Japanese denim - Denimhunters

RPMWEST: Try-On Home Japanese Selvage Jeans at Wholesale Prices

According to the Kickstarter brand RPMWEST, the essence of denim is simplicity. Jeans should be a democratic garment, one you can count on to be affordable and reliable. With today’s over-flooded market of cheap jeans made with lousy materials by exploited workers, RPMWEST have found a way to provide the indigo carving enthusiast with high quality jeans cut and sewn in San Francisco from Japanese selvage denim at a very reasonable price point of only $95. How is this possible you ask? Simple, RPMWEST have cut out the middle man so you can buy your jeans directly from them at wholesale prices.

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Published on 23 May 2013 Leave a Comment

Icon of Denim: Lee 101S

Next to the 501, the Lee 101 is one of the most iconic jeans fits. As a tribute to the company’s heritage the ’101′ collection of contemporary fits based on archival classics has strengthened Lee’s position in the commercial premium denim market, and today Lee has clearly stepped out of Levi’s’ shadow and in many ways gotten ahead in terms of coolness. We take a closer look at one particular jean that has helped pave the way for Lee’s newfound attractiveness.

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Published on 12 May 2013 Leave a Comment

Japanese Denim and American Shuttle Looms

DenimMythbusters Japanese Denim and American Shuttle Looms Boom, there you have it, you’ve been lied to over and over again! The Japanese did not import old American shuttle looms to use for high scale commercial production of denim, it’s simply not true. With the Crosby Press’ second Denim Mythbusters video we have support for the claim we already made back in February 2012. You can read more about the Toyoda looms mentioned by Self Edge’s Kiya Babzani that most Japanese denim is woven on here.

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Published on 29 March 2013 Leave a Comment

White Horse Trading Co.: Introducing Benchmade Jeans

There are handmade jeans and then there are ‘benchmade’ jeans. Benchmade is an old term used about start-to-finish custom-made tailored clothes. One of the few benchmade brands around is the White Horse Trading Co., founded with the simple belief that quality denim goods can and ought to be made in the USA. The son of a professional sewer and a successful architect, it was in founder Ryan Martin’s genes to draw and sew and he first sat behind a sewing machine at the age of 7. He started out with the idea to make a tie out a Filson jacket, went on to make vest out of Pendleton wool before he realised that he wanted to make jeans. Still, he was a little reluctant and the aim was to produce the best pair of jeans on the market, possibly the best to ever be produced. You decide for yourself whether he succeeded.

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Published on 18 March 2013 5 Comments

Exclusive Interview: Lennaert Nijgh of Benzak Denim Developers

‘Dutch denim’ will probably somehow always make you think at least just a little of high street mega-brands just like ‘Japanese denim’ makes most of us think of craftsmansship and high quality. Such labels are hard to shake even though the trend of retuning to the basics of denim development in terms of fabrics, cuts and details also has reached the Netherlands. Still, even the most “true-to-the-denim-heritage” Dutch denim developers are adding a little twist to the traditional five-pocket recipe; Benzak’s contribution is the addition of a 6th pocket, the second coin pocket. In this exclusive interview you’ll learn how founder Lennaert Nijgh came up with the idea for the brand, why he always washes his jeans and why the brand is named Benzak Denim Developers.

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Published on 4 March 2013 4 Comments

Brand Profile: Big John

Being the first to do something will always have some kind of special value. First-mover advantages are well-known selling propositions in the denim industry, and almost every brand with just the slightest bit a history have marketed themselves on their contribution to the evolution of denim. In Japan it’s almost a dead heat about who was first, but it seems Big John has got the long end of it. Here is why.

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Published on 4 August 2012 1 Comment

Opinion Piece: Japanese Denim

The debate of Japanese denim quickly becomes heated among denim enthusiasts. In my opinion, the subject ought to be seen in a broader perspective. “Japanese denim” has become the finest endorsement a pair of jeans can have, but the general consensus that Japanese denim automatically is of the highest quality is a misinterpretation. With this article I will attempt to demystify Japanese denim and the of legend of what today is an industry like so much else.