fashion
Brands to Watch: Leon Denim
10:53 PMThis post has been long long overdue. But now that things have started to settle down in my personal life, I can (try) and continue creating more posts! I have a few already drafted so do stay tuned. In the meantime, let's focus on my newest feature under the Brands to Watch section. This was a really great interview where I got inspired and learned a lot from the awesome folks of Leon Denim.
Enjoy the photos too as this was produced by The Number 60 and friends who helped me out along the way. Awesome awesome folks.
Clothing by Leon Denim
Worn by Arnel Siazon
Photography by Alyssa Uy
Art Direction by John Remigio
Produced by The Number 60
Thanks a lot for the opportunity to be able to share about ourselves and what we’re doing. As you ask me that, I wonder what would be good introduction, and maybe I’ll start with saying that we are just a group of folks who have a keen passion for denim, clothing, and the way that they are made, in particular we really like learning about and producing things the “old” way. We’re crazy about all things vintage, heritage stuff.
Why choose Denim as your medium?
Denim is very fascinating to us. It’s a staple and is everywhere, it’s probably the singular clothing material that most people in the world wear most. I read a long time ago that there are literally billions of pieces of denim clothing out there, mostly in the form of jeans. Open someone’s closet and you can bet you’ll see several of them in different shapes, colors and sizes. How can one not love denim? Most of us will remember (or still own) that go-to piece that you just grab and wear whenever and wherever you go. I have this first pair of Levi’s 501 that I wore until it got torn in many places - my younger brother Rene asked for me to give it to him and I did. He still wears them today, more than a decade after I gave it to him, and you know what? I now regret letting it go but am glad he continues to enjoy them (laughs)! Talk about longevity, huh.
Raw denim is different from the run-of-the-mill denim out there (pun intended) in that in this modern day and age where most things are mass-produced, it harks back to how real denim used to be made - from how the cotton is selected, how they are spun into yarns and rope-dyed with indigo up to the weaving using shuttle looms. We love the small imperfections that come with the manufacturing process. Most of all, we love how the indigo on the denim evolves over use. Denim geeks like us can only agree - we enjoy watching it change over time, all those subtle hues and slubs and tears and what-nots. So what is there not to like?
Having said that, while indeed it is our primary “medium”, we are not limiting ourselves to denim. We’ve recently come up with Vintage Army Trousers made of duck canvas. And there’s other cool stuff in the works. We’re particulary fond of workwear fabrics in general so that’s where our focus is. They’re very versatile, tough and age really, really well. It’s interesting to see them evolve over time as they’re worn.
Between the two, its easier to explain what raw and selvedge denim is, so that’s where I’ll start (laughs). First of all, raw denim is not necessarily selvedge, and vice versa. There’s a huge wealth of information out there on definitions and they can get quite specific. I encourage people to learn more as these are interesting subjects.
For some of the readers who are just starting to get familiar with raw and selvedge denim and possibly the lifestyle, could you guys explain what those mean?
Between the two, its easier to explain what raw and selvedge denim is, so that’s where I’ll start (laughs). First of all, raw denim is not necessarily selvedge, and vice versa. There’s a huge wealth of information out there on definitions and they can get quite specific. I encourage people to learn more as these are interesting subjects.
But in simple terms, raw denim is denim has not been washed or distressed to appear worn or aged much like most of the jeans sold in stores today. Thus the denim ages according to how they are worn and result to very unique, individual, and you could say personalized fades.
And selvedge denim is denim that is woven using slower, narrow shuttle looms and as such the width of the fabric is narrower, and is characterized by tightly-woven yarns running down the entire length on both ends. Colored yarns are used to help identify the denim, and these woven ends are called the “self-edge” or now “selvedge” and is also a way by which one can tell how the denim was made.
Before the 1950s most jeans produced were of the raw and selvedge kind, but as jeans came in higher demand they were (and still mostly are) produced using faster and much wider projectile weaving looms. A huge part of the attraction that comes with owning clothing made of raw and selvedge denim is that the fabric is made in the traditional way. Denims nut like us thoroughly enjoy studying and comparing different kinds of denim for weight, hand, slub, color, and a host of many other things – do learn more yourselves but fair warning: you will get sucked into that world, I swear (laughs)!
On the lifestyle – hmmm, I don’t think I’ll be able to expound of that subject, and more so I don’t want to box and compartmentalize something such as a “denim lifestyle”. What I do know is that speaking for ourselves alone, we care greatly for how things are made, we like them to last a long time, yeah we do care about how we look and how we feel about it inside, we celebrate our individuality, and best of all, we like to have fun! I think that what I just said goes for many people out there, too.
How did you guys decide to start their own denim label and in Manila at that?
It happened by accident. I first met one of my partners, Iver Aldas, through a shared passion for vintage wristwatches. Through him I then met Jake Antig - he and Iver had known each other already for more than five years then – both of them are avid film photographers (incidentally, Jake is also a watch nut). I like photography too and we three hit it off immediately. It was interesting to see that friendship quickly unfold out of a passion for similar things. If I mention what all of those are it will take a while to get me finished. But in essence, what binds us is a shared passion for all things vintage (and not just clothing articles), learning, things that stimulate the senses, and witty conversation. And yes, we do like to dream. A lot.
We’re also crazy about things Japanese, with myself being exposed to the people and their amazing culture (and sub-cultures!) via trips to Japan as a young engineer with my previous employer. Jake introduced us to Japanese magazines like Clutch, Lightning, Free & Easy, and 2nd (to name a few) and we saw their own take on Americana with a twist (endless twists, actually) - the Japanese really know their stuff! Jake’s brother Albert also decided to pitch in when we decided to set this up. Iver came across who is now our master tailor and his apprentices and we decided to work with them and develop our own denim brand using premium Japanese raw and selvedge denim, the way we wanted them to be made. The sourcing of the machines from all over was laborious, we credit the amazing outcome (that doesn’t seem to end, though) to Iver who is the epitome of resourcefulness. We’re proud to say that we’ve assembled all the right basic pieces, including the elusive vintage models to the more modern ones. I admire my partners no end for their talent and am grateful I ran into them!
As you can imagine, it wasn’t an easy beginning at all. But throughout this start-up and until now we have the benefit of getting very smart advice from a group of really cool and accomplished folks we met a few months after we started in Dec. 2014, and they’ve been extremely supportive friends and also our no. 1 champions ever since. They gave us the challenge to come up with products that are different from what is available here in the Philippines and also are unique in branding and could stand on their own with global labels we admire and hold with only the utmost reverence.
So what do you get when you have a bunch of guys who are vintage freaks, like clothes and stuff and Japanese and Americana culture - is it any wonder?
What does LÉON DENIM mean to you?
Leon Denim is very personal to us. I guess that’s the best way for me to put it. We put in so much effort into the thinking and the creative work up till manufacturing the finished products, which we can proudly say have our own (indigo-stained) hands on them. It’s truly our own work and we’re very proud of what we do. In all humility we recognize that we are still young in this industry and have much to learn. This of course includes learning from our own mistakes. But I think that is part of our strength - we love to learn from others, we do a lot of research on old ways and means, we enjoy and spend lots of time talking to people and picking up from them.
In no way are we big. We are small and will embark on our growth slowly and deliberately. But it’s really encouraging that people from literally all over are starting to take notice of us.
We have a saying in Filipino that goes ‘Libre ang mangarap.’And so we always do.
How did you decide to choose the right materials for the denim that you guys want to create?
It isn’t a quick process, it never really is. For every product that we come up with, we do take the extra effort and time to make sure we select the materials that we really like (not just denim) , and we’d like to think that if we love it, then other people will, too. Developing a new product up to manufacturing takes months, we wish it could be faster but that is how it is. But we thoroughly enjoy the process. Let me share with you, Nikki, that when we develop a new product, the excitement is there in us from the beginning. And when the final product comes out, I swear it’s like we’re little boys enthusing over a new toy. And that excitement doesn’t dissipate, sometimes I think that when we talk to customers they might be thinking we’re nuts - I think we very well are just that, lots of times (laughs)! But I think we are able to exude that passion and excitement to customers and so they end up getting infected, too.
You guys get your fabric from Japan but had the decision to make them here in the Philippines. Was that always the initial plan or you guys had to go through a lot of decision-making first before concluding the use of materials?
That was the plan from the get-go. We wanted to be different what is the mainstream offering here. We have deep respect for Japanese denim brands - too many to mention here, but our admiration is not limited to them, certainly there’s many exceedingly worthy and iconic brands with real heritage – how can we not mention Levi’s as just one – but premium denim, or Japanese denim for that matter, is not what you would call really accessible to people. That’s what we are doing here..
People who wear our products say they can really tell the difference versus what is typically And we make the jeans in the traditional way using the right equipment and methods
What makes your denim better than any product out there?
Hmmm, in all humility I think that is not something for us to claim for ourselves. But we do make it a point to pay huge attention to how we manufacture our products – we make use of really excellent materials, starting with the fabrics and so with everything else such as the threads (we only use 100% cotton), the hardware, labels and all the other stuff.
We take exceptional pride in the construction – we try hard to stay true to how the clothing is supposed to be made, and so we study and continue to learn traditional methods and staying true to heritage. We’ve also invested quite a bit in the equipment used to make jeans – we have a mix of both modern and vintage equipment such as Singer, Juki, Kansai, Reece, and several Union Specials including the 43200G hemming machine that denimheads go crazy for. These vintage machines, well they’re not exactly our best friends during manufacturing time as they are less reliable than the newer machines laughs) but those quirks are only part of what makes our jeans and other clothing unique and a lot more special.
And our primary source of validation are our customers – so if they say our stuff is really good, then it must be!
Is it really necessary to not wash your denim to get the most out of it? As a newbie fan myself who still have a lot to learn in raw/selvedge/workwear lifestyle, I am curious to know what are the basics in having your own legit selvedge denim. Care to give some info and tips?
The answer to those questions of yours can warrant writing entire book in itself (laughs)!
The washing bit – so much discussion on the topic and I can’t claim to be an expert on it, but I know enough to say that the fading is largely an outcome of how the jeans are worn, washing sort of reveals it. Personally, I wash my jeans infrequently – and before anyone out there gasps in horror I’m jumping in quickly to say I have ways to keep them clean!
I can point people to many resources if you want to learn more – there’s Superfuture and other online forums, foremost sites like Denim Hunters, and Heddel’s, and a host of others.
Are you guys RTW or Made-to-Order or custom-made?
For jeans, we mainly we produce with standard sizing (Size 28 to 36) and anything above that we need to especially manufacture them. Jackets at the moment are only made-to-order. We do not offer custom-made jeans and clothing as a standard practice.
How much would a pair cost?
We have different pricing according to the models and specifications - for those who are interested, do get in touch with us for details. And besides the pricing of course we’d be happy to tell you a lot more about our products and what we do.
Do you guys have any store?
At the moment, we do meet-ups, locally it’s typically in the Makati/Taguig/Alabang and south areas, we also ship both locally and abroad via courier. We don’t have a physical store yet, we’re taking it step-by-step, balancing this outside of our day jobs but we’ll get there. A website is in the works, and after that, yes a store.
Anything else you want to say to people out there?
Wear your jeans often and wear them hard. That’s what denim is made for.
And huge thanks for the opportunity to share more about our brand and ourselves. We’d like to know what you think, too. We’ve made so many friends so far in our short existence and we are thrilled at the prospect of gaining so much more in the future!
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