TCB Jeans_Uncle Cat Shirt_Black Chambray

This is a reproduction of a 1940s UNCLE SAM Vintage Shirt.

The asymmetrical chest pockets are commonly known as "Gacha-Pockets."
On the left chest, there's an E-Z REACH POCKET, which I personally love.

This design, patented in 1937, features a two-story structure with one pocket layered on top of another.
While it certainly increases storage capacity, its original purpose was reportedly to protect cigarettes, which weren't packaged in film back then, from body sweat and moisture.

Looking at it now, it seems like a design choice.
But back then, there was a proper reason for it.
I think this is what makes vintage workwear so interesting.

The pen holder section has a shirt buttonhole.
And an eye-catching red bar tack is stitched at the bean-shaped reinforcement.
TCB intentionally made this yellow. TCB doesn't usually make many work shirts.
So, if we're going to make one,
this time we chose a half-zip type.

Vintage pieces used TALON zippers, but considering strength and stability for modern clothing, there were some concerns. So, TCB uses Waldes.
And what's interesting is the zipper's bottom stop.

Generally, box-shaped stops are common, but the vintage piece we referenced used a bottom stop that truly resembled underwear, commonly called a "pants stop." I found it strangely appealing, so TCB also adopted a pants-shaped bottom stop.

Vintage shirts often have quite long body lengths.
At TCB, you can tuck it in if you want.
But you can also wear it untucked and still have a balanced look.
We've modified the length and sizing to achieve this.
And another thing I'd like you to see is the bobbin thread for the stitching.

You sometimes see it in vintage coveralls and other items: colorful threads are used for the bobbin thread of chain stitching in triple-stitched felled seams, or for pocket bobbin threads.
TCB considered using randomly colorful threads too.
However, this time, we picked up each "seemingly random thread usage" from the vintage piece.

This color here. Next, this color.
We stitched it with the same color scheme as the vintage piece we referenced.
Please pick it up and turn the shirt inside out to check it.

And.
When I hear "half-zip work shirt," an episode comes to mind.

Over twenty years ago.
I listed a certain brand's half-zip work shirt on Yahoo Auctions.
Back then, when an item was won, the buyer's personal information was disclosed, and then it was up to the individuals to complete the transaction.

Checking the buyer's address, it was Kojima.
Extremely close.

A few months after the transaction, for some reason, I suddenly contacted him, and we ended up going out for a meal. That's where I met Mr. Tateyama of WORKERS.
The trigger was neither TCB's clothes nor WORKERS' clothes.
It was a single half-zip work shirt.

Just like two zippers interlocking, it brought us together. The fact that it was a half-zip, not a full-zip, also feels very "us" (lol).
An encounter like "Notting Hill" or "You've Got Mail."
… Even though we're two guys (lol).

I hope that, in the future, the clothes we make will continue to bring people together from all over the world. I'd be happy if such moments could be born.

With that wish in mind.
Uncle Cats is now available.

□ Fabric
The so-called "Betashan" (solid-colored chambray) seen in 1950s Vintage.
For this shirt, TCB created the fabric from scratch, based on that Vintage Betashan.

The indigo is 20-count single yarn for both warp and weft.
It's a light 4.4oz fabric.

General chambray uses dyed yarn for the warp and white yarn for the weft.
This results in white specks on the surface, creating a light, mottled appearance.
On the other hand, Betashan uses dyed yarn for the weft as well.
Its characteristic is that white specks are less likely to show, resulting in a deep, subdued look that is closer to a solid color. However, what we wanted to create this time was not simply "a fabric dyed entirely in the same blue."

The warp yarn is rope-dyed indigo.
The weft yarn is cheese-dyed sulfur dye.
Furthermore, we've introduced a slight difference in density between the warp and weft yarns.

If the warp and weft completely sink into the same color, it would become a plain, flat blue.
But by leaving just a slight color difference, a profound blue emerges within the matte texture. It's easy to see in photos, but it's not a mottled look like white-yarn chambray; rather, it looks like blue layered on blue.

And another important aspect this time was "horizontal slub."
Looking at old chambray, some pieces exhibit unique horizontal slubbing. We considered that this might be due to the differentiated use of threads at the time.
During weaving, the warp threads, which are under strong tension, require relatively uniform and strong threads. On the other hand, the weft threads are not subjected to as much tension, so slightly uneven, loosely twisted threads could have been used.

It's possible that these bulky and uneven weft threads were woven directly into the fabric's texture. Especially in the case of Betashan, since dyed threads are used for the weft, as it's worn, the color gradually wears away from the raised parts of the slubbing. As a result, the horizontal slubbing becomes more richly pronounced.

For this fabric, we aimed for that texture.
Currently, the quality of raw cotton and the precision of spinning have improved, so simply making the yarn loosely twisted doesn't easily produce the kind of slubbing seen in the past. Therefore, for the weft yarn, we intentionally designed a fine-count yarn that possesses strong and long slub shapes.

The unevenness that old threads had as a result is intentionally woven into this fabric. As you wear it, the vertical fading and horizontal slubbing will intersect.
You'll be able to enjoy the unique aging of this fabric.

The black version was intentionally made heavier than vintage pieces.
For the black parts of the warp, we used 20-count single yarn, sulfur cheese-dyed.
For the parts that appear ecru, we used 40-count double yarn, twisted together to form a杢糸 (mélange yarn).

By intentionally varying the thickness of the black and ecru threads, natural unevenness is created when they form a single yarn. This unevenness then appears as a vintage-like depth when it becomes fabric.

For the weft, we used 10-count single yarn, also sulfur cheese-dyed.
Furthermore, by weaving it at high density, we achieved a substantial thickness of 9.5oz.

It has a weight that could be used for a coverall, as well as a shirt.
It has a different roughness and heaviness unique to black mélange, distinct from the blue Betashan.
Even with the theme of Betashan, the indigo is light, offering depth of blue.
The black is heavy, offering the unevenness of the mélange.

Both are not merely mimicking vintage, but rather translating the intriguing nuances and charms felt from vintage pieces into fabric in TCB's own way.
It's quiet at first, but develops character the more you wear it.
I believe we've achieved such a fabric.

The above is reprinted from the official manufacturer's website.

Spiral Comment

At first glance, it looks like a simple half-zip work shirt, but the details are packed with the ingenuity characteristic of 1940s workwear.

From the asymmetrical "Gacha-Pockets" and the E-Z REACH pocket designed to protect cigarettes from moisture, to the colorful stitching faithfully reproduced from vintage pieces, each detail has a reason from an era when they were practical items.

Furthermore, TCB's original Betashan fabric will develop a unique character as it's worn, with vertical fading and horizontal slubbing overlapping.

It's a TCB piece that can be enjoyed by both vintage connoisseurs and newcomers alike.

Personally, I find half-zips to be fun items that can be used in various coordinates. A classic Henley T-shirt or a colorful striped T-shirt as an inner layer would be great. Peeking a bandana out is also a nice touch.

Spiral Note What is an E-Z REACH pocket?

It is a workwear pocket structure patented in 1937.

It features a double-layer structure with a smaller pocket superimposed on a regular chest pocket, which not only increases storage capacity but also served to protect cigarettes, which were not film-packaged at the time, from sweat and moisture.

While it appears as a unique design today, all these details originated from practical necessity back then.

Spiral Note What is black mélange chambray?

Please note that black chambray is not just a color variation of blue Betashan. It is a substantial, thick fabric.

By combining black and ecru threads to create a single mélange yarn, it produces a depth and three-dimensionality not found in solid colors. This allows you to enjoy the fine mélange texture.

At TCB, we even varied the thickness of the black and ecru threads to create natural unevenness on the fabric surface.

Furthermore, by weaving it at high density, we achieved a solid thickness of 9.5oz, substantial for a shirt. As it's worn, the fading characteristic of sulfur dyes progresses, further highlighting the mélange effect and the fabric's three-dimensionality.

It's not about flashy fading, but about quietly deepening.
It's a fabric that allows you to enjoy such sophisticated aging.