TCB Jeans_Uncle Cat Shirt_Betashan

We've recreated an UNCLE SAM Vintage Shirt from the 1940s.

It features asymmetrical chest pockets, commonly known as "gacha-poke."
The left chest has the E-Z REACH POCKET, which I personally love.

This design, patented in 1937,
is a two-tiered structure with one pocket layered over another.
While it certainly increases storage capacity, it was also intended to protect cigarettes, which were not yet film-wrapped at the time, from body sweat and moisture.

Today, it looks like a design.
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 the eye-catching red bartack stitched at the corner of the pocket.
TCB deliberately made this yellow. TCB doesn't make many work shirts normally.
So, if we're going to make one,
we chose a half-zip type this time.

Vintage versions used TALON zippers, but considering strength and stability for modern clothing, we had some reservations. So, TCB opted for Waldes.
And what's interesting is the bottom stop of the zipper.

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

Vintage shirts have quite long body lengths.
At TCB, you can tuck it in if you want.
But it's also balanced when worn untucked.
We modified the length and sizing to achieve this.
And one more thing I'd like you to notice is the bobbin thread in the stitching.

Sometimes seen in vintage coveralls, the chain stitching in triple-stitched felled seams and the bobbin thread in pockets are sometimes made with colorful threads.
We considered using random colorful threads at TCB as well.
But this time, we picked up each "seemingly random thread usage" from the vintage piece.

This color here. Next, this color.
The stitching uses the same color scheme as the vintage piece we referenced.
Please pick it up and turn the shirt inside out to check when you get it.

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

Over twenty years ago,
I listed a certain brand's half-zip work shirt on Yahoo Auctions.
At the time, Yahoo Auctions would disclose the buyer's personal information once an item was won, and then it was up to the individuals to handle the rest.

Checking the successful bidder'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. There, I met Mr. Tateno, who would later found WORKERS.
The catalyst was neither TCB's clothing nor WORKERS' clothing.
It was a single half-zip work shirt.

Just like two zipper halves interlocking, it brought us together. The fact that it was a half-zip, not a full-zip, somehow feels like us (laughs).
A meeting like "Notting Hill" or "You've Got Mail."
…though it was two men (laughs).

I hope that, in the future, the clothes we make will continue to be the reason why people around the world meet. I'd be happy if such moments are created.

With that wish in mind,
Uncle Cats is now on sale.

□ Fabric
What is known as "beta chambray," seen in 1950s Vintage.
This shirt's fabric was created by TCB as an original, based on that vintage beta chambray.

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

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

The warp uses rope-dyed indigo.
The weft uses cheese-dyed sulfide dye.
Furthermore, we've introduced a slight difference in concentration between the warp and weft.

If the warp and weft settled into exactly the same color, it would become a flat blue.
But by leaving a slight color difference, a deep blue emerged within the matte texture. As you can see in the photo, it's not a mottled look like white-thread chambray, but rather blues layered within blue.

And another important aspect this time was "horizontal slub."
When examining old chambray, some pieces exhibit a distinctive horizontal slub. We theorized that this might be due to the way threads were used back then.
During weaving, warp threads, which are subjected to strong tension, require relatively uniform and strong yarn. On the other hand, weft threads don't experience as much tension as warp threads, so slightly slubby, loosely twisted yarns could have been used.

Perhaps those bulky and uneven weft yarns were woven directly into the fabric's texture. Especially in the case of beta chambray, since dyed yarn is also used for the weft, as it's worn, the color gradually wears off the raised parts of the slubs. This results in the horizontal slubs becoming more richly pronounced.

We aimed for this texture with the current fabric.
Currently, the quality of raw cotton and spinning precision are high, so simply using loosely twisted yarn doesn't easily produce the kind of slub seen in the past. Therefore, for the weft, we deliberately designed a fine count yarn that possesses strong and long slub shapes.

The unevenness that old threads had as a result is intentionally woven in this time. As you wear it more, the vertical fading and horizontal slub will intersect.
We believe you'll enjoy the unique aging of this fabric.

The black version was deliberately made heavier than vintage.
The black parts of the warp use 20-count single yarn with sulfide cheese dyeing.
The off-white parts use 40-count two-ply yarn, twisted together to form a heathered yarn.

By deliberately varying the thickness of the black and off-white threads, natural irregularities are created when they become a single yarn. These irregularities appear as a vintage-like depth when woven into fabric.

The weft uses 10-count single yarn, also with sulfide cheese dyeing.
Furthermore, by weaving it at a high density, we achieved a substantial thickness of 9.5oz.

It has a weight that could be used for a coverall, let alone a shirt.
It has a roughness and weight unique to black heather, different from the blue beta chambray.
Even with the theme of beta chambray, the indigo is light, with depth of blue.
The black is heavy, with the unevenness of the heather.

Both are not merely copying vintage, but rather TCB's current interpretation of the nuances and appeal felt from vintage, translated into fabric.
It's quiet at first, but develops character as you wear it.
We believe we've achieved such a fabric.

Above, reprinted from the official manufacturer's information

Spiral Comment

At first glance, it's a simple half-zip work shirt, but the details are packed with the ingenuity unique to 1940s workwear.

Each feature, such as the asymmetrical "gacha-poke," the E-Z REACH pocket designed to protect cigarettes from moisture, and the colorful sewing threads faithfully reproduced from vintage, has a reason rooted in a time when practicality was paramount.

Furthermore, TCB's original beta chambray fabric develops a unique character as it's worn, with vertical fading and horizontal slub intersecting.

This is a TCB-らしい piece that can be enjoyed by both vintage connoisseurs and those encountering it for the first time.

Personally, the half-zip is a fun item that can be used in various coordinations. A classic Henley T-shirt or a colorful striped T-shirt underneath would work well. Peeking a bandana out is also a nice touch.

Spiral Note What is an E-Z REACH pocket?

It's a workwear pocket structure patented in 1937.

It features a double-layered design with another small pocket layered over a regular chest pocket, not only increasing storage capacity but also serving to protect cigarettes, which were not film-wrapped at the time, from sweat and moisture.

While it appears as a unique design today, all its details were born out of practicality back then.

Spiral Note What is Beta Chambray?

"Beta chambray" is an abbreviation for "betashanburē."

General chambray uses white weft threads, resulting in a light, mottled appearance. Beta chambray, on the other hand, uses dyed threads for the weft as well, so white is less noticeable, and it's characterized by a calm, solid appearance.

TCB further combines different dyeing methods for the warp and weft, creating a fabric that allows you to enjoy unique aging with vertical fading and horizontal slub appearing as it's worn.

Indigo rope-dyed warp and sulfur cheese-dyed weft, right? It makes you excited to see what kind of aging you can enjoy.