A Tailor’s Review of KAPITAL’s Raw Denim!

I do a lot of shopping from Japan and work with a lot of Japanese brands — you could say Japanese raw selvedge denim is my beat. I have a whole YouTube channel about it.

But this is the first time I tried one of the most important Japanese raw selvedge denim brands (and Japanese men’s fashion brands) of our time. Kapital.

KAPITAL’s raw denim has been on my list for years, but finding my size in stock was nearly impossible until I finally got my hands on their Straight Leg ZH Zimbabwean Cotton 14 oz Monkey Cisco Jeans.

This is my first look at the pair, from the fabric and construction down to the hem — and why I think these are ones I’ll be wearing for a very long time.

KAPITAL Monkey Cisco Pros & Cons

What I Like

• The waistband is not only chain-stitched on the bottom, but also chain-stitched on the top of the waistband — something you very rarely see on Japanese raw selvedge denim brands.
• The pocket bag material is, definitively, the strongest pocket bag material I’ve ever felt in any pair of raw denim jeans, probably heavier than the denim itself.
• The back pockets are lined with that same pocket bag material, which you don’t really see on raw denim jeans coming from Japan all that often.
• One of the most gorgeous chain stitches I’ve ever seen at the hem, in that light yellow, banana-kind-of-color stitching.
• The proprietary KAPITAL orange/reddish selvedge ID with no white line in it at all — a little bit of branding, but it doesn’t scream at you.
• Probably the most timeless straight fit I’ve ever experienced in raw selvedge denim.

Downsides, But Not Dealbreakers

• KAPITAL runs incredibly small. I usually buy a 33 or 34 in Japanese raw selvedge denim jeans, but with these I had to go with the 36.
• These jeans don’t have hidden back pocket rivets, which you might prefer at this price (they’re repro jeans, though, to be fair)
• The coin pocket does not have selvedge ID detailing.
• Difficult to find in stock — no matter what store I went to, I couldn’t find a pair that would fit me.

About KAPITAL

KAPITAL Japan — or KAPITAL Blue Hands, as it was formerly known — has a long-standing history in Okayama, Japan, and it’s gone through a sort of metamorphosis from what it first was to what it is now.

The first major shift, since LVMH acquired KAPITAL, the brand has grown increasingly expressive, and creative, and unfortunately expensive.

Still, we can’t overlook the roots KAPITAL came from: making quality raw selvedge denim jeans.

KAPITAL Monkey Cisco Overview

The pair I picked up is the KAPITAL Straight Leg ZH Zimbabwean Cotton 14 oz Monkey Cisco Jeans in their dark, deep, pitchy indigo one-wash raw selvedge denim.

KAPITAL is known for their bold designs, but I wanted to see their approach to the central garment in their industry: the simple blue jean.

This is essentially their perennial, everyday, regular-wear raw selvedge denim jean. It’s a standard five-pocket silhouette — no crazy branding, no crazy anything. Just a really good pair of jeans that works with everything.

Fabric

It’s a super hairy, very slubby, dark indigo fabric. Of course, that’s due to the Zimbabwe cotton as well as the nature of the unsanforized one-wash denim these jeans are made from.

It preserves that real character that vintage denim has, and it kind of exacerbates it a little bit, which is really cool. A lot of Japanese denim brands are using Zimbabwe cotton now because of that look. It’s a beautiful fabric.

Color & Fading Potential

Right off the bat: these jeans are incredibly dark. A lot of brands do that to facilitate a jean that can garner high-contrast fades. So if you like high-contrast fading, these are going to fade quite well. I’m more of a vintage fade guy, but these are going to be great for high-contrast fades.

I also really love that the super deep, dark indigo contrasts beautifully with the copper (or zinc) rivets on the front pockets.

Stitching

One thing I’ve noticed about the KAPITAL jeans is that they really don’t do two-tone stitching like most other Japanese denim brands do. They use a very light yellow. The only second tone that I see is the orange stitching on the coin pocket. That’s really cool, and it’s definitely one way to set these jeans apart from other Japanese raw denim brands.

The coin pocket does not have selvedge ID detailing, which was interesting. But then I thought about it: considering that KAPITAL utilizes this proprietary red selvedge ID with no white line at all, it would probably be a little aggressive to have that selvedge ID kind of poking out on the coin pocket. I think they have other raw denim jeans that do have that kind of detail, but on their perennial collection, they don’t — and I think that’s the reason why.

Buttons & Hardware

The buttons are beautifully done. These are going to fade down and scratch up over time as well. I’m not entirely sure what they’re made of — I can assume they’re probably iron buttons, but I’m not entirely sure because it’s not explicitly stated on their website.

They are branded with the KAPITAL brand insignia, though. That’s just a really nice touch, and they’re not aggressive or offensive to the overall look of the jean, which is really cool.

Belt Loops & Waistband

These jeans, much like most other Japanese raw selvedge denim brands, do not feature tucked-in belt loops. They’re cut. And this is not a knock to their quality or them trying to cut costs or anything like that. I’ve come to the conclusion that this is just how artisans in Okayama are trained to make jeans.

A lot of brands are using the same factories over and over again, so the artisans in those factories are taught to make denim this way. So it’s not any better or worse than any other raw selvedge denim jean. It’s pretty much a standard from what I expect.

One thing KAPITAL does get a lot of points for, in my opinion, is that the waistband is not only chain-stitched on the bottom, but also chain-stitched on the top of the waistband. This is something you very rarely see on Japanese raw selvedge denim brands.

I actually don’t know any other Japanese raw denim brand that does this. I think TCB might do it sometimes depending on the jean, but this is KAPITAL’s perennial style. It’s going to give a really nice aging and a really nice puckering fade over time.

Interior Construction & Pockets

On the inside, you have very minimal branding: a simple woven label that says KAPITAL, produced in the Blues Factory in Okayama, made in Japan. The inside of the jean is super clean.

The pocket bag material they use for their jeans is, definitively, the strongest pocket bag material I’ve ever felt

The only thing I noticed missing — and it’s not my favorite detail — is that these jeans are missing hidden back pocket rivets. I’m not entirely sure why. Then again, I’ve noticed that most modern Japanese raw selvedge denim brands are starting to do that. Granted, these are a repro piece.

The pocket bag material they use for their jeans is, definitively, the strongest pocket bag material I’ve ever felt in any pair of raw denim jeans. This stuff is incredibly heavy and dense. I’d say it’s probably heavier than the denim itself. So if you rip pockets a lot like I do, these are going to last you quite a long time and it’ll probably solve your problem.

Back Details & Patch

Moving on to the back: it’s simple and clean — no crazy branding or anything like that. All you really have is the leather patch. It says KAPITAL. It is a belt-through piece, so you can put your belt under it. Then under it you have the “Made KAPITAL Blue Hands” (ZH), which I believe is the Zimbabwe cotton collection.

The back pockets were really interesting and unexpected. The stitch on the back pocket — very minimal, very simple — is actually back-pocket lined. They have that pocket bag material on the inside of the pocket itself, which is really cool.

You don’t really see that on raw denim jeans coming from Japan all that often. So it’s not just there for useless branding — it’s there for a purpose. It’s really nice to see that KAPITAL took this step to help increase the longevity of their jeans.

Hem & Selvedge ID

At the bottom, you have one of the most gorgeous chain stitches I’ve ever seen. It’s super cleanly done in that light yellow, banana-kind-of-color stitching. It’s just beautifully done. It doesn’t get better than this, really. And it’s complemented beautifully by the proprietary KAPITAL orange/reddish kind of selvedge ID. There’s no white line in it at all.

This is one of those things that gives that nod back to KAPITAL, because it’s a raw selvedge denim jean, but KAPITAL is going to be KAPITAL — they’re going to put something somewhere. I’ve never had anything like this, and I think it’s one of those simple, subtle touches. It gives a little bit of branding, but it doesn’t scream at you.

KAPITAL Sizing & Fit

I bought a size 36 in these because KAPITAL runs incredibly small. I usually buy a 33 or 34 (sometimes) in Japanese raw selvedge denim jeans, but with these I had to go with the 36.

I’m sure that no online retailer would sell KAPITAL without including each garment’s measurements, but it’s worth comparing them with the size charts on KAPITAL’s own (Japanese) website to be sure. If you have to size up — which is probably going to be the case — definitely make sure you do.

All in all, this is one of the best fits of raw selvedge denim that I’ve ever seen. It’s probably the most timeless straight fit that I’ve ever experienced in raw selvedge denim. I don’t think it can get more timeless than this.

It’s a little slimmer than what I usually wear, but I think that’s good, because if these are a pair of jeans that I want to have for the rest of my life, they’re going to go with anything and bob and weave through trends. You can cuff them, you don’t have to cuff them, but it’s just a really nice pair of jeans that’s going to last a very long time. And I’m excited to see how these are going to wear down and fade slightly over time.

Kapital: Where to Buy & Price

• Large retailers: Mr. Porter
• Specialty retailers: Blue in Green and Haven

Every time I went to stores, it was so difficult for me to find my size. They’re always sold out. I was able to get my hands on these through a proxy service, Buyee, but for more reliable access to Kapital’s wares, check our Mr. Porter and Blue in Green.

Canada’s Haven has a good selection too in case you’re willing to pay the postage for something special.

Conclusion

This is essentially KAPITAL’s perennial, everyday, regular-wear raw selvedge denim jean — a standard five-pocket silhouette with no crazy branding, just a really good pair of jeans that works with everything.

Between the double chain-stitched waistband, the heaviest pocket bags I’ve ever felt, the lined back pockets, and the most timeless straight fit I’ve experienced in raw selvedge denim, these are a pair of jeans that’s going to last a very long time.