This month marks the year anniversary of the collaboration between Warehouse and Clutch Cafe London, for the release of the exclusive 700C model, the letter 'C' obviously' referring to the London store which opened up its doors in January 2018.
The release was limited to a run of 50 pairs worldwide (I have number 24). I purchased these last year and decided to keep them stashed away until a couple of months ago where upon I gave them a lake soak whilst on holiday followed up by a proper machine wash to get all the shrinkage out.
The 700C model is based on a 1937 Levi’s 501’s and reproduces those features throughout the jeans bar the red tab and the back pocket arcuates (for obvious legal reasons). Funnily enough this was actually the first Levi's model to feature the iconic red tab to differentiate themselves from other brands of their time.
As mentioned these come unsanforised so a soak / wash is necessary, I would say these are vanity sized as I went for a 33 (I’m a 35 in true measurements), but could have sized down if I wanted a slimmer silhouette.
The addition of a cinch back means you can tighten the waist up if there is not enough shrinkage or they stretch out over time. Some people prefer to cut the cinch off and just wear a belt, I have decided to do up the cinch underneath the belt loop which means I get the benefit of a having tighter waist as well as being able to wear a belt. (They do both serve a purpose)
Right lets get down to the details:
FIT
The fit of the 700C is regular straight with a slight taper, which gives you an iconic and classic silhouette. and makes it easy to wear with almost anything, the front and back rises are plentiful and gives you great coverage, the top block is spacious without being baggy. Moving downwards past the thigh you start getting a little bit of a taper going, but it’s certainly not aggressive.
Finishing with the hem which are about 9” on my pair means you can easily wear them with bigger boots such as Engineers or Moc Toe’s, as well as with Chucks.
On the whole this is a heritage cut so definitely not aimed at the street wear market or someone who is after a strong taper.
DENIM
Clutch and Warehouse have gone with the classic 1000XX denim which is a 6x6 weave dyed with pure indigo and has been a fan favourite for well over a decade now.
This is the first time I’m experiencing Memphis Cotton which in contrast to Zimbabwean starts off quite rough and scratchy. As can be seen from the pictures the nep protrudes on both sides of the denim, with the warp (surface) having a speckled look to it. other little imperfections can be seen throughout the denim, especially in the horizontal direction.
Overall the slubbiness of the denim is significant without being overpowering or gimmicky with enough hairiness and irregularities to keep most denim purists happy.
This rough and tough American cotton might play a part as to why the denim fades the way it does and why denim heads have long been attracted to Warehouse jeans which fade like sought after vintage Levi’s. And of course I’m eager to find out first hand how these will fade.
DETAILS
As you would imagine the details on this pair are superb and if we start with the hardware you will find Warehouse embossed copper rivets used throughout, including the crotch rivet. Oxidised iron buttons can be seen used for the fly buttons, which will age nicely through use.
Leather Deer skin patch can be found on the back with a white label tag underneath specifying the running number, model or ‘Lot’ and the size of the jeans.
One of the more satisfying details is the raised hem at the top of the back pockets, protecting the threads for too much abrasion as well as the inclusion of raised belt loops.
Heavyweight and roomy 10oz Chambray pocket bags are utilised and are thankfully big enough for phones and your hands to easily fit in unlike some other brands.
The selvedge ID used here is the original Orange / Gold colour which you find throughout the proprietary ’1000XX’ series, the selvedge can also be seen hidden in the coin pocket.
All stitching is done with yellow and tobacco orange colours which are 100% cotton as would be expected on a 1937 pair of jeans, which will give it the authentic wear and tear and look the part.
The jeans are presented in a cardboard box with Warehouse & Co patch design replicated for the cover, and you get Premium Denim Wash which is made in Japan which will keep you jeans stinky free but still retain as much indigo as possible, which is a win-win in my household.
CONCLUSION
Overall I’m a big fan of the 700C’s and it is a great entry point for me into one of the Osaka 5 brands, having previously gone for brands who were inspired by brands such as Warehouse.
I was a looking for a more heritage cut and details and these ticked all the boxes, including 1000XX which I have been wanting to try ever since coming across faded examples on various denim message boards.
I have decided that this will be the first pair that I keep a proper count of how many wears I will accumulate over their life time. As well as that I will be soaking / washing these every 30 days of wear as I would like to achieve more vintage fades and also would like to see whether this has any affect on crotch blowouts which my jeans always succumb to.
I have included my pre and post wash measurements for future reference and as guide. This pair was soaked once in cold water, once in hot water and machine washed on 40 degrees Celsius.
Given the recent news that LVC have stopped using both Cone Denim and ceased manufacturing in the USA, if you want true reproduction jeans it is best to look elsewhere and Warehouse produces fine examples of recreating those classics.
