What Makes Japanese Selvedge Denim Different
What Makes Japanese Selvedge Denim Different
The edge is the sign. The character lives in everything behind it.
The short answer
Japanese selvedge denim is woven slowly on narrow shuttle looms. The edge of the cloth closes itself, and the weave comes off dense, with a texture you can see. The indigo is rope dyed, which leaves a pale core under the blue. Together they make a denim that fades with sharp contrast and becomes more personal every year.
All Black Bear Brand denim is selvedge, all of it is woven in Japan, and the jeans are made in Okayama. The full journey from the coast of Kojima to the sewing room is in Black Bear Brand Jeans Begin and End in Okayama. This post is about the cloth itself, and the different characters it takes.
The edge
A shuttle loom carries the weft yarn across the warp and back again. At each side the same yarn turns, and the edge closes. That finished edge is the selvedge, the self edge.
Shuttle looms weave narrow cloth, about 75 centimeters wide. A pair of jeans uses the full width, so the clean edge runs down the outseam. Turn up the cuff and there it is.
The weight
Denim weight is the weight of one square yard of the cloth, in ounces. The Indigo Cowboy Jeans and the BLACK Cowboy Jeans are 13oz. The Double Front Jeans and the ONE Jeans are 13.5oz. It is a weight for every season of the year.
The indigo
The yarn is twisted into ropes and dipped into indigo again and again, with air between each dip. The blue gathers on the outside of the yarn and the core stays pale. As the blue wears away, the light comes up from underneath. That is where the contrast in a good fade comes from.
Five denims, five characters
Indigo. The Indigo Cowboy Jeans are a limited edition denim, sewn with triple needle stitching in gold thread.
Black. The BLACK Cowboy Jeans are black selvedge sewn in black thread.
Charcoal. The ONE CHARCOAL Jean Jacket is 13.5oz charcoal selvedge, triple needle throughout, with a Horween rough-out patch inside the back.
Botanical indigo. The Vintage BLACK BEAR BRAND Ultimate Jeans are 13oz selvedge of rope dyed organic cotton in botanical indigo, produced in Okayama and given their age before they ever reach you. They close with two vintage style snaps backed in leather and a vintage style Talon zipper on natural tape.
The winter wash. The WINTER Washed Denim Chore Coat is 13.5oz shuttle loom selvedge. I took the denim jacket I wore for over a decade to our friends, the masters of denim in Okayama, and together we created the WINTER WASH. Each coat is distressed by hand, one by one.
The fit is yours
Each cut has its own purpose. The cowboy jeans come in a 40 inch cowboy cut, with a front pocket shaped to hold a large buckle. The Double Front Jeans carry a second layer of denim over the front of the leg. The Double Front Jeans and the ONE Jeans are made at about 37 inches in every size.
That length is long on purpose. How a pair sits is personal style. I roll mine. Many men have theirs hemmed, and the right time for that is after the jeans have been washed the way they will be washed for life.
I wear a 34 waist in Black Bear Brand jeans. In the Vintage Ultimate Jeans I go up to a 36, because I like those looser.
What it becomes
Selvedge denim keeps a record. The creases at the hip and the fades at the knee follow the way you move. A year in, the pair belongs to you and nobody else.
A Way Of Life.
Shop the Story
Vintage BLACK BEAR BRAND Ultimate Jeans
WINTER Washed Denim Chore Coat
Related Reading
Black Bear Brand Jeans Begin and End in Okayama