Picked up a pair of Unbranded Brand's 21oz jeans while I was over in Chicago - got them from Mild Blend, which sells a Fedora Lounge wish list of brands and if I'd had more time would have happily emptied my bank account into their till. They're friendly, knowledge and patient, and I recommend them highly!
Anyway, UB's selling point is that their product is stripped-down, uncomplicated and they hand on the savings to the customer. At $109 after tax, they come in at around, or slightly under, Gustin money. Given that the latter's heaviest denim is 18oz, it was a no-brainer to pick these up.
Out of the box, the first impression was how damn stiff they were - not quite, stand-up-by-themselves rigid, but they folded like heavily-starched sail cloth. The thick fabric has a pronounced and relatively even weave - not very slub-like at all - with a thin blue selvedge, while the colour is a deep saturated blue which comes off on the hands when you rub it.
First wear was pretty uncomfortable to say the least. I actually thought I'd made a mistake, they were just so stiff as to make me want to take them off - the creases at the back of the knees and the seams chafed like hell, and let's not talk about doing up the buttons! My other half was laughing her head off as I wrestled the damn things on. I should add that, with a couple of days' wear, they're already easing up a bit - at least the knee creases have stopped biting - and I think these things will develop some nice fades over time.
The cut's relatively low, I've posted a comparison pic with my Gustin slim-fits - they're both 29" waists, so it's like-for-like. I think they're pretty close in terms of fit, though the UBs are slightly more tapered while the Gustin are much more up-and-down. Both suit me fine, but if you're a bit fuller in figure the UBs might be a bit more flattering. That said, Gustin's hardware and little details like the coloured stitching and half-lined pockets give them a bit more 'value plus-plus' overall.
Mildblend hemmed my UBs for nothing - they come with a 36" leg, which was too much for me to cuff - giving the new hem a slight drop at the back to allow for wrinkling. They also hemmed my Freddies, something I'd wanted for a while, for a nominal charge. Done on an old sewing machine in the shop window (seriously!) they were a nice job, so here's a wee plug for them: https://www.mildblend.com/
Anyhoo, here's the pics:
Anyway, UB's selling point is that their product is stripped-down, uncomplicated and they hand on the savings to the customer. At $109 after tax, they come in at around, or slightly under, Gustin money. Given that the latter's heaviest denim is 18oz, it was a no-brainer to pick these up.
Out of the box, the first impression was how damn stiff they were - not quite, stand-up-by-themselves rigid, but they folded like heavily-starched sail cloth. The thick fabric has a pronounced and relatively even weave - not very slub-like at all - with a thin blue selvedge, while the colour is a deep saturated blue which comes off on the hands when you rub it.
First wear was pretty uncomfortable to say the least. I actually thought I'd made a mistake, they were just so stiff as to make me want to take them off - the creases at the back of the knees and the seams chafed like hell, and let's not talk about doing up the buttons! My other half was laughing her head off as I wrestled the damn things on. I should add that, with a couple of days' wear, they're already easing up a bit - at least the knee creases have stopped biting - and I think these things will develop some nice fades over time.
The cut's relatively low, I've posted a comparison pic with my Gustin slim-fits - they're both 29" waists, so it's like-for-like. I think they're pretty close in terms of fit, though the UBs are slightly more tapered while the Gustin are much more up-and-down. Both suit me fine, but if you're a bit fuller in figure the UBs might be a bit more flattering. That said, Gustin's hardware and little details like the coloured stitching and half-lined pockets give them a bit more 'value plus-plus' overall.
Mildblend hemmed my UBs for nothing - they come with a 36" leg, which was too much for me to cuff - giving the new hem a slight drop at the back to allow for wrinkling. They also hemmed my Freddies, something I'd wanted for a while, for a nominal charge. Done on an old sewing machine in the shop window (seriously!) they were a nice job, so here's a wee plug for them: https://www.mildblend.com/
Anyhoo, here's the pics:
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