rough roads, new horizons: video part 4.

as part of a sponsorship for the leprosy foundation, a friend of mine and 2 of his buddies drove the amsterdam-dakar rally in 2009. i gave them a pair of bdd jeans each to use during the rally. check out part 4 of their journey:

to watch the first 3 parts >> click here.

update: available quantity for pre-order bdd scarves.

pre-orders are coming in rapidly, apparently we're going to have a cold winter this year..

available quantity for pre-order:

5x #3 indigo slub.

4x #4 smooth indigo.

2x #5 indigo check.

if you don't want to miss out on these, make sure to pre-order now!

>> go to the bdd webshop.

pre-order: bdd scarf - 2nd edition.

due to the success of the previous bdd scarf (sold out in less than 24 hours!) i decided to develop a 2nd series of scarves. since the previous ones were made out of deadstock fabric, i needed to look for alternatives.. and i found a couple of fabrics that will do the job at least at least as good!

the quantities are still limited, but available for pre-order now. they will be send with free shipping worldwide in the 2nd week of january 2012. so if you missed out on the first series, this is your chance!

>> go to the bdd webshop.

check it out:

#3 indigo slub.

*indigo dyed selvage fabric with a slub effect.

*handwoven on a vintage shuttleloom.

*indigo rope dyed.

*100% cotton.

*same design as previous scarf series.

#4 smooth indigo.

*light weight indigo dyed selvage fabric, a very fine and smooth weave.

*handwoven on a vintage shuttleloom.

*indigo rope dyed.

*100% cotton.

*same design as previous scarf series.

#5 indigo check.

*selvage fabric with check pattern of multiple gradings of indigo dye.

*handwoven on a vintage shuttleloom.

*indigo rope dyed.

*100% cotton.

*same design as previous scarf series.

benzak reads.

denim pv: a quick recap.

yesterday and today i was in paris to attend the bi-annual fair 'denim by premiere vision'. it was a very useful and interesting 2 days, met some really nice people and got a few cool ideas for new products.

SOLD OUT: bdd scarf

whoah..!! both scarves are sold out already!

need to find some new fabrics I guess..

new product: scarf.

sometimes, on rare occasions, you stumble upon something really nice. it happened to me a while ago, during a thrift shopping spree. i found a total of 4 meters of beautiful deadstock indigo dyed selvage fabrics. all characteristics were a dead give away that this was vintage manual shuttleloom stuff: selvage edges, uneven structure and a huge slubs effect.

very enthusiastic with my find, i didn't know what to do with it at first. but 2 weeks ago i decided to turn the fabric into scarves! i had just enough yards of both fabrics to manufacture 3 scarves per fabric. so this is it, no re-stocks, limited stuff..

for the manufacturing part, which i did myself, i decided to add some details to show these are fully handmade:

*i rolled the sideseams by hand to give a slanted effect which is similar to the roping effect of a union special 43200g.

*because the fabrics are very small in width (less than 1 meter), i had to attach 2 full widths together to make long enough scarf. in the center i attached both selvage ends so that 1 is still visible and standing up, which i had to push back during sewing manually.

to sum up the specifications:

*deadstock fabric.
*handwoven on a vintage shuttleloom.

*indigo rope dyed.
*100% cotton.
*irregular & heavy slub structure.
*selvage ends.
*upstanding selvage center part.
*handrolled sides for roping effect.
*limited to only 3 pieces per colour.

#1 - deep indigo - 188cm
euro 59.

#2 - faded indigo - 195cm
euro 79.

click >> to go to the bdd webshop

oh, and not to forget: i got some new labels..

leather evolution: phonecase.

this is a very good example of how beautiful the leather ages:

left: after 5 months of use ; right: new.

in the spotlight: bdd keyhook.

this week in the spotlight, the bdd keyhook. it is made of brass, 6cm long and has 2 rings for key attachment. the brass is very shiny when new, but with wear it will evolve in a beautiful dull and dark shade.

with this keyhook you will never have to put your keys in your pockets, to avoid getting ripped pocketlining.

the keyhook can be purchased at the bdd webshop for euro 19.

stock update bdd-001 ld 2nd ed.

all sizes are still available - but only 13 pieces left.

bdd-001 ld 2nd ed. >> bdd website & bdd webshop.

unworn & unwashed.

worn & washed.

a selection of my vintage office equipment.

bdd on facebook.

a shameless sunday evening plug:

make sure to like benzak denim developers on facebook by clicking on the 'like' button on the right.

video: cone mills by wrangler.

inspiring short with imagery from cone mills factory floor - by wrangler.

top 10: 2012 movie sequels, prequels and spin-offs.

just seeing the new trailer for the upcoming avengers movie, it reminded me that they are releasing a lot of great movie sequels, prequels and spin-offs in 2012. here is my top 10:

10. the expendables 2.

only two words: chuck & norris.

9. the amazing spider-man.

very curious about this reboot. apparently they cut the budget compared to the previous trilogy, so the focus should be on the story rather than on some good old swinging from building to building, chasing the green goblin.

8. men in black 3.

mib back in business, fighting alien crime on earth.

7. underworld: awakening.

big fan of the genre. though another blade sequal would haven been even better, but due to wesley's current 'situation' we might have to wait a little longer for that one..

6. the bourne legacy.

one of the best action movie series i have ever seen, so another addition is very much welcome.

5. g.i. joe 2: retaliation.

the ending of the first g.i. joe movie screamed for a sequal, and i begged. cobra..

4. the avengers.

just seen the trailer.. goosebumps.

3. the hobbit: an expected journey.

everyone should go and check out the first of the two prequels of the lord of rings - a guaranteed masterpiece.

2. the dark knight rises.

batman should get some more respect from gotham's population in the third nolan movie - only too bad harvey dent is dead.. but we get bane in return.

1. ghostbusters 3.

not even being officially announced, this rumoured sequal is the movie i have been waiting for since 1989.. please hear my plea dan akroyd, harold ramis, bill murray, ernie hudson and all the others.. one more time?

also notable: madagascar 3, star trek 2, ice age 4, superman the man of steel, die hard 5, ghost rider: spirit of vengeance.

video: indigo oxidation

perfect example of how indigo turns from yellow, to green, to blue due to oxidation:

hemming service - union special 43200g.

benzak denim developers now offers a hemming service to alter the length of your jeans, done on a union special 43200g machine.

this machine creates the so-called roping effect: the hems are not folded but instead rolled, creating a skew which results in diagonal fading effect after wash and wear. this is a detail that can be found on vintage jeans as well. as these machines are not being produced anymore, this method of hemming is becoming quite rare, but preferred by any denim connoisseur.

bdd jeans are 0.01 euro; other brands 15 euro.

in the spotlight: bdd belt.

this week in the spotlight: bdd belt. like all current leather products, these are fully handcrafted by obbi good label, made of vegetable tanned leather. unlike the other products, the belt is made of very sturdy part of leather, measuring 4 mm in thickness - thick enough for heavy wear, but still smooth enough for comfort.

the end of the belt is stamped with the letters bdd. the buckle is made of shiny brass and in the shape of a so-called horse shoe, which will age beautiful, just like the leather.

coming in 4 different lenghts to cater all sizes, the belt can be purchased at the bdd webshop for euro 79.

got it.

and i am keeping it wrapped for now.

nirvana - nevermind 20th anniversary.

i like nirvana. no.. i really like nirvana. i was a little too young at the time they started and rose to fame, but as a six year old i did watch mtv in the early '90s a lot. mostly waiting for the new michael jackson video to be shown, another video really got my attention: 'smells like teen spirit'. i liked it, but didn't really care for it that much as i wanted to see 'smooth criminal'.

it was only years later, when i saw that video again when i realized how freakin' awesome this was. but despite my young age at the time, it did not pass unnoticed. since then i've been reading all i can about them, mainly about kurt's life, but especially listening to all their other music: from the first album 'bleach' till obscure, never released before footage. and let's not forget, their masterpiece (imho): 'mtv unplugged'.

yesterday marked the 20 year anniversary of their 2nd studio album, 'nevermind'. from this album came smells like teen spirit, which created a huge shift in mainstream music and was the sound of the so called 'generation x'. this album brought many other great songs, including 'come as you are', 'breed' and my all time favorite 'lithium':

25-11-'91 - live @ paradiso, amsterdam.

in celebration of the 20th anniversary, a new box set of nevermind will be released tomorrow. check it out >> here.

oh yeah, did i mention i really like nirvana?

on stage @ paradiso.. i'm so happy cause today..

benzak @ momotaro / japan blue x take5 event.

today was the kick-off of the event by japan blue group (momotaro / japan blue jeans), hosted by their official retailer take 5 in bangkok. i paid them a quick visit to catch up, and talk about denim of course.

japanese department store isetan has given the kojima based company an in-store spot to showcase their finest goods, including a some special bangkok-exclusives, for the coming 2 weeks.

matsumoto and kishimoto from japan blue group were asked some questions and tell about the brands and premium denim in general. also, tuchawee sonthirati (thai-based brand indigoskin) and benny seki (take5) were given the microphone to explain their opinions on this market in general and in thailand.

unfortunately all was in japanese and thai, so i could not understand the details they were talking about.. but hey, denim is a universal language spoken by us all - let the product do the talking, right?

if you happen to be around, i highly recommend to pay them a visit as well.

matsumoto, benzak, kishimoto, tuchawee.

momotaro bangkok exclusive backpocket design.

tuchawee, benny seki, benzak.

for more pics please go to my personal facebook page.

benzak reads.

daytona bros - vol.16

lightning - vol.87

lightning - vol.108 hat & cap special

bdd traveling.

dear reader,

the coming 2 weeks i am traveling, hoping to return full of inspiration to successfully continue with the developments i am currently working on. i might be able to show some sneak previews next couple of months..

best,

benzak.

ps. during these 2 weeks, all purchases will be shipped on october the 1st. thanks for understanding.

type a-2 flight jacket.

the type a-2 flight jacket was adopted as the standard jacket for u.s. army air corps in the 1930s, as the successor of the type a-1.

this example, which I found while thrifting mainly for denim items, is still in very nice condition, although it is missing the inside label. because of this I find it hard to date - it could be 40 years old but just as good a Japanese repro as far as my knowledge reaches. the zipper is by talon, the snaps say 'jin star' and it has 2 extra pockets next to the flap pockets, which are probably dead giveaways for any leather expert regarding its age.. anyone?

also notice the little sticker on the inside of the leather, visible through the lining. manufacturers usually use this to separate the different pattern parts, so it is definitely large scale production.