Category: Warehouse

Warehouse Company, one of the five brands commonly known as the Osaka 5, is an important part of Japanese denim scene. Warehouse jeans is definitely something worth checking out.

But first, a little history class:

Back in 1995 the twin brothers, Kinichi and Kenji, founded Warehouse Company. They both worked previously in the Osaka vintage store Lapine. Just like Full Count founder Tsujita Fijuhara and Hidehiko Yamane that paved the way with Evisu (back then named Evis) a few years prior.

With their main model, the 1001XX, a replica of Levi’s from the 1950’s, they quickly rose to fame.

Warehouse – one of the best

For me, Warehouse makes some of the very best jeans out there. They have an almost absurd attention to details. All in the name of their pursuit of making some of the best reproduction jeans on the market.

Over the years I’ve collected quite a few pairs from Warehouse. Down below you can see a couple of them and how they have faded over the years. Special releases like the 800 C/L and 1001XX in Duck Digger denim. 1001 using the banner denim.

The banner denim is in itself an interesting story. Based on an old Levi’s banner from the 1930’s that the twins took apart in order to study the yarns.

There’s also the 2001XX jacket up on the blog if you want to see other pieces to.

Do you want to see more from Warehouse?

If you want to see more of their faded jeans they have this fantastic blog to browse with pictures from their customers.

Warehouse Warehouse 1221

Warehouse 1221 US Army denim pants

Post author By Alexander
Post date 29 July, 2023

I rarely buy new jeans these days but when I saw the Warehouse 1221 denim pants I couldn’t pass on them. Since my stance on shorts is that they’re pretty much only for kids, the postman or a visit to the beach I get kind of excited when I find a good pair of summer jeans. I’ve been raving for a few years about TCBs Seamen’s trousers that I enjoy so much. Warehouse 1221 is an excellent successor.

The fit is a loose, high waisted one. All about functionality and the many purposes it had to serve. It works just as well for a modern day home office worker, dabbing in the blogosphere and walking the dog. Comfort is key.

Warehouse 1221 specs

The jeans is made of a lovely light 10 oz “slub-yarn” sanforized denim that is perfect for the Swedish summer. It’s kind of interesting that the fabric is marketed as a slubby denim. It doesn’t look slubby, nor does it feel like it. I’m looking forward to seeing how it shapes up after a few washes when the yarn pops a bit more. I haven’t been able to find out much more about this fabric except that it’s has a yarn count of 8×10. Shoot me a message if you know more about it!

The hardware is very neat, both the US Army buttons and the cinch. True to the original army pants used in the late 1930’s (that this is a reproduction of) there’s no rivets, instead using bar tack stitching.

Let’s talk about pocket shapes

One thing I find intriguing is the front pockets. For one thing that they’re sewn on the outside of the legs but mostly that they’re kind of difficult to use thanks to the shape of the pocket openings.

Most jeans have curved pocket openings to make them easy to access. Then you have the straight but diagonal pocket openings like on TCBs seamean’s trousers. The Warehouse 1221 is also using straight, diagonal openings, but these are almost horisontal, which for me works kinda bad together with the high waisted fit. Still love the jeans, but they’re not the perfect pair.

Tags Osaka 5, US Army pants, Warehouse, Warehouse 1221

Warehouse Warehouse 800 C/L

Warehouse 800CL

Post author By Alexander
Post date 27 May, 2023

My Warehouse 800CL has been with me for quite some time now. Think I got them in Osaka back in 2016? Not that many updates of them on the blog so far, just a one year update from 2 years ago. Yet again it will be a rather short update.

2 more years of 800CL

So, what’s happened the last two years? Mostly they have seen wear during the summer, working out great thanks to the cotton/linen mix and lighter fabric. The cut that felt a little tight two years ago have felt better since I lost weight. The 800 is when all comes down to it not meant to be a slim cut.

Now that the jeans have seen some proper wear for a longer time the texture have started to change, smoothing out the rough patches that I liked so much when I got them. It still looks and feels like nothing else I’ve tried from Warehouse, an excellent fabric I hope they use again at some point. You can see the kinda neppy texture that is still there, to some extent, on the pictures.

What jeans to wear this summer

The thing I’m mulling over now is wether to leave them on the shelf for this summer or not. The other day I got a pair of Warehouse 1221, their US army denim pants, that will be even better during the warm summer days. And then there’s the TCB Seamens trousers that I like so much. Stiff competition for sure. We’ll see what happens with the Warehouse 800CL, still a great pair of jeans and much life left in them.

Tags Osaka 5, Summer jeans, Warehouse, Warehouse 800CL

Warehouse Warehouse 700C

Warehouse 700C

Post author By Alexander
Post date 30 September, 2021

Warehouse 700C – the 2018 special release for Clutch Café in London.

I’m a sucker for what Warehouse makes. There’s plently of examples here on the blog: the 1001, 800 C/L, 1939 Montgomery Ward jeans and the 2001xx jacket to name a few of the pieces.

Some brands shapes one’s interest in this denim game. For me, Warehouse is without a doubt one of them. Many years ago (2014?), when I got my first pair of 1001’s, turned my head thoroughly into the repro part of the denim scene. And after that I have never really looked back. In one way, you could say Warehouse ended up as a sort of measuring stick for any other jeans I came across after that. Looking for similar characteristics or brand ethos.

They might not have the charm of small brands like Ooe Yofukuten, Roy or Denimbridge but for a big player like Warehouse is, their insatiable desire to get every little detail right has earned them a place in my heart that will probably last a lifetime.

Clutch Café – bringing back the love

It wouldn’t sit right to write about this particular release of Warehouse’s 700 model without a brief stray into Clutch Café that houses the jeans.

There’s a neat interview over at Robin Denim with Taka Okabe, the managing director of Clutch Café that tells a bit of the story. The interview is definitely worth a read with Okabe-san also working as an editor for Men’s file, founder of the clothing brand Allevol and as a photographer and writer for Lightning Magazine and 2nd.

Back in 2018 Clutch Magazine decided to open a store in London. The editor in chief Atsu-san wanted a concept showcasing of what Clutch stands for. Clutch Magazine focuses on the core value of what was in the past (mostly pre-1940’S) and how they can bring that value back to the modern world. With the love of vintage jeans, old cars, bikes it’s kind of a vintage lifestyle magazine, as Okabe-san mentions in the interview.

That vision of Atsu-san materialized in an aim to bring Japanese brands and street style to the UK.

In the same year as they opened the doors to the public, Clutch Café made a collaboration with Warehouse, making 50 pairs of the 700 model.

Warehouse 700C – the jeans

The 700 model has been a part of Warehouse’s lineup for some time now, a reproduction of Levi’s 501xx from 1937. I’m no mastermind when it comes to all the timeperiod correct details of the 1937’s but they do come with the cinchback and crotch rivet that should be there. Alas no red tab or arcs due to Levi’s trademarks.

The cut itself is a regular straight, albeit with a slight taper.

The denim used for the 700C is one of Warehouse’s classic ones. The 14,5 oz 6×6 using Memphis cotton, often refered to as the 1000xx one. The touch of it is rougher then the banner denim, which is also a bit lighter weight wise. At first it’s even feels a little slubby from the protruding neps, but that characteristic only plays it’s part for a while before getting worn down.

My Warehouse 1003xx uses this very denim, and now, after perhaps a year of wear, has more of a grainy feel to it than that rough feel it had at first.

The leather patch is from soft deerskin, something we often see used by Warehouse for their patches.

Before rounding off, let’s give an honourable mention to the backpocket shape of Warehouse 700C. Boy do I love the curved style of them. A more square design sure works well, but the curved pockets breaks up the silhouette in a nice way.

I think that’s as far as we need to ramble on about the jeans themselves, this is not really a review kind of blog after all. It’s a bloody fantastic pair of 37’s and if you do come across a pair of 700’s, give them a go. You won’t regret it.

Warehouse Warehouse 1939 Montgomery Ward

Warehouse 1939 Montgomery Ward jeans

Post author By Alexander
Post date 9 September, 2021

For a long time I have wanted to get my hands on a pair of Warehouse 1939, their Montgomery Ward repro model from the 20th’s anniversary.

Soon after the jeans were released I travelled to Japan and had plans to bring a pair back with me. But no luck. Not in Tokyo, not in Osaka. They were all gone in my size. At least I got my Warehouse 800 C/L which I love dearly.

Anyway, back to the jeans! I won’t dwell too much around the history of Montgomery Ward, there’s plenty to read about it out there. But even if you don’t feel like Googling you should educate yourself enough to know a little. It’s an American chain store that was founded all the way back in 1872 in Chicago. They were one of the big ones together with Sears and JC Penney.

The original model that Warehouse has replicated was as far as I’ve read made to commemorate the 100th year jubilee of Texas independence from Mexico back in 1936. In the three following years the national rodeo champions designed these anniversary jeans. And this model, I guess, is the 1939 version. I haven’t found more detailed desciptions on the different versions.

The “Lone star” stitch on the backpockets that many blogs and stores have named it is possible just that, a nod to the Lone Star state Texas.

Warehouse 1939 – Montgomery Ward jeans

But what about the Warehouse jeans then?

It is a 1930’s cut and like you might imagine it’s a loose straight cut with a pretty high rise. (Warehouse did a slimmed version of this model as well named 1939S if you’re on the hunt but want something more modern). I got these second hand so they’ve been used a little. But I imagine they were comfy straight out of the box. Works like a charm with engineer boots.

Funny enough I had a vague memory that they had used the classic banner denim used on the 1001 jeans. It was a surprise to see that these are a left hand twill. And yes, the banner denim is a right hand twill.

It is however the same cotton blend used for the banner denim, in a 7×7 twill weighing in at 13.7 oz. The feel of it is also pretty similar, very soft to the touch. Not at all like the 1000xx denim used for the Warehouse 700C or Warehouse 1003XX for example.

The hardware is part of what I love the most with these jeans. You have clean doughnut buttons, a neat style of copper rivets that I’ve never seen used by other brands (feel free to vintage school me on this one!), a time correct crotch rivet and a lovely designed cinchback.

The leather used for the patch is made from deerhide.

We’ll see when I find the time to break these in. It should be something gorgeous going by how the regular banner denim shapes up.

Warehouse Warehouse 1003XX

Warehouse 1003XX

Post author By Alexander
Post date 9 August, 2021

Say hello to Warehouse 1003XX – Warehouse WWII model.

Yep, another pair of Warehouse jeans got added to the collection some years ago. If you follow my Instagram account you will already have seen them for some time now (and the other Warehouse jeans yet to be posted here on the blog).

Warehouse 1003XX – a perfect straight

Of course it’s very subjective, and also ever changing even on a personal level, but I’ve been very fond of WWII-cuts for some time. The straight cut is just right for me and Warehouse hits it off.

They’ve made the 1003XX for many years now, and to my knowledge pretty much always in their 14,5 oz denim. Not the banner denim used for the Warehouse 1001.

It’s a little more irregular, rough and rugged compared to the banner denim. Not off the charts irregular, it’s still a pretty even weave. But it definitely differs from the softness of the banner denim, even though the weight doesn’t differ that much.

Since it’s a WWII pair there are of course some special details:

No rivets on the coinpocket
this model has flannel pocketbags (which I failed to take a picture of)
some difference in the sewing (which I also failed to photograph).

It does however have Warehouse regular buttons, not the laurel wreath buttons we often see on WWII-jeans.

Warehouse bull horn patch — Don’t mind the crappy repair work.

I’ve always loved the bull horn patches Warehouse used back in the days. Man I was very happy when I got my hands on these from a friend.

The pair has been my go to-pair of jeans together with the GBG001 collab jeans for a while and now they’re really taking shape. No clue about the number of washes or how long they’ve been worn though.

All I know is that I will continue to wear them and once they’re done maybe I’ll have a go at my second pair that is stored away.

Warehouse Warehouse 800 C/L

Warehouse 800 C/L – update 1

Post author By Alexander
Post date 26 July, 2021

One year of wearing Warehouse 800 C/L – the cotton/linen mix.

It’s been five years since I bought these Warehouse 800 C/L jeans in Osaka. Since then I’ve been wearing them off and on during the summer months, rotating with my TCB trousers.

The cut is a little slim, but the lighter weight denim (12 oz) still makes it work unless the digits gets too hot. Presumably the mixed in linen also helps with the breathability of the fabric.

To be fair, I have no idea how much they’ve actually been worn or washed. But then again, just like the advice I always give when asked – just wear and wash your jeans. They’ll turn out great.