Heddels Blowout

I hope you got something good for the holidays, because New Balance got a federal lawsuit . The Boston-based shoemaker is being sued for false advertising that their "Made in USA" line of sneakers isn't entirely made in USA per the Federal Trade Commissions guidelines. We look into what 70% of a shoe could entail, talk about our holiday hauls, and play "Is it too costumey?" on a fresh edition of p...

To hear the full episode, join Heddels+ : http://heddels.plus In the pantheon of classic denim movies, we all know "Rebel Without a Cause", "The Wild One", "The Outsiders", etc. but there's room for one more: the 1996 classic Jackie Chan romp "Rumble in the Bronx". No costumer would take credit for the outfits seen on screen, but there sure are a lot of them. Hear how this little Hong Kong/Canadia...

BWOOOMP! BWOOOMP! It's the trend alert sound! We're talking Boa Fleece this week, the retro deep polyester pile that it seems every brand has put out in the last year. We talk it's history, how it's made, and why we think its tufted head is popping up so prominently in this particular moment. We also talk about our most difficult break in experiences and do a product lightning round, including: Ca...

To hear the full episode, join Heddels+ : http://heddels.plus While there were many deals this past week, there were also STEALS! We're of course talking about the shoplifting mania that's sweeping the nation (and how for the most part it doesn't exist). We also discuss our respective Black Friday hauls and remember Virgil Abloh after his untimely passing.

We've officially entered the holiday shopping season, and if you're like us, very few people in your life know what to buy to satisfy your strange clothing obsession. But that doesn't stop us from dreaming about it! Reed, Albert, and I go over our fantasy holiday wishlists including the following: Anonymous Ism Sweaters Quoddy Ring Boots TCB 40s Jeans And much more! We also answer a listener quest...

To hear the full episode, join Heddels+ : http://heddels.plus We live in an age of unprecedented choice. Whether it's jeans, hair conditioner, or marinara sauce; the western consumer has a skull crushing variety of options to choose from. But is that a good thing? The New York Times seems ambivalent and so are we. We discuss their piece " Is Denim Having an Identity Crisis " as well as Thanksgivin...

Clothing production isn't as bad as we thought for the environment! (It's still very bad, though (it's confusing, no one understands all the implications (but we understand even fewer of them (even the metric system)))). What we do know now is that "recycled clothing" is mostly a greenwashed lie and brands that based their entire identity around "this shirt is made of plastic bottles" are going to...

To hear the full episode, join Heddels+ : http://heddels.plus It's the midseason blues and Ralph Lauren's answer to it is letting people dye whatever they want in store. That is also far from the most ridiculous product concept we have today because this is the return of PR Plop! Our series where we dive into the best of the worst of the PR emails we receive. We've got NSFW NFTs, "The Peloton of t...

It only took a little less than 250 years for denim to go from niche work fabric to presiding over "the world's greatest deliberative body" and we couldn't be more disappointed. We discuss what senator Kyrsten Sinema's denim vest means for dress codes for legislators, leading Reed to go on an extremely niche exploration of what senators would be into what streetwear brands. We also talk about the...

Listen to the full episode on Heddels+ : http://heddels.plus Have you ever had a particularly rough day at work and thought, “You know what would make me feel better? Buying a pair of Ferragamos and a Moncler jacket while on my way to the bathroom.” Well this could soon be your reality! We dig into the transformation of one of the retails most exclusive names into another coworking space. Also dis...

Americans are poised to spend over $10 billion this Halloween, over a third of that on costumes that will likely hit the dump before the pumpkins rot. Me and Albert and Reed think back on costumes from years past as well as discuss the end of Scott Sternberg's latest clothing brand Entireworld plus answer some reader questions. Product Talk: Blue Blue Japan x Fruit of the Loom Nigel Cabourn x Vans...

To hear the full episode join Heddels+: http://heddels.plus As you may have noticed, global supply chains are a little wonky, to put it mildly, and this could affect everything from your new phone to toy Tonka trucks. Basically when everything shut down in the spring of 2020, it didn’t start up at the same time and this incredibly precarious global supply chain we have basically went out of balanc...

California signed the Garment Worker Protection Act into law this week. It's a big win for the people who make clothes in this country who have had up to 80% of their paychecks stolen via wage theft until it's passage. Also Albert went to a Pitbull show and has the vibe report on Mr. Worldwide and his fans. Also we discuss the following: Studio D’artisan 8oz. Loopwheeled Kasuri Indigo t-shirt WARE...

Hear it all on Heddels+ first month free with code EXTRABLOWOUT: http://heddels.plus The newest branch of the US military, the Space Force, has revealed its first draft of uniforms. With new militaria to mine, we dig in on the tactics of said uniforms as well as Todd Snyder's attempt to do LL Bean right and Haruki Murakami's obsession with t-shirts. We also got a phone call! You too can call in at...

It was the Met Gala last week and there was denim in it so obviously we have to comment on it. Also, Snoop Dogg collaborated with G-Star for some reason, which produced one of the strangest music videos in recent memory. Also discuss Hollywood Ranch Market channeling Needles, Levi's running a stretch jean in a color they call " Punk Rock ", and some Flat Head paisley print shorts that you'll have...

To hear the full episode and much more, subscribe below: http://heddels.plus Traffic stopped on the Manhattan Bridge, blood spilled in Mulberry Bend, thousands of stick wielding teens in the streets. New York City came to a standstill over the straw boater hat 99 years ago, and we're here to remember it. Also, check out Stan Ray restocks and more in the Heddels Shop , 10% off with code BLOWOUT!

As consumers, we have the tiniest window into how the products we use are made. Maybe you get a single country of origin or the fiber content, but that hides the many other chemicals, countries, and suppliers that contributed to its production. Andrew Olah has been in the upstream world of denim and clothing production for nearly 50 years and has run the Kingpins Show , one of the biggest markets...

Happy Labor Day in the US, it's time for us to reflect on the hard fought labor rights victories we enjoy in this country...AND SAVE! We're taking 25% off all of our Teamster Union Made tees and hoodies this weekend. So tune in to hear about the origins of Labor Day the holiday, the current status of our fall trend predictions, and David's bleach eccentricities. And get a great deal on a tee made...

To hear the full episode, join at: http://heddels.plus So last week we talked about the personal aspects of climate change in regards to some practices we can all do to reduce our own impact. But as we all know and even mentioned, the actions of an individual, even all you beautiful individuals reading right now is like one drop removed from the rising ocean. We need policy and regulation enforced...

That UN climate report was a doozy, wasn't it? While we've been mulling the habitable future of the planet over, we thought it was a good time to revisit some old practices one can do to make the most infinitesimal dent in the human impact on the climate. While the real change that needs to happen is systemic policy regulation, Reed and I discuss some easy habits you can do to reduce consumption a...

To hear the full episode and much more, subscribe below: http://heddels.plus A move is not an uncommon occurrence in the life of a retail store, but moving to the opposite side of the country is. Division Road is picking up roots in its original home in downtown Seattle and headed some 3,000 miles east to a rural plot just outside Charlottesville, Virginia. We talk with owner Jason Pecarich about...

Japanese brand Kapital's latest Kountry collection created waves in ways they didn't expect (but probably should've) when its "Free Tibet" imagery awakened thousands and thousands of angry comments on Instagram, putting the release in jeopardy. Kapital photographer Eric Kvatek rejoins us to discuss what happened and his own photoshopped response to the incident. We also discuss our fall trend pred...

We finally get a long read of the entire Alden embezzlement controversy, lament things that have been confiscated by the TSA, and Albert has a Champs gift card we can't figure out how to spend. All that and more on this week's Blowout! Support the show by becoming a Heddels+ member (first month free with code EXTRABLOWOUT) and by visiting the Heddels Shop (10% off with code BLOWOUT). Also email us...

The year is 1990: Michael Bolton is on the radio, the first McDonald's opens in Moscow, and a group of carnivorous worms known as "graboids" are terrorizing the residents of a remote Nevada town called Perfection. The world may have changed, but the looks live on as Reed, Albert, David and former Heddels editor Gerald Ortiz dig deep on this creature horror classic. Hear about the sunbaked denim, b...

To hear the full episode, become a Heddels+ member here: http://heddels.plus A recent study found that "sewing machine operator" was number 7 of the jobs with the greatest increased risk of death during the pandemic in California. Reed, David, and Albert discuss the implications and the dark realities of the people who make our clothes, even in a country where we would hope workers have the greate...