The LR44 project began in 2023 with a worldwide search for an original WW2 model to serve as the foundation for deep study and development. Authentic wartime jeans are among the rarest surviving vintage garments, and finding one in both wearable condition and the correct size that allows for pattern making took many months of search in Japan and Europe. Thanks to the generosity of a collector who lent his original pair, the research could finally begin.
Every detail of the LR44 stems from this reference, created in a period when limitation gave rise to beauty. Sewn by newly trained workers under wartime restrictions, often without the skill or precision. Seams wandered, stitches overlapped, threads trailed, but together, these flaws gave the jeans their unmistakable charm that we love, generations later. Our goal was to recreate that same human touch, to capture the feeling of beauty through imperfection. From the specially developed fabric, to the imperfect sewing, to the historically correct pocketing, buttons, and leather patch, every detail was meticulously developed from the ground up, and required many rounds of sampling, as well as the unlearning of modern precision. A result of 2 years of development, the LR44 truly embodies the Superstitch philosophy that perfection lies not in uniformity, but in the sum of every small, purposeful and intentionally imperfect detail.
The LR44 evokes the rare 1940s wartime five-pocket jean, originally sewn by newly trained workers during World War II when skilled labour and materials were in short supply. As a result, each pair was beautifully imperfect, stitched freehand without guides, often uneven, with sewing lines often wandering. This model therefore stands out among vintage denim archetypes for being the most expressive and full of character. Reproducing the sewing was our biggest challenge. Our artisans had to unlearn how to sew straight and perfectly. We studied closely each sewing operation of the original to reproduce its spontaneous rhythm, replicating the meandering seams, the run-offs and loose threads deliberately left trailing.
Another tribute to the spirit of imperfection caused by resource limitations of the WW2 era, the LR44 features two pocketing fabrics – either striped chambray or U.S. Army herringbone twill. These pocketing materials were applied at random by our artisans, replicating the feeling that materials were used and interchanged as available.
Other special details to discover include a custom Superstitch thread colour was developed for this model, buttons crafted in nickel silver with the iconic WW2 U.S. Navy wreath-and-star design, and the vegetable-tanned leather patch hot-stamped by hand and finished with a gold patina, as introduced in our previous posts.
The fabric that we have developed is a milestone for Superstitch, ever approaching our ideal of reviving the true fabric of the era. An important step was the development of a special weft yarn, a blend of Zimbabwe cotton and brown organic cotton, rope-dyed to a deep indigo. Woven at exceptional low tension on an original Toyoda G3 loom from the 1940s, the result is a denim that is soft, irregular, and feels alive. With wash and ware, this fabric gradually reveals the subtle green cast that is so iconic to the WWII model.
380,00 €
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60 cm, 61 cm, 62 cm, 63 cm, 64 cm, 65 cm, 66 cm, 67 cm, 68 cm, 69 cm, 70 cm, 71 cm, 72 cm, 73 cm, 74 cm, 75 cm, 76 cm, 77 cm, 78 cm, 79 cm, 80 cm, 81 cm, 82 cm, 83 cm, 84 cm, 85 cm, 86 cm, 87 cm, 88 cm, 89 cm, 90 cm, 91 cm, 92 cm, 93 cm, 94 cm, 95 cm, 96 cm, 97 cm, 98 cm, 99 cm
Superstitch MFG.
13 rue racine, 75006 Paris FRANCE
Superstitch MFG.
13 rue racine, 75006 Paris FRANCE
SUPERSTITCH MFG. SERVICES
