Okayama Prefecture.
Japanese denim originated 50 years ago in the district of Kojima in southern Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture. Today, visitors to Kojima can delve deeper into Japanese denim history by taking a stroll through the district’s indigo-dyed streets and by creating an original denim garment.
In this post
Where are Japan blue jeans made?
A big part of our background includes using fabric from Collect, an internationally popular fabric maker, known for its selvage denim. All of our products are made in the same area where our headquarters are located in Okayama prefecture, Japan.
What makes Japanese denim so special?
Why is Japanese denim considered the best? High-quality Japanese denim is considered the best because it’s woven on old shuttle looms and made using premium fabrics and natural indigo dyes. The result is often raw selvedge denim, which delivers unique colour, texture, and appearance.
Which country produces the best denim?
Japan
Japan Makes The World’s Best Denim. The most desirable denim is coming out of Japan, and for a good reason…they care more.
When was Japanese denim made?
In 1972, the Japanese textile company Kurabo, after eight attempts, succeeded in manufacturing the first Japanese selvedge denim fabric in history (called KD-8) in its factory situated in Kojima (a town with an important textile tradition at the time and the epicentre of Japanese denim today).
Does Uniqlo use Japanese denim?
UNIQLO also uses fabric from Kaihara, a renowned Japanese denim fabric manufacturer of the highest global standard. The craftsman’s experience and intuition are essential to dyeing and weaving, as is state-of-the-art technology.
Can you wash Japanese denim?
Turn your jeans inside out and fully submerge or place them into your wash of choice, accompanied by a small amount of your preferred bleach-free liquid detergent. We prefer a dark detergent such as Woolite Dark to preserve the indigo as best as possible.
Why Japanese denim is the best in the world?
So this is the first thing that sets Japanese selvedge denim apart from its modern counterparts: it is woven on antique looms which are slow, relatively rare, and take great skill to maintain and repair, yet produce very unique and interesting fabric.
Is Japanese denim raw?
As you will have gathered, Japan is the raw denim capital of the world. The Japanese have truly mastered the art of weaving the finest raw selvedge denim and crafting five-pocket jeans, so it comes as no surprise that most of the big labels in the raw denim scene are from Japan.
Who is the largest jean manufacturer?
Levi Strauss
Levi Strauss, who reported over 4.45 billion U.S. dollars in sales in 2020, has the largest brand share of the jeans market. Eighty-seven percent of Levi Strauss’s sales were made through the company’s Levi’s brand in 2019.
What country wears the most jeans?
North America accounts for 39% of global purchases for jeans, followed by Western Europe at 20%, Japan and Korea at 10% and the rest of the world at 31%. United States consumers spent more than US$14 billion on jeans in 2004 and US$15 billion in 2005.
What is the best denim material?
Authentic denim is made with cotton. You need 100% cotton in your denim to provide that perfect texture: cotton denim is durable yet will mold to your body with each wear, meaning your denim jeans will be made uniquely your own every time you pull them on.
What fabric are Levi jeans made of?
cotton
That’s right, we do the hard work for you. Known for its softness and breathability, cotton is one of the most common fabrics used in clothing of all types. Most Levi’s® jeans are made from cotton. Specially designed for Levi’s®, this new innovative hemp yarn is soft like cotton — and easily woven into denim styles.
How do I get Japanese jeans?
If you’re interested in purchasing authentic denim from Japan, you’ll need to use a proxy buying service to avoid the hassle and the high import fees. Most Japanese retailers avoid shipping their products overseas, and the few who do will charge you an arm and a leg just to place an order.
Is denim popular in Japan?
With icons like Elvis Presley and James Dean wearing jeans, denim became immensely popular in Japan. Japanese citizens would befriend US servicemen or visit the ‘PX’ store on American bases in order to acquire a pair of Levi’s, so that they had the authentic article to wear on the streets of Osaka or Tokyo.
Are UNIQLO jeans high quality?
Why it’s great: “The Uniqlo jeans are a lot higher quality than other inexpensive jeans options I’ve seen,” Chubstr’s Bruce Sturgell said. The Uniqlo Slim-Fit Jeans were a great pair considering the $50 price tag. Not only are they comfortable, but they looked good on all of our testers.
How can you tell if jeans are selvedge?
Turn up the cuff to look at the seams on the inside of the jean. Look at the seam that runs up the outside of the leg. If the edges look finished (the yarns of the self-edge are a different color than the fabric), it’s selvedge. The finished edges of the selvedge will not unravel and are used as finished seams.
How often wash Japanese jeans?
To achieve the best fit possible, we highly recommend you wear your jeans for at least 3 to 6 months before washing them. However, if you feel compelled to wash them earlier then we recommend at a minimum a full week of consistent wear.
How often do Japanese wash their jeans?
If you wear them a few times a week, Japanese raw denim jeans will only really start to soften up after one-to-two years of wear. I’ve got a pair that I’ve owned for five years and only just washed for the third time.
Does selvedge denim shrink?
Generally, there are three categories into which most selvedge denim fit: Unsanforized: When jeans are labeled “unsanforized”, “loomstate”, or “shrink-to-fit” this means that there has been no shrinkage done prior to the wearer receiving the denim, and one can expect anywhere from 3-10% of shrinkage from their pair.
Is selvedge denim good?
Is selvedge denim better? Denimheads and industry people all agree that selvedge denim fades ‘better’ than non-selvedge denim. The slower pace of shuttle looms puts less tension on the yarn. And it’s a fact that shuttle looms tolerate more slubs in the yarn, which add character to the denim.