

Inspired by Japan’s motorcycle community, Iron Heart specialises in heavyweight fabrics and high-contrast fades. If you’re looking for exceptional range and quality construction, then you’ve just found your new favourite denim brand. In the wake of a tax evasion scandal, Evisu relaunched in 2009 and continues to capitalise on its urban appeal. Each one featured a signature seagull that was hand-painted by founder Hidehiko Yamane himself. Named for the Japanese folk god of money, it first launched in the early ’90s and initially produced about 14 pairs of jeans per day. “These ain’t Diesel, these is Evisu…” So goes a (slightly modified) line from the 2002 Jay-Z track “Show You How,” which was just one among many rap songs to mention this legendary brand. This is quintessential Japanese style with a worldwide cult following to show for it. Like fine leather, each pair of Blue Blue Jeans take on more character, colour, and distinction with age.

Not to be confused with Japan Blue Jeans, this seasoned brand employs traditional methods and a unique dye of natural indigo. Known for: Raw selvedge denim at a great price True to form, the label’s jeans are tight, modern, durable, and well-made. Striking a balance between high-quality and relative affordability, Japan Blue delivers genuine raw selvedge denim for much less than most competing brands. Whatever the methods, the resulting selvedge denim jeans are duly distinguished by their slim fits and unique textures. According to legend, each pair is handwoven on a vintage shuttle loom by an ancient master-weaver named Oishi-San. Shrouded in secrecy, the brand keeps the exact details of its elusive weaving methods tightly under wraps. If hard-to-find Japanese jeans went by any other name, that name might very well be Oni. Known for: Selvedge denim jeans that are handmade using Zimbabwe cotton Handmade using rare materials like Zimbabwe cotton and a natural indigo dyeing process, Momotaro jeans don’t just resist fading, they get a little darker with age. This top brand hails from Kojima, where the Japanese denim industry was born and where it continues to thrive. Here’s our list of the best Japanese denim brands: It’s then only natural that you might want to score a pair. Jeans from the best Japanese raw denim brands will typically cost more and require some extra TLC, but they’ll also deliver more character, colour, variability, style, comfort, and prestige. To learn more about both raw and selvedge denim, check out this article. Selvedge denim can be used on both un-washed (i.e. It’s more costly to produce than non-selvedge denim and thereby featured on expensive Japanese jeans. When selvedge (also known as selvage) denim is turned into a pair of jeans, it prevents unravelling and retains a clean look. To elucidate, raw denim is denim that hasn’t been pre-washed and selvedge denim-which comes from the phrase “self-edge”-refers to a tight and natural edge that can only be achieved via specific methods. These terms are often used interchangeably, but they aren’t quite the same thing. While Japanese denim jeans might differ from one pair to the next, the country’s foremost brands are best known for two things: selvedge denim and raw denim. It’s an industry that would change and evolve over subsequent decades, but also stay true to a number of its materials and methods.
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Native brand Big John incorporated the denim into its “M” Series and a new industry was born. Namely, it used natural dye and was made on old looms to produce selvedge fabric. KD was named for the mill in which the material was created and 8 made reference to the number of attempts it took to get it right.Īs one might suspect, the Japanese denim from Kurabo Mills was starkly different than your average fare.

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After some gruelling trial and error, Kurabo created KD-8 denim in 1972. However, a company named Kurabo Mills decided to craft its own denim fabric in the small town of Kojima (which is now known as a veritable Japanese denim hub within the broader Okayama prefecture). In the decades following WWII, nearly all the denim in Japan was sourced from America. Why is Japanese Denim Considered the Best? the birthplace of this wardrobe essential)? Let’s find out before we dive into our list of the best Japanese denim brands. Naturally, one might wonder: why are Japanese denim jeans different than those from countries like America (i.e. What was previously a somewhat niche industry continues to explode, as more and more people seek out quality over quantity. Thanks to superior materials and methods alike, the best Japanese denim is more popular than ever before.
