Headlands Quality Goods:
40-40 Club Individually Numbered Leather Patches

We recently launched our 40-40 Denim Collaboration with Chicago's Mildblend Supply Co. and AB Fits of San Fran. The collaboration included 40 pairs of a 14.5oz Nep denim and 40 pairs of a 13.5oz Broken Twill. Both options are rare enough to satisfy the denim connoisseur. In keeping with the exclusivity of the denim, we asked our friend Scott over at Headlands Quality Goods to create individually numbered, hand-burnished, custom leather patches for each pair of denim. See below as we highlight Scott's craft.The hides are treated with a light dose of saddle soap followed by a touch of mink oil to ensure they age properly. Each patch is individually cut with a custom steel die and an 8 ton manual clicker press. The numbers, letters, and Freenote logo are loaded into an aluminum jig, which fits into a 1 ton arbor press. With each patch, the jig is reloaded up to 4 times making the process somewhat arduous but ensuring all letters are evenly set.The last step is to burnish each patch using a high rpm rotator, pictured below. A combination of beeswax and tragacanth gum is used to get a smooth slick edge.The natural or veg tan patches used for the AB Fits x Freenote Denim are from Herman Oak Tannery located in St. Louis. These will darken in time with exposure to sun and water.The Mildblend Supply Co. x Freenote Denim is a heavyweight denim that should wear well in the cold winters of The Windy City. We thought it appropriate to use navy chromexcel leather from Horween located in Chicago. It is extremely supple and ages beautifully.