Selvedge Denim

Denim built from the yarn outward changes what you are buying. But the critical decisions that determine its fate are made long before the fabric hits a sewing machine and becomes something that resembles a pair of trousers. Key characteristics separate genuine, real selvedge from something subpar. These defining characteristics are woven into the fabric's DNA. Great selvedge isn't simply denim with a red line on a cuff. It begins with the cotton; how it’s spun, which determines the character of the yarn. How the yarn is rope-dyed determines how deeply indigo penetrates it, which determines how it will eventually fade in time. Loom speed, tension, and weave construction determine the density, texture, and feel of the fabric produced. Finally, the washing and finishing determine how the finished cloth behaves. And that red line? That’s a key indicator that the cloth was self-finished on a shuttle loom.

So, back to the opening line: denim built from the yarn outward changes what you are buying, because changing anything in the steps leading up to the finished cloth changes the jeans. COLLECT is particularly interesting because it has retained the ability to produce and manipulate the telltale characteristics of great selvedge denim by producing fabric on Toyoda looms, considered obsolete by modern standards of technology. Rather than ordering denim from a mill, Kojima, the founder, still uses these old shuttle looms alongside a network of Japanese specialists who handle the different stages of production that turn cotton into finished cloth. The old machinery is slow. It’s temperamental. It requires people who understand it, let alone are patient enough to work with it. Modern looms have a substantially greater fabric output in the same amount of time, and produce with greater consistency, but speedy manufacturing and consistency are kind of the antithesis of what you want from selvedge denim.

The slight variations in yarn and weaving give denim surface real character. Rope dyeing leaves the centre of the yarn relatively pale beneath its indigo exterior, allowing time and wear to slowly expose what’s underneath. That’s how fading occurs, and creases lighten. It allows the knees to change as they bend, and pocket edges emerge. The seat, thighs, and backs of the legs begin to track and record their owner's movement. That visible transformation in the jeans isn’t applied before you buy them, after the fabric has been made. It’s built into the fabric from the beginning.

We chose to work with COLLECT because we value proper selvedge denim. It can’t be manufactured artificially. It shouldn’t be pre-distressed, and it doesn’t need to come in extreme, attention-grabbing oz of weight or with exaggerated texture. We want denim that markets itself on the qualities built into its DNA from the start, so the jeans will wear with you for years instead of breaking down, falling apart, and wearing out.

So we make ours in Japan, with people who understand the material and work with it at the yarn level. They dye and weave it with care, giving it natural texture and character. They make it on vintage Toyoda shuttle looms. Proper construction is important. The jeans look simple to the eye, but the value lies in the cloth, the machinery, and the knowledge behind it all. It translates into what happens once you start wearing it.