that is Austin. They get an A+ in the website category (even nailed the music), but it looks like Loree needs to brush up on the ‘cuts of meat’ category– click the “as see on TV” link on their site to see what I mean– she had a funny little run-in with David Letterman.

When I stumbled upon Sao Paulo-based store and eponymous clothing label King 55 in the boho, artsy neighborhood of Vila Madalena last year, I kept coming back to check out the awesome goods and hang out with the friendly staff members and owner. The flagship store bills itself as a “custom shop”— an apt description because their designs incorporate the spirit of spontaneity and really push the creative edge. It’s all punk and rock ‘n’ roll in here. King 55 believe the building blocks to an outfit commence with jeans, so you’ll discover in their racks an extensive denim collection with tight fits and quality fabric. From there, they mix experiments in enzyme washes with pop iconography for their tees, tanks and dresses. My favorite purchase from King 55 so far was a skirt made from sweat pants, a one-off piece. Now, after getting to know other shops in this grand metropolis, I believe King 55 have truly got their niche down. There’s nothing like this anywhere else and it’s brands like this that are putting Sao Paulo on the fashion map. I’ve included another (larger) photo of the inside after the jump. Written by Phuong-Cac Nguyen.

READ MORE…

A friend of mine just got back from what he described to be an “awesome” trip to San Francisco. From a ‘fun to visit’ perspective, I think a lot of us would agree that S.F. is high on the list. He said that his accomodations were great, the food was first class, but more than anything, he was impressed by the experience he had at AB Fits. Being huge denim fans ourselves, we were excited to hear about his experience; after all, it doesn’t hurt to have a go-to denim place (or 2) in every major city. They not only carry a wide range of great denim, but they offer a highly personalized experience– from what he told me, they were experts of the jean. I went to check out their website, and I’d be lying if I said I was impressed. It’d be nice to see them brush up their site a little– maybe update their blog with current news and even a little content. Not that I think a full service, locally situated denim boutique needs a high-tech and beefy website– but you know what I mean. San Franciscans out there… can you back up my friend’s AB Fits experience or what? I can’t wait to see both their Union Square and North Beach stores for myself when I’m in S.F. next.

Corpus surfaced in 2003 when founders Jarrod Cornish and Keith Richardson decided to take a step away from the pre-faded, distressed look we were seeing (and are still seeing) with denim. Using back-to-the-basics fabrics like raw Selvedge denim, Cornish and Richardson took denim back to its roots– to that end, their jeans mix classic working-class American tradition with a tailored, mod twist. They focus more on what’s left off rather than what’s put on. Denim aside, I’ve also taken a liking to their other apparel– aesthetically, their clothes are somewhat a reflection of where they’re created– Downtown L.A.; and from a construction standpoint, Corpus is assembled with the painstaking thought for style and precision for fit that I’ve come to expect from a boutique clothing line.

A few months back Josh gave all you denim enthusiast a little love with his post on dry denim and Nudie Jeans. So, I thought I would go to the opposite end of the spectrum and talk about a company that is setting itself apart in terms of distressed denim. PRPS, also known as Purpose, lives by the slogan “bruised but never broken,” because each pair of jeans is put through various treatments, washes and hand-done details to give it that amazing finish. Originally marketed towards the urban market with a more relaxed fit, PRPS has unveiled two new cuts this year; a boot cut and a slim fit. They always say to look under the hood when you buy a car and the same goes with jeans. When you roll the cuff up on a pair of PRPS’s you will see a beautiful selvedge denim made from Zimbabwe cotton. The denim dream of the founder of Akademics and ex-Nike designer, PRPS defines perfection in today’s over saturated denim market. Though a pair of jeans from them will cost you $300 or more, it feels good to know that your pants are the definition of perfection.