Filson is an interesting company. Existing at an intersection of utilitarian functionality and rugged, trendy, heritage wear, they have a deep history, having been in operation for 125 years. That history is central to Filson’s identity and at the core of their product designs. Over the past few years, Filson and its parent company have … Read more
Anyone who watched 2018’s “Aquaman” probably noticed Jason Momoa’s jeans, and if you are a fan of fine denim, then maybe you Googled where they came from: Schaeffer’s Garment Hotel on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Where else? If their $425 price didn’t scare you away, then maybe you even bought a pair. This is where … Read more
The discovery of Naked and Famous’ Milk Selvedge had me spiraling. Denim that’s 77% cotton and 23%… milk?! As in cow juice? Wild as it sounds, it doesn’t actually take much to transform the delicious, nutritious liquid into a fluffy, fibrous substance that can be turned into silky-smooth denim. Michael Kristy, the man behind one … Read more
The hobby-slash-cult that is selvedge denim is a subculture composed of people who don’t bat an eyelid at 300 dollar jeans. Most of the big name brands are between 200-300 bucks, it’s not a cheap hobby. But seven hundred dollar jeans? OK, I’m rounding up — they’re $660, but that’s still very expensive. I’m a … Read more
I’ve reviewed a lot of Japanese jeans on my site, but I thought it was time to try some American selvedge — and I went big. About 9 months ago, I bought these unbelievably cheap and unbelievably thick jeans from the Los Angeles-based company Brave Star Selvage. It’s a mythical, bulletproof jean that faded surprisingly … Read more
Launched in 2016 in Okayama, where most of Japan’s legendary denim is crafted, Tanuki has catapulted to popularity on the denim scene, achieving serious notoriety in a seriously short span of time. Some will say Tanuki translates as ‘raccoon,’ but it actually means ‘raccoon dog,’ a real animal that looks like its name and has … Read more
Full Count is an enormously esteemed denim company founded by Mikiharu Tsujita in 1992, and it’s so respected that it’s one of the Osaka 5, a group of older, ultra influential brands that includes Denime, Evisu, Warehouse & Co, and Studio D’artisan, which I’ve also reviewed. The company is named, by the way, after the moment in … Read more
Founded in 1997 by Toru Nogami, Samurai Jeans was launched a fair amount of time after the Japanese denim scene kind of debuted in the 1970s, but while that’s when it started it really exploded in the 90s. That’s when Nogami-san starting out making cuts inspired by vintage Levi’s jeans, and they expanded into a … Read more
“Made by hand, without compromise” is the slogan of the Kojima-based denim company Momotaro. Kojima is considered by many as the birthplace of Japanese denim — it’s home to the famous “Jeans Street” that houses many sought after storefronts of Japanese denim institutions. Momotaro is right there among them. The company has a big emphasis … Read more
Pure Blue Japan, or PBJ, or is a beloved Japanese denim company that was founded in 1997 and is based in the Japanese denim capital of Okayama, right between Hiroshima and Kyoto. Note that it is not the same company as Japan Blue, or Blue Blue Japan, this is Pure Blue Japan and perhaps more … Read more