Heddels Blowout

At least 99% of denim on the market today isn't raw, it's been stonewashed, lasered, or sandblasted into what mimics an authentically worn pair of jeans. But this wasn't always the case, pre-distressed denim is a relatively recent phenomenon, which we're going to be getting into how the fashion market took over denim and they took the indigo with them. Learn all about Jackie Kennedy's favorite denim brand, an infamous Calvin Klein ad that was banned in a dozen markets, and how the denim industry mined so much pumice stone it caused widespread environmental protests on our penultimate episode of Denim History.

This episode is brought to you by Heddels+, if you'd like more discounts, more giveaways, and more of the Heddels content you love, check out our new membership program launching soon. Click here to be informed as soon as it's live!

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We’ve talked about gold miners, we’ve talked about ancient sailors, we’ve talked about cowboys, soldiers, and poets. Today we’re going to get into something a little heavier, and we don’t mean Iron Hearts.

Since practically its inception, denim has had a role in institutional racism in the United States. As we mentioned a few episodes ago, one of Levi’s earliest selling points was that it was “the only brand made by white labor.” Well today we’re going to be talking about the other kind of labor, non-white and often non-paid, which is a very euphemistic way to say slavery, human bondage, and other forms of exploitation.

Listen on to hear about denim was forced on enslaved peoples in the American South as well as how Black Civil Rights leaders of the 1950s but ultimately accepted as a unifying source of identity in the early 1960s. Special thanks to Miko Underwood for lending the voice of her lived experience working in denim to this episode, you can check out her brand Oak & Acorn - Only for the Rebelles launching later this month.

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We've arrived at the Baby Boomer section of our indigo narrative. The transgressive postwar counterculture may have been the first to embrace denim and workwear for its style over utility, but it would be the teens of the 1950s to create the mass appeal. Join us as we discuss denim being banned in schools, jeans on screen heartthrobs, and a pop singer being denied entrance at a Vancouver hotel.

This episode is brought to you by the Heddels Shop, listeners get 10% off with the code BLOWOUT. Also, if you like what we're doing, please leave us a review on Apple podcasts, just keep scrolling and hit the stars!

What's up, Frogface? We're here with a bonus episode of Reed and David talking over all 80 glorious minutes of Marlon Brando's biker bad boy flick The Wild One. The movie is not good, with lots of gender dynamics that have aged poorly but it also has a lot of jeans, leather jackets, hats and knits that haven't. It's got Perfectos, Cafe Racers, A-2s, B-3s, top hats, beanies, 5-panels, 501s, ringer tees, and more!

Sync up with the movie and listen to us prattle on. It's available for a $3 rental on Amazon and iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/the-wild-one/id263825985

https://www.amazon.com/Wild-One-Marlon-Brando/dp/B001NQ31S8

This episode is brought to you by the Heddels Shop, listeners get 10% off with the code BLOWOUT. Also, if you like what we're doing, please leave us a review on Apple podcasts, just keep scrolling and hit the stars!

The US government did it's best to reintegrate the young people returning from WWII, but an sizeable portion returned wanting nothing to do with it. Instead of getting a middle class job and starting a family, they wanted to do drugs, ride motorcycles, push sexual boundaries, and wear jeans. This didn't go over well at first. Our series continues with bikers and beats as Reed and David navigate denim's role in postwar culture.

This episode is brought to you by the Heddels Shop, listeners get 10% off with the code BLOWOUT. Also, if you like what we're doing, please leave us a review on Apple podcasts, just keep scrolling and hit the stars!

While on a road trip through New England in the summer of 1965, eight Japanese men unwittingly created some of the most influential images of late 2000s menswear. We're talking about Take Ivy, a cultural sensation that's become the de facto document of the 1960s prep look.

And we're talking with the person who wrote the book on the intersection of Japanese and American fashion, W. David Marx, author of Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style. Learn about how teens wearing blazers scandalized Japan's image for the 1964 Olympics, how the name Take Ivy is a Japanese Dave Brubeck pun, and that chatting is a legitimate form of warming up. If you want to follow along, check out the English translation of the book or have a look at scans of the first 30 pages that the publisher has generously put online.

As always, you can support Blowout by visiting the Heddels Shop, get a 10% discount on your order with the code BLOWOUT.Image via Fujingahosha Publishing.

This was quite the year for a variety of reasons. And what better way to reflect upon it than to count down the most read articles on a pants website? Reed and David are joined by Heddels Features Editor James Smith to run down our top hits (not necessarily greatest, but top) this year and look forward to what may be yet to come.

This episode is brought to you by the Heddels Shop, listeners get 10% off with the code BLOWOUT. Also, if you like what we're doing, please leave us a review on Apple podcasts, just keep scrolling and hit the stars!

Also here are those top articles if you'd care to read them:

heddels.com/2020/03/how-to-make-a-diy-face-mask-out-of-a-t-shirt/

heddels.com/2020/02/ralphs-roster-the-many-faces-of-ralph-lauren/

heddels.com/2020/01/the-rough-history-of-biker-cuts/

heddels.com/2020/06/rakuten-global-can-we-still-order-outside-of-japan/

heddels.com/2020/01/the-different-types-of-shoelaces/

heddels.com/2020/02/colors-shell-cordovan-rainbow/

heddels.com/2020/05/the-harsh-reality-of-the-paycheck-protection-program/

heddels.com/2020/05/introducing-vidalia-mills-bringing-back-american-selvedge/

heddels.com/2020/03/vibram-numbers-classic-rubber-soles/

heddels.com/2020/01/does-cotton-kill-the-moisture-wicking-properties-of-various-fabrics/

heddels.com/2020/03/teacore-leather-whats-it-all-about/

heddels.com/2020/01/tyrolean-shoes-thick-and-stitched/

heddels.com/2020/03/how-to-do-your-laundry-without-a-washing-machine/

Like the light switch and the steering wheel, zippers are one of those things that we interact with so much they just seem like perpetual fixtures of everyday life. The story of the humble zipper, however, is one of continuous failure unending iteration to bring us the cheap and easy thing we enjoy today. Designer, vintage dealer, and zipper enthusiast John Gluckow takes us through the history of the zipper from a chain link hook and eye fastener to high end riri zips.

You can find John on Instagram, both at Strongarm Clothing & Supply and at John Gluckow Ancient & Modern. Check out the article on heddels.com to see examples from John's extensive zipper collection. If you want to learn more about zippers, check out the book Zipper Gear by Aota Mituhiro.

This episode is brought to you by the Heddels Shop, listeners get 10% off with the code BLOWOUT. Be sure to check out our new Surf n Turf wallets.

DATELINE DEC 14, 2020:  JEANS GO TO WAR! As the United States exited the Great Depression, the world had to contend with a few other new powers flexing their military might on a global stage. And America did so in denim! This episode, Reed and David explain the different military and domestic applications our fabric had during WWII and how wartime rationing would change the look and feel of jeans forever.

If you'd like to support the show, head over to make a purchase at the Heddels Shop. Get 10% off your order with the code BLOWOUT. Be sure to check out our new Surf n Turf wallets!

If you have any questions you’d like us to answer, topics to cover, or people to talk to, email us at [email protected]. Also help us out by dropping a review.

When stalking the jungles of Vietnam, many of the elite US Navy SEALs didn't sport their standard issue camo, but rather opted for Levi's 501 and 505 denim jeans instead. We're talking with Chris Danforth, a writer and researcher who investigated this story and spoke to some of the SEALs who wore jeans on their night raids for its utility on the battlefield. Hear all about how they customized their kit and avoided leeches in their urethras and more on this episode.

If you'd like to support the show, head over to make a purchase at the Heddels Shop. Get 10% off your order with the code BLOWOUT.

If you have any questions you’d like us to answer, topics to cover, or people to talk to, email us at [email protected]. Also help us out by dropping a review!