High end denim brands?

[well&once]

So just for those who don't know (not saying you don't) Naked and Famous and Unbranded are the same company.

Unbranded is more their no frills brand focusing on best bang for your buck. Still a great quality fabric as far as I can see but not as experimental. Naked and Famous does a lot more unusual/experimental stuff and also has their Made in Japan line which step things up a notch.

Both great brands and I would say despite being priced cheaper than some of the other japanese brands, they are a great buy.

Both brands have what I would describe as a fabric first approach to things.

Samurai
Momotaro
Japan Blue
All different. All I got.
View attachment 1415702

So jealous of the Samurai+ODs. Beautiful Jean, just can't afford it right now as I bought the upcoming Tanuki Denimio collab

 

[well&once]

Samurai
Momotaro
Japan Blue
All different. All I got.
View attachment 1415702

So jealous of the Samurai+ODs. Beautoful Jean, just can't afford it right now as I bought the upcoming Tanuki Denimio collab

 

[Gonzo9]

So jealous of the Samurai+ODs. Beautoful Jean, just can't afford it right now as I bought the upcoming Tanuki Denimio collab

The Samurai is my first raw/unsanforized. The Tanuki’s are great denim and details. I have this Oni/Tanuki collaboration. It feels like it is made to last a while.

 

[Balearic Dandy]

Japanese denim brands (a fairly subjective categorization):

Top end: Iron Heart, The Strike Gold, Studio d'Artisan, The Flat Head, Full Count, Oni

High end: Kamikaze Attack, Samurai, Momotaro, Warehouse & Co, Pure Blue Japan

Mid-range (still good quality but much better value): Sugar Cane, Japan Blue Jeans, Burgus Plus, TCB

Utilitarian (by Japanese standards, but still pretty damn good quality compared to jeans from most other places): Kojima Genes, Big John

Mass market / fashion: Evisu, Edwin

Excellent guide to most of the higher end here: https://www.heddels.com/2019/08/raw-japanese-denim-beginners-guide-japans-biggest-labels/

Many more general Japanese labels also do very fine denim, particularly OrSlow, 45r and Kapital, but sometimes you pay a premium because of the label as much as anything - however, Kapital's Century Denim is really something else - exceptionally innovative, different to anything else out there... and super expensive.

One of the best stores in the USA for Japanese denim is Self Edge: www.selfedge.com

If you want to dip your toe in but not get too wet, then you might want to consider Naked & Famous, which uses Japanese denim but makes the jeans itself in Montreal. Their store is Tate & Yoko - and they also stock some Japanese brands sporadically: https://tateandyoko.com/

I'm fairly suprised at Momotaro and Samurai not being in the same category as Oni and Iron Heart, as I always viewed the two former as possibly the best there is. Is there really a noticeable quality difference between these four?

 

[FlyingMonkey]

I'm fairly suprised at Momotaro and Samurai not being in the same category as Oni and Iron Heart, as I always viewed the two former as possibly the best there is. Is there really a noticeable quality difference between these four?

"a fairly subjective categorization"

 

[Shawnc]

Guys,

I'm new to raw denim and the info on the internet is all over the place so I'm asking here in hopes of some clearer information. First, if there is a SF thread dedicated to raw denim, please point me there as I would love to use it to get up to speed.

I have a pair of Easy Guy fit from Naked & Famous and the fit is a little boxy (pretty much as advertised). Waist (34) fits like a charm but the rest is a tad uh, roomy. At my age, I'm generally cool with roomy but would not mind if these were a tad narrower. They are also a bit stiff for my taste. My normal instinct is to launder and throw them in the dryer but my research says that is inadvisable.

I don't want to destroy these and am willing to be patient, if needed. My question is whether there is a safe way to soften these and shrink them a tad or should I simply follow the internet advice and wait up to 6 months before laundering. There is simply no way I am going to sit in tub with these on and walk around with them wet until they dry. Not judging, just not my thing.

Thanks in advance. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[somatoform]

Why do you not want to launder them? You don't want to break a 6 month fade rule? That's pretty outdated. Most guys are washing them monthly.

Or you don't want to launder and dry because you think the dryer will ruin them? I mean, I don't know long term, but it is pretty standard to get shrink out with a good hot wash and dry.

Or you don't want to launder them because you don't want the waist to shrink? But I don't see how you could spot shrink the entire jean minus the waist. You're going to have to wash them eventually.

I think you should throw them in a hot wash (with no detergent if you prefer) and follow up with a dryer if you feel you can get more shrink out of them.

Mind you, I've rarely found a jean that didn't just stretch out back to where it was pre-wash. Not that there aren't any, but mine tend to get right back to where they were (minus length).

 

[Shawnc]

Why do you not want to launder them? You don't want to break a 6 month fade rule? That's pretty outdated. Most guys are washing them monthly.

Or you don't want to launder and dry because you think the dryer will ruin them? I mean, I don't know long term, but it is pretty standard to get shrink out with a good hot wash and dry.

Or you don't want to launder them because you don't want the waist to shrink? But I don't see how you could spot shrink the entire jean minus the waist. You're going to have to wash them eventually.

I think you should throw them in a hot wash (with no detergent if you prefer) and follow up with a dryer if you feel you can get more shrink out of them.

Mind you, I've rarely found a jean that didn't just stretch out back to where it was pre-wash. Not that there aren't any, but mine tend to get right back to where they were (minus length).

Very helpful response my-man. Thanks. The answer to all of your questions is simply that a lack of knowledge brings uncertainty. I didn't know the 6-month rule was outdated so this is really good to know. I thought I read something about getting better 'fades' but honestly, thats not really a concern/goal either.

I just want them to soften up a bit and would not mind a little shrinkage. All over is fine. Again, very helpful. Much appreciated.

 

[SixOhNine]

I'm guessing they're sanforized, so you're not going to get much shrinkage, regardless of what you do. Nonetheless, wash your jeans. That six months crap is, well, crap. The only real issue with tossing them in the dryer is that you might get weird fade lines. It's not going to make the denim disintigrate or anything like that. Otherwise, just wear them and they'll soften up after a while.

 

[chrfi]

You might indeed get better fades by not washing them, but I don't think the fades are really that kind of thing anymore. I wash my raw denim jeans regularly.

 

[Shawnc]

Damn guys. This is much better than what I've read from online searches. Again, greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[jayvee]

If they’re sanforized you might be able to get 5% shrinkage but it’s a big gamble. Hot wash at 90c and then followed by hot tumble dry. I did this recently and it worked well for me but I’ve also read of it going wrong.

 

[jayvee]

I recently bought the ‘heaviest denim in the world’ 33oz selvedge from soso denim. They’re real monster trucks and great for winter where I live. Best thing though is that you can customise the fit so I went for a crazy high rise 16” on the front and 20” in the back ?

 

[Shawnc]

I think they're sanforized but honestly, I don't know. They're Naked & Famous 12 or 13oz. To make this less abstract, here is a pick from earlier today. First time I've worn them.

Dayyyyymmmmmmmnnnnnn @jayvee, I can't imagine a pair of 33 oz jeans. I would love to see a pic of those.

 

[gaseousclay]

For N&F denim you may want to switch to the weird guy fit as that’s a slimmer cut. Your denim is stiff because of the starch. Give them a good 30-45 min soak in the tub and then maybe wash them in the machine. Or just soak and hand wash. The key to softening your jeans is washing.