The 2026 Back-to-Work Issue: Everything I Snoozed in My Inbox While I Was on Holiday
Three weeks away from your desk go by surprisingly fast when you’re having the time of your life. It’s a cliché if there ever was one, but this summer holiday has truly been the best we’ve ever had as a family 🥰
Before we left, I wrote and scheduled the previous four Weeklies, which tell the story behind the New to Raw Denim series. Not a single word of those issues was written from the road. That means this is the first one I’ve actually sat down to write in almost a month.
While I was away, launches, restocks, and updates kept landing in my inbox. As I was trimming my inbox in the morning (while the family was sleeping in), I “snoozed” the emails with news I wanted to share in this back-to-work issue—so you’re getting a full month of “things worth your attention.”
In This Issue of the DH Weekly
- A tribute to Roy Slaper
- The final monthly Indigo Invitational submission
- A full month of restocks and new releases from all your favourite brands and retailers
Get My Weeklies in Your Inbox
I also send these out as emails every Friday. If you’re not already subscribed and want future DH Weeklies delivered straight to your inbox, you can sign up below.
Remembering Roy Slaper
A few weeks ago, the raw denim scene lost one of its true originals. Roy Slaper, the man behind Roy Denim, passed away.
When I started this site, Roy was already a legend on the forums. I never got to meet him or get my hands on a pair of his jeans. I never even told his story. Not because I didn’t want to. It simply just never happened.
While putting this issue together, I went back through old emails and notes and realised that we’d asked to interview him for Blue Blooded. But Roy was a very private person. He wasn’t interested in the spotlight.
So I’m not one to tell his story, but I can point you towards a few tributes from people who actually knew him. If you want to understand why Roy became such a mythical figure in the world of raw denim, read these:
- SFGATE – An obituary built around memories from Kiya Babzani, Tilden Yamamoto, and David Shuck.
- Albert Muzquiz – A personal remembrance of meeting Roy, and a reflection on both the myth and the man.
- Indigoshrimp – Roy’s passing brought one of the original denim bloggers back for the first time in years.
Thank you, Roy. Rest in peace.
One Last Monthly Submission
On a much lighter note, I haven’t been wearing my Weirloom jeans much this past month. They’re great for most occasions, but they’re not beachwear.
Whether you’ve been wearing your jeans or not, today—Friday 7 August—is the deadline for the final monthly submission in this year’s Indigo Invitational.
We’re into the last month now, so don’t stop. I’m back on the judging panel this year, and I can’t wait to see how everyone’s jeans end up.
A Full Month of Restocks and New Releases
Now for the inbox backlog. There was plenty to catch up on, so I’ve organised the highlights by merchant—and by category where the lists get especially long.
Redcast Heritage
The team at Redcast clearly didn’t take much of a summer holiday. New arrivals and restocks have been landing every week, with no sign of slowing down. The T-shirts alone could almost have filled an issue.
T-shirts
- The Strike Gold loopwheeled T-shirts – Core colours restocked, with Light Charcoal and Olive added for the season.
- Whitesville heavyweight pocket T-shirts – Back in core and seasonal colours.
- UES Ramayana T-shirts – The Suvin Gold cotton tees are back in pocket and plain versions across four colours.
- Wonder Looper Amami hand-dyed T-shirts – Only a few remain from the latest Amami-dyed release.
- Pure Blue Japan 11 oz. jersey – New T-shirts and sweatshirts in indigo and indigo black.
- Samurai Japanese cotton T-shirts – Back in three colours.
- Studio D’Artisan Amami Mud-Dyed collection – Loopwheeled T-shirts and an Aloha shirt dyed using traditional techniques from Amami Oshima.
- Studio D’Artisan Ishikawadai tubular tees – Seamless T-shirts made with yarn spun on the 1953 Ishikawadai machine.
- Buzz Rickson’s Government Issue T-shirts – WWII-inspired tubular tees restocked in white, olive, and black.
- The Flat Head 12 oz. raglan thermals – New colours in the brand’s tubular thermal for warmer weather.
- Trophy Clothing Utility Mil T-shirt – Now also available in Coyote.
Jeans
- Samurai jeans – The Otokogi, Cho-Kiwami, and Zero+ models are back.
- Sugar Cane 1940 Super Denim Collectibles Waist Overalls – A limited 50th-anniversary model based on WWII-era workwear.
- Sugar Cane 1947SW stonewashed jeans – Back for anyone who wants the vintage look without waiting for the fades.
- Pure Blue Japan 14 oz. XX Series jeans – The XX-005 Slim Straight and XX-013 Slim Tapered are back in PBJ’s slubby XX denim.
- Rogue Territory Strider River Wash jeans – A washed version of RGT’s 15 oz. selvedge, developed with an LA wash house.
- Graph Zero Natural Indigo and Kakishibu jeans – The 13 oz. natural indigo and persimmon tannin-dyed model is back.
- Graph Zero Kase Dyed jeans – The 15 oz. skein-dyed models return in indigo, green indigo, and black.
- Denime Lot. 224 66B jeans – The black selvedge interpretation of the 1966 Levi’s 501 has been restocked.
- Momotaro Standard jeans – Tokuno Blue denim is back across the Standard fits, with black versions available too.
Jackets, shirts, and sweats
- Samurai 10 oz. denim shirts – The Kamome, Hisho, and classic work shirt have all been restocked.
- Pure Blue Japan yarn-dyed indigo sweatshirt – Back in indigo and indigo black.
- Denime loopwheeled raglan sweatshirts – Restocked in yellow and dark heather grey.
- Rogue Territory River Wash Supply Jacket – The washed Supply Jacket is back, alongside the Waxed Canvas version in Tan and Olive.
- Studio D’Artisan sashiko collection – New arrivals include a 14 oz. Type II jacket and an indigo Noragi Boro work shirt.
- Sugar Cane 1953 Type II jacket – The “aged” version has returned.
Accessories
- Kobashi Studio leather belts – Hand-stitched Tochigi saddle leather belts with solid brass Kihon buckles.
- Kobashi Studio accessories – New chrysanthemum bandanas and leather bandana rings, plus restocked brass accessories and the Standard Backpack.
- John Lofgren Champion sneakers – Now available in Solid Olive, made by Moonstar from 12 oz. selvedge chino cloth.
- Trophy Clothing Road Trip Bag – A new 42-litre travel bag made from heavyweight Japanese canvas with brass hardware.
Iron Heart
There have been plenty of exciting releases, but the main story this month is that the jeans are finally back in stock. After months of gaps across several core fits and denims, a substantial run of restocks has now landed.
Jeans
- 666-UHR – The slim-straight Devil’s Fit returns in what will probably be the final production run of UHR denim.
- 21 oz. 666 – The core heavyweight slim straight is fully restocked.
- 18 oz. 634 – Back after more than two years.
- 14 oz. 634 – The mid-weight straight fit has returned. I wore these—in the Ruedi collab, albeit—in Y4 of the II.
- 14 oz. Overdyed 634 – The overdyed black version is back too.
- 16 oz. Slubby 634 – Low-tension slubby denim in the classic straight fit. I wore these in Y3.
- 16 oz. Slubby 888 – Back in the relaxed-tapered fit.
Jackets and shirts
- Type II jacket – Back in the new 19 oz. right-hand twill selvedge.
- Iron Heart x Simmons Bilt Tailgunner – The Mustang horsehide collaboration returns.
- 17 oz. duck CPO shirt – The heavyweight duck-canvas overshirt is back.
- 8 oz. military whipcord CPO shirt – A lighter option for warmer weather.
T-shirts and knitwear
- 11 oz. cotton knit sweater – Restocked in all colours and sizes.
- 7.5 oz. loopwheel printed T-shirts – New 777 and 888 prints complete the jeans-fit series.
Footwear
- Iron Heart x Wesco Warren boots – A new collaboration in black roughout leather.
Franklin & Poe
The big news from Philly’s denim destination is ONI. Franklin & Poe has added the brand to its lineup, alongside two in-house launches, a new Easymoc collaboration, and several useful restocks.
- ONI Denim – New to Franklin & Poe, opening with the Kiraku and Long Slub collections.
- F&P Vintage T-shirts – The shop’s first in-house tee, cut and sewn in Los Angeles from a custom 9 oz. jersey based on vintage T-shirts from the 1970s and ’80s.
- Trademark Bandanas – USA-made bandanas with artwork by Philadelphia tattoo artist Topper, printed using discharge printing.
- Easymoc x Franklin & Poe – A new footwear collaboration accompanied by a film from inside Easymoc’s factory in Maine.
- Iron Heart jeans restocks – The 14 oz. 634, 18 oz. 634, and 21 oz. 666 have arrived.
- Samurai jeans – Three new 15 oz. denims join a restock of the 17 oz. Bushido S5100VX.
- Mister Freedom Pacific Denim – The 12 oz. denim arrives in the Lot. 64 jeans and Ranch Blouse.
- Sugar Cane engineer pants – Lightweight 9 oz. wabash-stripe work trousers based on 1930s railroad clothing.
- John Lofgren boots – The Wabash Engineer, El Capitan, and M-43 are back.
Tellason
The latest arrivals from San Francisco are a good reminder—if you needed one—that there’s much more to Tellason than five-pocket jeans.
- Selvedge denim fatigue pant – The relaxed fatigue shape in rinse-washed 11 oz. Italian selvedge. I’ve worn the shorts all summer, and this version looks excellent.
- Striped Oxford button-down shirt – A blue-and-white version of the Oxford I reviewed. This is probably the one I’d choose.
- Selvedge denim shawl-collar jacket – The same 11 oz. rinse-washed selvedge in a relaxed jacket.
- Utility shirt – Heavy brushed cotton in Chocolate and Ochre. My pick is Chocolate.
- White Oak selvedge work pant – Made in San Francisco from 13.5 oz. deadstock Cone Mills White Oak denim.
- White Oak selvedge Montana jacket – The matching chore jacket in the same deadstock denim.
- Cotton watch cap – Reclaimed cotton, made in the USA, three colours, $40.
Brooklyn Clothing Co.
The biggest launch was an exclusive Viberg retailer pack, but there was plenty more arriving in Calgary over the past month, including new shirts, Japanese brands, and a sizeable Iron Heart restock.
- Viberg Roper boots – The exclusive pack comes in Muschio and Cuoio Maryam horsebutt.
- Iron Heart jeans restocks – The 14 oz. 634, 18 oz. 634, 21 oz. 666, and 16 oz. Slubby Overdyed 888 also arrived at Brooklyn.
- Iron Heart split-steer Type III jacket – Back in black and brown.
- Iron Heart CPO shirts – The 19 oz. indigo-and-black and 17 oz. duck versions have returned.
- Prequel exclusive shirts – Four shirts recreating fabrics found in century-old Japanese textile swatch books.
- Kato jeans – New arrivals in the Hammer and Barrel fits.
- Samurai Tropical Weather shirt – A breathable military-inspired work shirt woven at a century-old mill in Banshu.
- The Flat Head jackets – A 1940s-inspired denim jacket and two coveralls.
- Anonymous Ism socks – New FW26 colours and styles.
KATO
The LA-based brand’s emails don’t just push product; the past month mixed the start of FW26 and the second White’s drop with stories about how the denim is made, as always, presented through a visual language that’s unmistakably KATO.
- KATO x White’s Triple Black Series – The Derby Oxford is the second chapter, following the Semi-Dress boot. U.S.-only and mostly sold out, but worth a look.
- The Pen Slim – Sven 10.5 oz. selvedge – A bright, bleached wash with an orange cast in KATO’s lightweight 4-WAY STRETCH SELVEDGE®.
- The Hammer Straight – Charlie 14 oz. selvedge – A softly faded straight fit with the same warm, vintage direction.
- How KATO indigo-dyes its denim – A look inside the Japanese mill, from warping and rope dyeing to oxidation.
- What is selvedge denim? – KATO’s own beginner explainer on selvedge, raw denim, Japanese weaving, and rope dyeing.
- Made in the USA – A behind-the-scenes look at cutting, sewing, washing, and finishing in the U.S. using Japanese fabrics.
Gustin
Continuously launching new, interesting, and sometimes surprising fabrics is a big part of what Gustin does, and the past month has been no exception. The latest campaigns cover everything from lightweight and brightly coloured denim to natural dyes and unusual blends.
- Natural Indigo 2 – A 14 oz. Japanese selvedge dyed with plant-based indigo, something Gustin has offered only a few times.
- Heavy Black workshirt – A 14.5 oz. double-black selvedge workshirt.
- Japan Dobby Herringbone – Double-indigo herringbone available as five-pocket trousers and a workshirt.
- Japan Organic Persimmon Dye – Brown selvedge dyed with persimmon fruit, woven from heavily slubbed organic cotton.
- Indigo x Indigo Superlight – A 7.5 oz. double-indigo Japanese selvedge made for warmer weather.
- Crystal Ocean – A bright ocean-blue 14 oz. selvedge with slubby yarns and crosshatching.
- Purple Haze – The same 14 oz. construction in purple.
- Cashmere denim – Already fully funded, but still worth mentioning. The Japanese selvedge contains 20% cashmere, which is as unusual as it sounds.
Cultizm
The past month brought a steady run of new denim, clothing, accessories, and collaborations, with arrivals from both Japanese and North American brands.
- Naked & Famous Guardian II selvedge – A 14.25 oz. Japanese selvedge containing 20% Kevlar, available in several fits and a matching Type III jacket.
- Studio D’Artisan Ishikawadai jeans – The Ishikawadai selvedge arrives in regular- and wide-straight fits.
- Mister Freedom Trad selvedge – The Lot. 64 jeans and Ranch Blouse in a new 13.75 oz. Japanese denim developed with Sugar Cane.
- Naked & Famous Harionago selvedge – A hairy 14 oz. Japanese selvedge inspired by Japanese folklore, available in three fits.
- ONI Weapon trousers – Back in three colours.
- Rogue Territory – The dry-waxed Supply Vest and washed Japanese selvedge Field Shirt have arrived.
- Kaptain Sunshine x Paraboot Montana – A limited version of the classic hiking shoe.
- North Works x Cultizm – An exclusive Japanese-made necklace using vintage US coins and turquoise.
- Martin Faizey belts – The British maker’s handmade leather belts have been restocked.
That’s a full month of emails cleared—and probably the longest product section I’ve ever put into a Weekly.
I’m back at my desk now, so next week’s issue should be closer to normal. Whatever that means.
One last thing. I’m curious to hear what you think of this issue. It’s a wall of links, I know, but that was on purpose. Send me an email if you have any feedback, good or bad.
The post Your Shortcut to the Raw Denim Restocks and Releases appeared first on Denimhunters.
DENIM and PATCHES sourced this post originally published on this site