Heddels Blowout

Strap in and put on your oxygen, we're taking off on another ambiguously long historical series! Aside from jeans, I can't think of another garment that tracks the history of the twentieth century better than the flight jacket. Starting in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1903 and leading all the way to putting a man on the moon, the garments of aviation had to advance just as quickly as the aircraft themselves.

In our first episode, we get into the prehistory of flight and what people wore when they were strapping chicken feathers on to themselves and serving in the Union Army's Balloonist Corps in the Civil War.

If you want to hear more AND support the show, please subscribe to Heddels+. We've got more episodes as well as exclusive discounts all over the web, giveaways, and you can hang out in our discord chat forum. Get your first month free with the code EXTRABLOWOUT at http://heddels.plus

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When you think of the legendary Cone Mills White Oak plant, you should also think of Ralph Tharpe. Ralph was one of the longest serving individuals at the plant, working in textile development there from 1975 up until near the mill's closure in 2017. He's now started the White Oak Legacy Foundation, a non-profit group focused on not only preserving the history of the White Oak facility, but also making new denim on White Oak's old looms and pioneering new developments in denim production technology. Listen in for the history of White Oak from someone who knows a lot of it.

You can find more about the White Oak Legacy Foundation at their website, https://www.wolfdenim.org/

We're running down the posts of the past week with the Heddels team featuring Albert Muzquiz, James Smith, Reed Nelson, and David Shuck. Hear about our product picks, a history of abuse at a Buffalo Exchange franchise, and the story behind recreating the Quint Cap during Covid.

To support the show, you can pick up a Quint Cap for 10% off with the code BLOWOUT, or 20% off with a Heddels+ subscription.

The history of America is often one of oppression and exploitation, and the stories of American clothing are no different. Even more important than the details and the fabrics of uniforms and work clothes is who was allowed or forced to wear them. We had the chance to talk to Miko Underwood whose new denim label Oak & Acorn shines a light on the Black American experience of denim and indigo with historically inspired pieces. Learn about indigo dyeing in Western Africa, the clothes of incarceration, and the most important but undiscussed court martial of WWII.

You can find the Oak & Acorn collection at Nordstroms and Shopbop. You can also learn more about the non-profit to support children of incarcerated parents We Got Us Now at their website.

Support our show by joining Heddels+ for more episodes, discounts, and giveaways. Use the code EXTRABLOWOUT for your first month free!

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We review and discuss the elusive tale of denim and teen pregnancy, Blue Denim from 1959 (thank you Phillip from Denmark for sending us a copy!) Hear about 1950s morals on teenage delinquency, family values, and abortion.

On March 11, 2011, a massive earthquake rocked the country of Japan. It moved the entire country over two meters west and reset the Earth's axis and caused a subsequent tsunami that hit the east coast of the Japanese region of Tohoku with a 133 foot tall wave. The influx of water lead to a failure and meltdown of three reactor cores of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, sending nuclear radiation throughout the area.

Photographer Eric Kvatek was on the ground in Tohoku a few weeks later to help with the relief effort and document the destruction that killed over 20,000 people. I talked to Eric about his experiences on the ten year anniversary of the Fukushima disaster. His photos are available to view on our website.

All photos courtesy of Eric Kvatek and he is giving away a print of their choosing to one randomly selected Heddels+ member. Click here to learn more and join Heddels+, where we'll be donating 25% of all signups this week to UNICEF Tsunami and Disaster Relief.

You can keep up with Eric on Instagram and on his website.

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We’re talking about Tony Alamo, and yes that’s spelled like Alamo as in “remember the” but it’s pronounced like Ah-lah-mo. Regardless, he was about as despicable a human being as they come. From the late 60s onward, he ran a religious cult that separated families, forced people to work without pay, beat and sexually abused children, tried to summon people from the dead...and made some pretty cool rhinestone denim jackets.

Shameless plug here for our new membership program Heddels+ that'll get you more Blowout episodes, more written content, up to 2 product giveaways a month, a Discord forum where you can show us your pants, and discounts all across our niche. Get a free month trial with the code EXTRABLOWOUT:

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C'mon! C'monnnnnnn

We all know her, we all love her, we all follow her. Amy Leverton, aka Denim Dudes, has been at the bleeding edge of the denim business for almost two decades now. Much of it working as a "trend forecaster", which is basically the person who interprets culture and the world at large to determine what looks are going to pop and when so manufacturers can get the wheels in motion to meet the moment. Listen in as we try to predict how the zeitgeist of today will make the pants of tomorrow.

Support this show and our work by becoming a Heddels+ subscriber! Heddels+ is our membership program that includes exclusive giveaways, discounts at partnered brands and retailers, and yes, more episodes of Blowout! Click here to sign up:

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You can find more of Amy on Instagram @denimdudes and check out the full trend report on her website, which has a "pay as much as you can" option for smaller brands.

This is the end, my denim friends, the end. After over 7 hours of denim history, the beginning of Japanese denim will be our last stop on our 13-part denim history series. Learn all about why Japanese people became culturally obsessed with American jeans, early pairs of knockoff 501s, how Okayama became the denim capital of Japan (and arguably the world), and more on this final installment. This is the Heddels stuff that you probably all tuned in to hear in the first place so we hope you enjoy.

This episode is brought to you by Heddels+, our new membership program with all the best deals, giveaways, content, and community connection in the Heddels world. Join now at: https://heddels.com/heddels-plus/

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