Why we chose them
Collect is the denim-fabric arm of Japan Blue Co., based in Kojima, Okayama — Japan's denim capital. Founded in 1992, it is devoted almost entirely to denim, under a simple credo: the hands do not lie. Its purpose is to reproduce the character of vintage denim at a quality vintage never actually had, fusing high-tech spinning with restored antique looms and skilled hands.
What sets it apart is control of the whole chain, from cotton to cloth. It begins by choosing raw cotton from bales gathered around the world and specifying an uneven, slubby "mura" yarn most mills avoid, then weaves on rare vintage shuttle looms it has revived — nine 1980s Toyoda GL-9s at its own mill opposite the Japan Blue head office. These slow looms leave the tell-tale selvedge that marks denim woven the traditional way.
Collect works at the centre of a network of Setouchi specialists — Yamachu spins the vintage-style yarn, Shinya (founded 1951) weaves the selvedge, and Kotosen (founded 1975) finishes the cloth. The result is innovative Japanese denim made to Japan's highest standards, with the craft and the Setouchi environment central to its mission.
