Iron Heart Jeans Review: The Toughest Raw Denim?

Iron Heart makes some of the world&toughest denim, so much so that their suit-of-armor feeling is beloved by motorcyclists all over the world. Founded by Shinichi Haraki in 2003 and headquartered outside of Tokyo, the brand avoids the slubby, knotty jeans you&find in a lot of brands these days and stays traditional: thick, sturdy, smooth denim that wouldn&be out of place in the 1950s. My jeans are the 633N, 17oz model — here&what I thought. DENIM This is organic cotton that&rope dyed in a natural indigo bath — no synthetic indigo, here. This is unusual, as synthetic indigo is cheaper and it works on the material more quickly, but Iron Heart makes theirs with the actual indigofera plant, another aspect that gives it a lot of clout with denim purists. The denim is very smooth and classic, making them easier to dress up than a looser weave, and these 633N jeans are 17oz, but they feel like 21oz jeans. That&because Iron Heart produces denim with unusually tight weaves. They&rigid, but they&tough as nails. DETAILS They&simple jeans, but the main details to note are the red selvedge ID, the very subtle dark arcs on the rear pockets, and the "W" on the back rear pocket. It stands for Works, Inc. the company that owns Iron Heart. CARE Iron Heart suggests washing this on warm with similar colors and tumble drying on low. I know that&heresy to most raw denim fans — personally, I wash them on their own in cold water and line dry them to avoid shrinkage. PRICE About $350.