What Sets Japanese Denim Apart from the Rest?

by Laura Pollacco | CRAFT

Denim is one of the most sturdy and durable fabrics that we have in our modern day wardrobe. Today, denim has become a staple in many homes across the world, but what about Japan? Just as with many parts of the world, denim is a part of everyday wear in Japan, both as practical clothing for laborers and also as an expression of personal style. The country has its own unique history with the fabric, from the original U.S. import to developing its own uniquely Japanese denim. Today many believe Japanese denim is superior to its Western counterpart, let’s take a look why!

What is Denim?

Denim, relatively young compared to other fabrics, originated by accident in 17th-century Nimes, France. The word denim is believed to come from the original name those weavers gave the fabric, serge de Nimes. As the fabric became more popular the name was eventually shortened to denim.

Traditionally, denim is composed of 100% cotton, with cotton fiber spun into yarn. The yarn is then dyed, traditionally in an indigo color, with the warp yarn (vertical threads) dyed, while the weft yarn (horizontal threads) usually left white. The yarns are woven together to create the fabric, which is then treated to reduce shrinkage. The resulting fabric is remarkably durable, and quickly became a favorite among those doing tough manual work such as farmers, miners, construction workers etc.

It wasn’t until the 1950s that denim became a fashion staple in the States, suddenly exploding onto the scene thanks to such Hollywood icons as Marlon Brando in The Wild Ones or James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause. Since then, denim has been a part of the fashion conversation.

When Did Denim Reach Japan?

Blue denim jeans were introduced to Japan at the end of WWII, when American forces occupied the country. American servicemen would sell and trade their denim jeans at street markets introducing them to the Japanese population. At this time, young people in Japan were also being exposed to Hollywood film stars and their jeans, colloquially known as jiipan (G.I. pants) were considered exotic and highly desirable.

Eventually, retailers started to import denim jeans from the classic brands Levi Strauss and Lees, but due to the costs of the import, could not make them affordable for the main consumer, young people.

What Did Japanese People Think of Denim?

Just as the U.S.A. and much of Europe was starting to experience the youth/teenager phenomena, so too was Japan. Young people were stepping out and away from the establishment, doing so through the movies and music they consumed as well as through the clothes they wore and the way they styled their hair. One of the staple items of this rebellion: denim jeans.

For the older generation this didn’t sit well, and the disparaging term taiyozoku meaning Children of the Sun was used to describe the young Japanese people who rebelled against the establishment. Against the wishes of the older generation, denim jeans started gaining in popularity. With the rising cost from importing from the West, plus the gradual decline in the quality of denim they were receiving, due to the rise of mass production as manufacturers switched from shuttle looms to projectile looms, Japanese companies decided to create their own denim.

When Was the First Japanese Denim?

Japan already had a strong tradition and history when it came to textile production, but creating strong denim that was as durable as its American counterpart was going to prove challenging. One such factory that decided to give denim a go was Maruo Clothing located in Kojima, Okayama Prefecture. Kojima was famous for its textile industry and had been the nation’s leading manufacturer of school uniforms since the 1920s. In 1964 though, Maruo Clothing decided to try creating its own line of denim jeans but the process was not without its hiccups.

Japan’s traditional method of indigo dyeing was too strong for the fibers and would dye them the whole way through, unlike the denim that had been coming from abroad that was only dyed on the outside and left white inside which allowed the jeans to take on a well-loved worn look as time passed. Maruo’s brands then imported denim from the States but their sewing machines couldn’t handle the tough fabric so American sewing machines also had to be imported.

Eventually dyeing and manufacturing techniques were created so that Japan could stand on equal footing with the states. Another Kojima based business, Karubo, created the first Japanese selvedge denim in 1973 after eight attempts, with the fabric called KD-8, Karubo Denim 8. That year, yet another Kojima brand, Big John, made the first pair of denim jeans using the KD-8 material, it was called the M series.

Denim with Japanese Characteristics

Japanese craftspeople worked hard to develop their own denim so they would no longer need to rely on the States to supply the fabric, especially with the drop in quality they were experiencing. In the late 60s, in Hiroshima, the legendary dyer of kimono cloth, Kaihara Mill, created a new indigo dyeing method that allowed the perfect denim dye and they created their own brand of denim which remains strong today. Along with utilizing traditional techniques, as Kaihara had, Japan was also at the forefront of modern technology.

The Toyoda shuttle looms (owned by the Toyoda family, later known as Toyota when they moved into automobiles) were instrumental in the creation of Japanese denim, creating a texture and resilience rivaling the then-modern machine produced fabric. This combination of Japanese tradition and technology went hand in hand to produce Japan’s very own denim.

Japanese Dominant Jeans

More and more Japanese jean brands emerged as the desire for denim only grew throughout the 70s and 80s. They were no longer just associated with rebellious youth, but were practical everyday wear. Whilst Japanese brands were growing, during the 80s people still traveled to the States to buy up dead-stock American jeans to sell back in Japan. As the West pushed into mass manufacturing, which lowered the quality of the denim, designers and buyers looked at what made the original jeans, such as Levi’s 501s to see what made them so great.

Japanese brands wanted to not only recreate these classic jeans, but improve upon them, and new labels emerged that created denim jeans using old school methods. In 1979 Shigeharu Tagaki founded Studio D’artisan in Osaka, and was later joined by four other brands, Denime, Evisu, Fullcount and Warehouse. The group was collectively known as the Osaka 5. Their style and designs helped create the culture of denim in Japan, eventually overtaking their Western counterparts.

Japanese Denim Today

Since the creation of their own denim in 1973, Japan’s denim industry has only grown over the decades. In the 00s, Japanese denim became coveted globally, with people around the globe admiring the combination of Japanese craftsmanship and design with the Western born fabric. Now it was the West who was on the backfoot, trying to copy what the Japanese brands were doing.

As stated by fashion historian W. David Marx in his book Ametora, “Denim gave Japan a new arena for national pride.” The denim produced in Japan is of an extremely high quality thanks to the artisans who work tirelessly to perfect their craft, using the principle of Takumi, seeing craftsmanship as a way of life, to guide them. Today, Japanese denim is highly sought after; no longer needing to try to be “American” it stands firmly on its own two feet as the most sought after denim in the world.

Where Can You Buy Japanese Denim?

There are many brands which specialize in Japanese denim today, the originals such as Big John and the Osaka 5. Along with these there are also denim companies that gained acclaim by were inspired more explicitly by Japanese culture and aesthetic, labels like Samurai and Momotaro. These brands continue to sell extremely high quality denim products with their presence felt globally thanks to online marketing and global shipping.

If visiting Tokyo there are certain stores you should head to if you are looking for premium Japanese products. Hinoya, a denim speciality store found in the maze-like streets of Ameyoko, sells a variety of brands from the big to the small. Head to Momotaro’s store in Aoyama, Omotsando, to sample the Kojima-born brands best offerings, likewise, Studio D’artisan also has a store in Ebisu. There are denim shops all over the city, and Tokyo may also be considered one of the best places in the world to find true American vintage jeans, such as the Levi 501s.

Japan’s enduring love affair with denim is a strong one, and thanks to the efforts of the country’s textile artists and innovators it has become the best country in the world to purchase denim goods.