TCB jeans_Hard Working Cat Hero Jacket
TCB jeans_Hard Working Cat Hero Jacket
The Working Cat Hero series was released in spring 2022.
It all started with Ryo
"Let's make the Wrangler that John wore someday!"
It started with this conversation.
Before we knew it, we were even able to interview Tony Bramwell, who was the Beatles' manager at Apple Records at the time, and we feel proud of how amazing this was.
And I'm going to be a little bit away from John,
When we made the 111MJ, the idea of a Wrangler-type lining was in the air. For the past few years, every winter, TCB has been making lined denim jackets and coveralls.
This is true for me as well, but in winter, when I wear work clothes made of synthetic fibers such as down jackets that cannot be washed, the sleeves and around the neck end up in tatters and it doesn't look good.
If that's the case, wouldn't it be nice to have a lining on the denim jackets and coveralls we wear all the time so that they would be warm in the winter? However, denim jackets with blankets were not popular when I was a teenager, and they were often sold with the blankets removed.
From that experience, I was worried that lined workwear would be so difficult to make that it would even be accepted.
However, three years ago, when 50'sJK was released, such fears were dismissed.
From a professional who works in places without air conditioning even in winter
"We've been waiting for this!" I received a barrage of words even warmer than a blanket (lol).
A drama I watched when I was in elementary school
We also suggest wearing the jacket inside out so that the blanket is on the outside.
"That's definitely how the secondhand clothing store clerks wore them back then!"
Some customers were reminiscing about the experience, and it was nice to hear that exchange.
Now, back to this year.
I've been aiming for this day ever since Working Cat Hero was created.
We will be creating the 888MJL model, which features a golden liner.
Typically, linings are made of a wool blend with a striped pattern, but this model is made of cotton flannel.
Of course it may not be as warm as wool, but I think you will feel a different kind of warmth than you would with a regular denim jacket.
To avoid any misunderstanding, we are not forcing ourselves to make a lining-equipped denim jacket just because it is winter. In fact, we intend to end the TCB lining series when we run out of jackets we want to make.
Please enjoy the new Project: Hard Working Hero Jacket that I started because I wanted to make it.
□ Sewing specifications
(With obi)
The belt is attached in the same way as the Vintage, with the chain derailing midway.
All the vintage items I have seen in the past have been derailed, so I believe this is not an irregular stitching method but rather a Wrangler-specific stitching method that is deliberately done to remove the threads.
(Dot Tuck)
I did the same thing with the single eyelid, but the Vintage Dot Tack is surprisingly rough and the left and right positions are slightly off. I used the same rules as the Vintage to add the Tuck to the TCB.
(Armhole)
It may seem like the same idea as intentionally going off the rails with an obi, but while Levis and Lee blanket-attached pants often have rolled and sewn linings, this model has an overlock and a turned-down double stitch.
(material)
We have made right-hand Lees in the Levi and Cowboy eras, but this is the first time we have made left-hand Lees at TCB. We can't use the accumulated know-how we've had up until now, so we had to start from scratch. Wrangler is one of the three major brands, but compared to the other two, it has a surprisingly short history, with the Wrangler name going back 75 years.
I was looking around wondering if it was a late release but still had some raw materials, and I came across an interesting page in the GIMMIE BOOK from that time.
A kid dressed as a cowboy
"These jeans are sanforized, so mom says they're easy to wash." To be honest, with only second-hand clothes I couldn't figure out how the fabric was finished, but I sanforized them as advised by the little cowboy. They are 11.6 oz., warp 9, weft 9.
The Vintage 11MW product number seems to come from the fact that it is made of 11oz fabric. Since it is a left-hand twill, the twill is raised and the unevenness is long, so it fades more linearly than Levi's. It has been sanforized, but it has not been singed or skewed, so it will twist just like Vintage. If you look at the actual Wrangler Vintage, you can still see those twists and vertical fading.
(lining)
A twill flannel material made from American cotton inspired by vintage items.
In order to express the long-pile brushed texture, we made multiple prototypes at a blanket factory to reproduce the same brushed texture as the Vintage. The lining of the Vintage is listed as 8oz, but when we actually measured it, it was 11oz, so we made it with 7 warp threads and 7 weft threads, just like the real thing, at 11oz.
This error is common in reproductions today.
I personally find it interesting that the Super Payday coveralls have 8oz printed on the buttons, but when you measure the fabric, it's actually 10oz. There are various possibilities, such as whether they were just roughly measuring it, whether it was 8oz according to the specs, or whether the measurement method is different from today.
(Bottom thread and designer jeans)
The reason why Wrangler is called the first designer jeans is because it was designed by Rodeo Ben, a designer who also worked on costumes for Hollywood western movies. The part that is often talked about is that the pleats are held in place with round dot tucks and action pleats. However, I discovered an interesting idea that I noticed because I was making the lining version this time.
Usually, workwear has brown or off-white stitching, but there is almost no concept of changing the bobbin thread. As a result, the name tag stitching stands out when you look at the back style, for better or worse.
For me, that kind of stitching is what makes it so appealing: it's workwear! It's so American! Wrangler is the world's first designer brand, after all.
Normally, when sewing a pocket with golden brown thread, if you use the same thread for the top and bottom, the pocket stitching will be noticeable when viewed from the back. No one will question that. However, Golden Liner is different.
Perhaps the designer could not accept the golden brown stitching against the yellow fabric...Unusually for this era, the base color was changed to match the lining. This is a technique commonly used in modern clothing, but I don't think it was a coincidence in the 1950s, and the fact that I felt this stitching was out of place is what made these jeans the most designer jeans. Looking at these jeans, I thought that the specifications of other workwear brands were often decided by the factory, but it was interesting to see that they were made with a slightly different perspective.
It is said that Levis's pleats can be adjusted to fit by undoing the square stitches, but since the pleats are fastened with dot tucks, they cannot be undoubtedly made impractical, making them designer items in a sense.
"My house was designed by a designer so it's really cool, but sometimes it's hard to live in."
I'd love to live in a house like that and say those words.
The above is reprinted from the TCB website.
It seems like just yesterday that I happened to visit the TCB factory and saw a pile of Working Cat Heroes waiting to be finished, and I said, "Oh! This is a Wrangler! I'll buy it!" "I make them because I like them, but they don't sell, haha," said Inoue-san, laughing, but they did sell!
And it even made an appearance in the end-of-year special with a hidden story. Amazing.
For more information, please read the details on TCB above. I just love it, so I'm stocking it. If you like it, please check it out.
Actual size chart: Unit: cm
34 | 36 | 38 | 40 | 42 | 44 | 46 | 48 | 50 | |
shoulder width | - | - | 46.5 | 48.0 | 50.0 | 52.0 | 54.5 | 56.0 | - |
Length | - | - | 61.5 | 63.5 | 63.0 | 63.0 | 63.0 | 63.5 | - |
Chest width | - | - | 53.5 | 56.0 | 57.5 | 59.0 | 61.5 | 65.0 | - |
Sleeve Length | - | - | 62.5 | 63.5 | 63.5 | 63.5 | 64.3 | 63.5 | - |
Cuff width | - | - | 11.5 | 12.3 | 12.5 | 13.3 | 14.0 | 14.3 | - |