Stevenson Overall Co — Imperial 120 Jeans — Denim review — Thoughts and fades after 200 wears
Stevenson Overall Co (SOC) may not be an unfamiliar name among denimheads. Originally it was an American company but went bankrupted. In 2005, Atsusuke Tagaya and Zip Stevenson revived the brand. Now it is 100% Japanese. SOC strives to create products which are “nostalgic but new, modern and universal”.
Let’s take a look at their Imperial 120 jeans to see if this can verify their statement. After more than 200 wears with an initial soak, 2 more cold soaks and a machine wash, I think the jeans has gone through enough to let its beauty shine out. In this review I’m not talking about the construction since everything is neatly sewn together and I have nothing to complain about it.
Fabric
13 oz unsanforized denim made by Zimbabwean cotton, woven from Kuroki Mills. This is their flagship denim and also used for their signature model 727 La Jolla.
When raw, fabric is dark, balanced between smoothness and roughness. I can spot some slubs here and there. After initial soak, the fabric became darker and hairier. What surprised me was that only with 2 or 3 wears, it got soften up significantly and a bit stretchy. If I have to compare this with the flagship 13.7 oz denim (also made from Zimbabwean cotton, at Shinya Mill) from Fullcount, SOC’s is not as soft but has a bit more character, and less hairy.
Below is a close-up of the fabric after 9 months, 3 wears a week and one more cold soak.
The indigo is brighten up. We can see more indigo streaks running through and a green tinge is shining from underneath. Fabric texture is not too slubby, just the right amount I like. Moving far away, we have something as below:
This fabric is very very comfortable to wear in. And it’s good for me to wear all year round. More of how it getting faded overtime will come in the “Ageing & Thoughts” section.
Fit
Sorry I did not take photos of me wearing the jeans raw. But luckily I noted down the measurements before and after 1st soak, in inches. My size on this is 32.
Waist: 35.5/ 34.5 — However, after wears it will stretch back to pre-soak measurement.
Front rise: 12/ 11.40
Back rise: 16/ 15.75
Thigh: 13/ 12.75
Leg opening: 7.75/ 7.67
Inseam: 34.5/ 32.28
Let’s take a look at how the jeans fit on me first.
SOC market orientation is for Western market so they are pretty big in sizes. While I usually go for size 36 (raw) with other brands, I took this at size 32 and it worked out well.
SOC classifies this cut as a regular tapered leg. And indeed it is. The front rise is at mid-high side. The top block is pretty square because of the yoke is quite flat, not deep. We can see this clearer when we come to the back of the jeans. Size 32 gives me a snug fit, but I still have enough room and comfort throughout the jeans. The jeans got tapered gently from the thigh to the hem. And for guys want both mobility and modern looking fit like me, SOC did a very good work here.
From the side, we can see there is still room for the thigh, which I really like. Top block and the calves parts fit me perfectly.
As mentioned, the yoke is quite flat. So we can clearly see that the upper part is square from the back. Below photo would give us an idea of how the jeans look from distance and matched with other garments. I’m 176cm and 92kg, pretty bulky but the jeans fit me nicely.
Design & Details
IMO, what really separates SOC from other denim brands is their creativity in design. Atsu really knows what he’s doing with his garments. Their design never ceases to amaze me. Before purchasing my first SOC denim pair, I know that their most iconic specification is the single-needle flat felled seam. Now I understand why. With this spec, the craftsmen have far more control over their stitches throughout the jeans. And Atsu has utilised it wisely, beyond my expectation. When I put my hands on this Imperial 120, my mind was blown out. It was like…”WTF! How could they even come up with this design”. Let’s have a look.
Look at the pockets. The absence of rivets for fifth pocket does not matter to me because there are something more than that. The curves really do their work. Simple but freaking interesting!!! Do you notice that the stitching of fifth pocket is running parallel with the stitching of the right front pocket? Curves are running parallel together… Only this very detail has made the jeans so cool. But Atsu has gone even furtheeeeeeer.
2 lines of fly stitches meet each other at the crotch to form a J shape. And the crotch rivet sitting on top of that is saying like “Hey, look at me! Look how shinny I am and how amazing those stitches are!” Belt loops are slanted V-shape and sewn neatly, tucked into waistband. It makes them look clean and just beautiful.
If there is anything issues I would say about the front of the jeans, that is the accessibility of the pockets. Wearing a wide belt would limit your accessibility to the fifth pocket (as in the fit pic, from the side), and I also found the two front pockets are quite small. But it does not mean much to me since I store most of my things in the back pockets.
Now we get to the back. Ok, a retro aircraft is SOC’s iconic symbol. Now, is it me having illusions? Because I can see a whole aircraft here on the back.
The head is made by 2 belt loops at the centre and two back pockets are the wings. Look at their unusual shape and positioning. Is it cool enough? How, just how could Atsu come up with this design?
And I think it is not just for show, because I found with these back pockets positioning, I can put my stuff into them easier. The top of the back pocket are stitched above the yoke, so when I sit, they will not touch the ground much. It maybe the reason why they bar-tacked them, not riveted. I have no problem with them at all so far.
Ageing & Thoughts
I wear this pair in the office, jogging, and doing chores. So neither heavy duty works nor expectation of crazy fades. However, after wears and washes, the way it came out is undeniably beautiful.
During his interview in “Weaving Shibusa”, Atsu said “At first, you know, it has to fit me. Otherwise all the ageing comes later, it all comes natural”. I totally agree with him. With this Imperial 120, I am definitely satisfied with the fit of the jeans. A combination of pretty-modern look and adequate mobility. The tapering here is just spot on.
And everything else is taken care by SOC, brilliantly!
A light-mid weight fabric that packed with right amount of texture and balanced fading potential. Mild vertical fading, slubs here and there, greenish under tone that makes the pair gleams out. What else can I ask for?
Single-needle utilisation has given SOC ultimate control over their stitches. It laid a foundation for a meticulous needlework to be executed here. From curved pockets to V-shaped belt loops, and a whole aircraft image on the back. It goes far beyond decoration and functionality. It expresses an artistic ideology and vision. That maybe the reason why SOC calls themselves “Aero Brand”. Soaring up in the sky without limitation.
“That could be like a piece of art” Atsu said. It IS a piece of art, Atsu.
“Nostalgic but new, modern and universal” — well said, well done!
I bought this pair from Corlection and it is heavily discounted at the moment. Check their website out if you want to score a pair!
