Thursday, 20 May 2021
A closer look at work shirt fabrics
Thursday, 13 May 2021
Studio D'artisan and the oldest loom in Japan
Studio D'artisan is a staple name in the world of Japanese denim. Founded in 1979, they've been around in the game when Levi's was still manufacturing every 501 out of selvedge denim. They are responsible for a lot of people falling in love with denim, and of course, the brand feels right at home at DC4.
The Osaka-based brand has always been able to surprise. This time it's about the loom they're using for the Studio D'artisan SD-903 jeans, which have been woven on a vintage Toyoda (now knows as Toyota) G3 loom. When the loom was first released it was state-of-the-art, but compared to modern looms it's an antique relic.
And that's precisely why it's special: the slow weaving speeds only let the loom produce about 5 meters of fabric per hour. It's also very hard to operate and as you can imagine, spare parts are hard to come by, if they are available at all. Studio D'artisan has no guarantee the loom will still produce denim in the future, so if you want to get your hands on a piece of Japanese denim history, act fast.
The denim woven by the G3 loom resembles the rugged, uneven denim known from the 1950's and 1960's. Try the SD-903 yourself and find out why this denim is so special. The 14oz denim is made out of 100% cotton and comes with the classic arcuates on the back pockets. The slim straight fit is packed with details, like peek-a-boo selvedge on the coin pocket, beautiful rivets and buttons and a deer skin leather patch. It's been pre-washed, so you don't have to worry about any shrinkage. The price includes free shipping in Europe.Monday, 10 May 2021
Japanese interpretations of antique jeans
Originally jeans were produced purely as an item to use during hard labor. Carpenters, farmers, miners - they all benefited from the riveted quality goods produced by companies like Levi Strauss. Jeans back then didn't look like the stylized versions we know today: even belt loops weren't a thing yet.
To pay homage to that quintessential era of jeans, we offer two pairs that resemble the olden days. Both have a wider, straight cut and are of course hand made in Japan. They are made from approximately 14oz denim, which certainly is heavier than the cloth used over 100 years ago.
Denim Bridge 'S Antique' BR02 SA 02
This is the more modern interpretation of the two. This Denim Bridge jeans is a customized pair of jeans produced only for DC4. The details are based on jeans from several eras, it's a bit of a hotch-potch making it true homage pair. It features suspender buttons, but belt loops too. A cinch back and exposed back pocket rivets (seen on Levi's pre-1937).
Fullcount 'Son of the soil' 1373
Made from hand picked Zimbabwean cotton and hand-sewn in Okayama, the capital of denim in Japan. It features only one back pocket (like Levi's before approximately 1901), a cinch back to adjust the waist size and exposed back pocket rivets.