The evolution of King’s 19 oz. LEE 101Z – Month’6
King Yu Yiu aka @kingyuyiu has been an inspiration for us since he started on Instagram. King is not only a master in fading a pair of denim to its limit, he is also very accurate in documenting the evolution. His former project, a 23 oz. LEE 101Z, was very impressive. King had worn the LEE 101Z for 1338 days, with a strict no-wash policy, to witness the beauty of natural fading. The result was such an extremely faded pair of jeans we’ve never seen before… Head over to our Fade Gallery to admire the 23 oz. heavily faded LEE 101Z.
Six months ago King started a new project with a 19 oz. LEE 101Z. On Robin Denim, we will display the evolution of his new project from month to month. But before the timeline of his promising new pair of jeans, we asked King a couple of questions..
Robin Denim: What do you expect from this pair of jeans in comparison with the 23 oz. version?
King: Generally speaking, of course in comparison to the 23 oz, the weight of the fabric plays a big part of its fading development; i.e. the heavier the fabric, the harder it will fade from personal experience. For example, comparing like for like to month #6, this 19 oz. has already given more of a faded result, with stronger honeycombs and whiskers. But once it reaches to a certain point (usually around month 9/10), it will start to fade more dramatically. As well as the 19 oz. having the Greencast feature, I’m expecting the colors to be a shade less dark but for me, it shows the real ‘Japanese’ selvedge characteristic. Nevertheless, at the end of the day, the whole beauty of it is that it can really change on a daily basis according to each individual’s lifestyle.
Robin Denim: Are you planning to wear this pair of jeans as long as you did with the 23 oz. 101Z?
King: Without a shadow of a doubt; all the way, everyday (perhaps even longer if LEE allows me to!) Mind you the 23 oz. has till got plenty of fighting spirit left yet to go through…
Robin Denim: What is your first impression of the 19 oz. 101Z?
King: First impression it felt like silk when switching from my previous pair! But extremely beautiful indeed, the first week of breaking was in fact stunning as just about when the indigo is reaching through, the textured slubbiness was refreshing to see and touch. In addition to the slight green shade, it added further depth to the look of the fabric. Still early days, a lot to go break into and see – but having it sourced and constructed from Kuroki mill, the 19oz is a work of Art.
The evolution of King’s 19 oz. LEE 101Z from month to month…
Month’2
Month’3
Month’7
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