Chain Stitch Hemming You’ve all been asking for it! We’re excited to announce that dutil. Toronto is now offering a chain stitch hemming service to any jeans purchased at the store. There is a one week turn around time, and a charge of $28. Now you don’t have to triple cuff those Momo’s! Please note this is only at the Toronto location.

Yesterday was our much anticipated Fade February Finale in both our Toronto and Vancouver locations. For the first 24 days of February, we hyped up the Finale by posting denim facts on our blog and encouraging those with the sickest fades to enter into our Fade February contest. To help us judge the event, we had representatives from Nudie Jeans, Levi’s and Railcar. All of the pairs of jeans that entered the contest were beautiful, but we had to settle on three winners. The owners of the winning jeans each won one pair of raw denim from their choice of Nudie, Levi’s and Railcar. Not a bad deal at all! We took some photos at our Vancouver location for your viewing pleasure:                    

Fade February Grand Finale                       Fade February  Fact #25: …That today is the Fade February Grand Finale? Hopefully you did, and if not, now you do! Please join us at both the Toronto & Vancouver locations this afternoon from 2-5 for a faded denim workshop with Nudie, Levi’s and Andrew from It’sWorn.com. There will also be a denim walk-off at 5 that has our contestants competing to win FREE JEANS from Railcar Fine Goods, Levi’s and Nudie. We hope to see you there!

Scale                   Fade February Fact #24: The search to find the heaviest jeans in the world isn’t an easy one, and even if you can get your hands on them, it’s not a comfortable journey to begin with. Anything over 15 oz is considered to be a heavy raw denim, and a good chunk of denim-heads swear by the heavy stuff. It last longer, and eventually softens up. Japanese denim company Iron Heart began manufacturing 21 & 22 oz denim for motorcyclists that were looking for a more casual solution for protective gear. Denim scientists from Naked & Famous have since beat the 22 oz mark by manufacturing jeans that come in 24, 26, and now a 32 oz denim. The 32 oz Naked & Famous Weird Guys can stand up on their own. Go hard, or go home!

                Fade February Fact #23: Japan is home to numerous premium denim manufacturers, and Okayama is thought to be the best of the best.  It is best known known for its dye and indigo industry. There are over 100 family-run factories that are home to big name brands like Dior Homme and D&G, and most of the detailed work is done by hand. Okayama is said to have the purest and truest indigo blue, and many people swear by it.

Fade February Fact #22: There is no right or wrong choice when it comes to choosing between Japanese and North American raw denim, but each have their own set of interesting details. Today we’re going to touch on one of the most prestigous North American denim mills; Cone Mill. Since 1895 Cone Mill has been ruling the denim manufacturing market.  By 1905 their White Oak plant had established the company as one of the biggest indigo dyeing operations in the world and that continues today.  By this time they were making denim for  Levi’s Strauss & Co. There are many brands that we carry at dutil. that uses  Cone Mill to manufacture their denim (for example, Tellason, Railcar Fine Goods, and of course, dutil.’s own Quintessential. series).

Acid Washed 80’s Style Jeans                       Fade February Fact #21: We’re all big fans of raw/dry denim, that’s why we’re doing Fade February, but there are many other ways you can wash and wear your jeans. Maybe some of you remember the 80’s? Acid washed jeans were quite the thing. Acid washing started in Italy in the 1980’s. To get the snowy aesthetic, pumice stones are soaked in bleach and tumbled in a wash with the jeans. The washing technique is still used today, but the tailoring of our jeans has since evolved.

Lock Stitch Hem                 Fade February Fact #20: The lock stitch is a more common finishing stitch used on jeans. Although it doesn’t have the same aesthetic as the more authentic chain stitch, it is stronger, much easier, and a less expensive service. The first lock stitch machine was manufactured by Walter Hunt in 1832.

Chain Stich Hem                   Fade February Fact #19: There are many denim connoisseurs out there that swear by chain-stitching to finish the hems and waist bands of their jeans. It is said to have more heritage appeal, and it is also more aesthetically pleasing to most. It is difficult to replicate because it can only be done on very specific sewing machines called Union Specials.

Map of Genoa                     Fade February Fact #18: The word ‘jeans’ is derived from the French phrase ‘bleu de Genes’ . The literal translation for that is ‘the blue of Genoa’, and with time was shortened to what we now know as ‘jeans’! Now you know ‘why jeans?’.