Heddels Blowout

We have a treat of a discussion for you today with returning guest Ben Robinson. Ben is the founder and editor in chief of footwear website Stitchdown and their upcoming event in Chicago, The Stitchdown Expo. Longtime listeners will remember my previous talk with Ben about the Indonesian boot scene, but today we get into more details of Ben’s early love of shoes, starting the Stitchdown community,...

Sashiko is the age old Japanese technique of repairing and reinforcing fabric with rows of decorative running stitches. This little piece of reinforcing thread began over a thousand years ago and has been a mainstay of Japanese peasants, martial artists, and even firefighters. So if you’ve ever seen some of those awe-inspiring pics of people who have put dozens of hours into customizing their deni...

Today we are talking about that oft-derided denim style that was relegated to the disco era. This type of cut can go by many names:  bell-bottoms, boot cuts, flares, darts. However you slice it, these inverse-tapered fits usually have a tight fitting top block but are flowing and breezy at the ankle. As bell-bottoms begin to ring again, let’s take a look at some of the backstory behind these flare...

We are currently in the midst of the US Tennis Open being held at the Arthur Ashe arena in Queens, New York, named after one of the most stylish tennis stars of the 20th century, and believe me, there were a lot of them. It’s also supposedly the end of summer, but it is still 99 degrees where I am in Los Angeles and tennis wear, it’s very nice when it’s hot out! But it wasn’t always that way. So s...

We spend an awful lot of time and a lot of digital ink discussing the finer qualities of leather and there is arguably no finer cut than shell cordovan. You may have seen it on a pair of loafers, a wallet, or a watch strap and immediately recoiled that it was over double the price of the calfskin or chromexcel equivalent. And there’s still a label stamped on the inside of the thing! Get ready to c...

You’ve seen it inlaid in rings, pendants, bolo ties, squash blossom necklaces, conchos, studs, and more. It dots the hands and necks of those devoted to Southwestern Americana aesthetics. But its story reaches far beyond our corner of the world. Though this beautifully teal-hued gemstone often feels synonymous with vintage and heritage-inspired fashion, its history stretches much further. So stick...

Today we’re talking about running! Not away from your problems, but the shoes you’d wear while you’re doing it. We’re putting aside the goodyear welts and chunky vibram soles to discuss the evolution of footwear options designed for that oh so human activity. And whether you’re someone who’s run marathon distances or sucked wind while running The Mile in gym class (trust me, I've been both at...

Today we’re talking about guayaberas. No, not guavas my Spanish speaking friends, but rather the shirt named after them. Also known as the cigar shirt or the camisa de Yucatan It’s been a staple of Latin American and Caribbean clothing spanning three centuries now and, yeah, it’s really nice to wear when it’s hot outside. So if you could please grin and bear it as we dive into the guayabera. eBay...

Today we’re talking bandanas. Not banned books, bandoliers, or watch bands, we’re discussing the classic square of fabric you might find on the forehead of a biker or in the back pocket of someone who just likes leather. It may seem like a simple thing, but this paisley handkerchief has been in the making for nearly three thousand years and has played a significant part in the silk road, the Ameri...

Today we’re putting down the iron fist. The cast iron one, that is! As you know, raw denim is our first love, and if there’s one item that’s most spiritually attuned to the raw denim lifestyle, it’s not another piece of clothing, it’s a piece of cookware. They both have ancient origins but became more commonplace in the 1800s, they both get better the more you use them, there are practically cults...

For the past decade or so, there has been one white whale (or rather a pod of white whales) among raw denim fanatics, whose course has been followed with great interest since they left their home in North Carolina to move to Louisiana and now they have relocated again to Georgia. I am of course referring to the Draper X-3 shuttle looms, the forebearers of American selvedge denim from the late grea...

Welcome to Heddels Blowout. The show where we explore one thing, from watch caps to flip flops, and tell you all about: Why it’s important Where it came from How it’s made Who’s making them today How to take care of it And, the real reason you’re here, your ears were cold because your hat is rolled up and you needed to put on some headphones. That’s right, we’re talking about watch caps today. The...

That’s right, today we’re talking about arguably the most well known name in performance fabrics - GORE-TEX. Most of the time, consumers aren’t aware of the upstream material manufacturers behind the clothes they wear but Gore-Tex is one of the few that’s broken through to wide recognition. You see that black and yellow tag on a parka, pair of boots, or a hat and you know it means business. But wh...

That’s right, today is a little bit different. I’m not here to talk about an item but a concept, tariffs! The big T-word that has been taking up so much airtime over the last year as the returning American president has made it a cornerstone of his new administration and it’s probably having an impact on how you get your sweet fix of denim and leather. I kinda didn’t want to do this one, but we ju...

Most of us can’t even hear the word “cardigan” without picturing Mr. Rogers coming home to exchange his suit jacket and dress shoes for one of his zip-up cardigans and a pair of sneakers. Most authors that write histories of this favorite casual sweater act stunned that Mr. Rogers favorite item of clothing was invented by the military. But for those of us better-versed in menswear history, it’s no...

When you imagine an Air Force pilot, the first image that probably comes to mind is the dashing World War II-era captain in impossibly high-waisted khakis and a brown leather bomber jacket. But you might be surprised to learn then that the first time the U.S. Air Force issued a leather jacket was in 1987. So this is a technicality I’m exploiting, but the U.S. Air Force didn’t exist as a separate b...

It’s been a long time since our last collaborative product, but we’re back with a bang. We’ve joined forces with  Crown Northampton  to launch the  Grand Union  Wholecut Sneaker, a denim & leather sneaker built to last for years and earn unique  fades  along the way. But there is much more to this Union than denim and leather – there’s a laundry list of world-class materials, shoemaking expert...

Today we’re talking about loafers. Those do-nothing idlers who just sit around all day and the leisurely leather shoe that’s come to be named after them. Yes, the penny, the tassel, even the horsebit. These footwear icons might seem like timeless classics, but they are the result of a relatively recent cross-cultural exchange of mutually beneficial cultural appropriation. So slide in, slip on, and...

That’s right, this is a denim episode! Longtime listeners will remember our 13-part, 7-hour audio epic about the history of denim where we covered 500 years of history of our favorite fabric. Relax, we’re not doing that again. That was a graduate level seminar, instead, this is denim 101 and by the end of it you should have all the tools and info needed to make an informed purchase and join the wo...

Today we’re talking polarization. I’m not talking about the bears, Santa Claus, or the state of global politics. Rather something a bit more anodyne, and seasonally appropriate, cool shades! You may have heard of the many benefits of polarized sunglasses, how they reduce glare, let you see through the surface of water, or make it easier to drive. But why? How? Where to find? There isn’t that much...

They say all clothing is a type of language. Even refusing to participate in the conversation is a way to say something. Whether you’re in a top hat and tails or Canadian tuxedo or naked, it’s all saying something about you and how you chose to present yourself. But some clothes speak a little louder than others. Today we’re talking about arguably the loudest and most explicit of them all. That’s...

Hi, I’m Heddels publisher David Shuck. You may remember me from previous Heddels podcasts like our History of Denim series, the Rise and Fall of Made in USA, and the one where Reed, Albert, and I just shot the breeze for an hour every week.  I’ve been writing about owning things you want to use forever for well over a decade now. I’ve been everywhere from downtown Los Angeles to the deserts of Pak...

On this week’s Blowout… REED’S CORNER IS OFFICIALLY COOKED. Or at least the corner of Birkenstock Boston’s and Able to Buy Whenever. (Spoiler: He blames TikTok.) But because discovery is often generated out of necessity and Bostons are officially Pop Music now, that also means mules are Mainstream™, which has forced — yes, forced — us to investigate some alternative options in the Big Comfort foot...

Now that Ye is getting himself canceled, what would it take for Pitbull to take over the fashion zeitgeist. We don't think it would be that hard.  Albert reviews Don't Worry Darling and the cool sneakers he saw in the crowd. Reed continues to deprive Albert of his sneaker connections. Albert begs a stranger at a party for shoes. Reed gets every sneaker he ever wants without even trying. ...

Our rock in this ever-changing world, David Shuck, is back for an episode from the road. Our brave traveler (and co-host on hiatus) calls in about Georgian nightlife, bootleg wine, and big news from Patagonia. Enjoy a joyous reunion of all three of the Blowout boys and learn a little bit about what the hipsters in Tbilisi are wearing right now. David admits we were right about our packing suggesti...