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
Heavy ass denim. That’s the specialty of the cult Japanese denim brand Iron Heart. After 20 years of working in Japan’s garment industry, Shinichi Haraki established the brand in 2003 and today it’s headquartered in Hachioji, just outside of Tokyo. Iron Heart specializes in smooth, heavyweight denim that has its roots in Japanese motorcycle culture, … Read more
Believe it or not, stretch selvedge is a thing. I took a trip to New York’s denim mecca Blue in Green to see what kind of unusual offerings they had this season, and I was treated to this unique, almost sea green colored denim from the secretive Japanese brand Oni. Meaning “demon” or “ogre,” Oni … Read more
Naked and Famous are hugely popular in the world of selvedge denim, they fill the gap between brands like Levi’s and the really expensive 400-dollar Japanese brands. They’re a Canadian company that use Japanese denim and they’re basically the entry point to the world of raw denim — sort of like how Red Wings are … Read more
We’re branching out at Stridewise with our new series on raw denim — because if you know anything about rugged boots, it’s that nothing goes better with them than some tough, raw denim. So today I’m looking at a pair of Studio d’Artisan G-003 jeans. They’re not fresh off the rack; I picked them up … Read more