Brands
A Swedish clothing label founded in 2014 by Marcus Gårdö, Pelle Lundquist, and Stefan Pagréus. The name reflects their ambition to make clothes that help you get through the troubles and triumphs of everyday life. More than 70% of the company’s clothes are made in Portugal using local fabrics and materials. The family-owned textile factories north of Porto represent high quality and a more sustainable way of producing clothing.
“Atelier de Production et de Création” - APC - Was founded by Jean Touitou in 1987. A.P.C. is a French clothing brand renowned worldwide for the creativity, authenticity and durability of it’s products. While the name A.P.C. itself is associated with raw denim, the brand offers a wide range of clothing and accessories for men and women.
Big John made the first Japanese jeans in 1965 using American denim imported into Japan from Canton Mills. They created the first Japanese denim in 1972 and the years that followed they carried out many successful campaigns through-out the 80s, 90s, and 2000s.
Big John is now a popular and trusted brand the world over.
Started way back in 1940 as a sewing factory the company focused on work wear, student uniforms and American military style clothing. Soon they would import American-made jeans and have them resized for the Japanese market. Then eventually landed a deal in 1964 with the U.S. military for 50 rolls of denim and began the tradition of creating jeans in Japan.
A denim and lifestyle brand from Amsterdam, founded in 2013. At it’s beginning Benzak’s focus was creating quality made-to-last garments. Prioritizing craftsmanship and timeless design to transcend fashion trends and seasons. Using simplicity, comfortability and utilitarian design at the forefront of the brand, they are now part of the world of artisanal denim and quality goods.
Blue Blanket Jeans was created by Italian designer Antonio Di Battista. He has been involved in the denim business for more than 20 years and his frequent trips to California and Japan drive the inspiration behind his line. A number of his pieces use dead stock fabric which means only limited numbers are produced.
The aim of the brand is to make Jeans made with the best elements, for this Italian and Japanese pure indigo selvedge Denim is used along with Italian Design and craftsmanship and historical American Jeans details and construction.
Josh West and Nick Weaver
Founded Blue Delta in 2012 in Tupelo, Mississippi.
The bespoke denim company, whose clients include artists and athletes, creates custom-fit, tailored blue jeans to each client’s specific measurements, operating by its motto “one size fits one.”
Today, Blue Delta products are sold online and carried by more than 400 wholesale partners across the U.S., Canada and the UK
Bluestates Denim Co. was founded by Jason Widjaja during December 2016 in Jakarta, Indonesia. Their first collection was designed with an urban Jakarta lifestyle, influenced by the committed Indonesian denim community.
The brand works with high quality Indonesian denim produced locally and exclusively for Bluestates and has a reputation for being soft with fantastic fading characteristics.
Bluestates Denim has been embraced by the Indonesian denim scene not only for keeping it’s designs clean and simple but also for it’s eye for detail and innovation.
”Once we saw the full extent of the offering there was no other choice than to start a label exclusively showcasing Cone Mills selvedge denims”
Says Mik Serfonatine.
He and wife Maria founded Brave Star Selvedge in 2005 with the aim to provide a quality selvedge denim to a customer tired of overpriced, over constructed selvedge products.
They use Cone Mills red line fabric at the core of their collection but also Japanese and other American in smaller quantities.
Their clothing is made in their Los Angeles warehouse.
From the online store you can pre-order or purchase from a great selection of denim, knits and accessories.
Candiani was founded in 1938 in Robecchetto con Induno, a small town located about 40 km from the centre of Milan. In more than 80 years' experience, we have succeeded in establishing ourselves as one of the most renowned textile companies and denim manufacturers at an international level.
In the early 1960s, Tetsuo Ōishi of Ōishi Trading asked Levi's supplier Cone Mills for the right to import denim but was turned down. He instead made a deal with Canton Mills in Georgia to make jeans with its denim. Ōishi then sold them under the Canton brand.
Cheap Monday is a Swedish jeans and clothing brand. It was founded in 2004 by Örjan Andersson and Adam Friberg as a second-hand clothing store in Stockholm.
Originally call “Weekday” the company first started selling clothes in 2004. The name of the brand came from the fact that the original store was only open on Sunday.
Cheap Monday was famous for it’s exceptionally skinny-fit jeans, inspired by the style of the New York band The Strokes.
In 2004 H&M bought 60 percent of Fabric Scandinavien from the founders of the company, Adam Friberg, Lars Karlsson, Örjan Andersson and Linda Friberg.
In 2018 Cheap Monday was closed down due to poor sales but
in the summer of 2024 the brand is due to make a come back being sold through ”Weekday” stores owned by H&M. Hurray!
Citizens of Humanity is a Los Angeles-based premium denim label with a devoted commitment to producing the highest quality denim, without compromise.
Being one of the very few vertically integrated denim production operations, it allows products to be manufactured within the company’s own sewing and laundry facilities in Los Angeles and Turkey.
Citizens of Humanity are committed to reducing their global footprint on the environment and gradually invested in advanced technology in the manufacturing process and to practice positive steps in creating a better future.
Some of these methods include laser technology, ecological stones, ozone wash machines, as well as a new recycled water system
The identical twin brothers of Dean and Dan Catenacci are the founders and owners of
Dsquared², an Italian luxury fashion house based in Milan.
Dean and Dan Catenacci were born in 1964 in Toronto, Ontario.
In 1983, they moved to New York to study fashion but returned to Canada after only one semester.
In 1986, they launched their first signature womenswear collection, DEanDAN and by 1988 they had signed on to label Ports International.
In 1991, the brothers moved to Milan where they worked as designers for the house of Gianni Versace and denim brand Diesel. They debuted their men's Dsquared² collection in 1994.
Started in 2010 by Hayato Muramatsu Deluxeware is a factory owned brand making everything in house from vintage sewing machines and master craftspeople.
They use the best Japanese selvedge denim available and other rare fabrics, all constructed in their sewing factory called Oldact in Odate in the Akita prefecture of Japan.
Jason Denham is an English jean maker and founded his company ’Denham’ in Amsterdam in 2008.
Driven by the pioneering spirit of the original blue jeans the company designs with passion and innovation while honoring tradition.
Highly influenced by the Far East, the Asian spirit runs deep in the roots of Denham Jeans.
With fabrics from Italy and Japan together with years of experience in wash recipes, fit perfection and contemporary cuts is there an insurance of the company’s endevour to deliver a quality product.
Driven by the tagline “The Truth is in the Details,” there is an obsession over every detail and this is why the scissor logo, inspired by Denham’s first pair of tailor scissors, is globally recognized as a stamp of quality.
Each pair of DENHAM jeans is embroidered with this seal of approval meticulously crafted from 691 stitches.
Denime is a pivotal member of the infamous "Osaka Five", and was pioneered in 1988, producing premium denim jeans from their base in Japan ever since.
Traditionally known for their faithful reproductions of the traditional American jean, producing cuts and fabrics akin to original Levi's, the brand continues to convey the atmosphere of American history through its superior denim.
Renzo Rosso bought out Adriano Goldschmied's interest in the Diesel brand name in 1985 for US$500,000, becoming the sole owner of the company.
In 1991, Diesel bought under the parent company ’Only The Brave’, launched it’s first international marketing effort with the highly successful 'Guides for Successful Living' campaign series.
In 1995, the company launched one of it’s most controversial campaigns ever, featuring two kissing sailors staged at the peace celebration of World War II.
Around the same time Diesel launched one of the first significant fashion retail websites, with images of each of its collections.
The first Diesel jeans to be sold online were available in Finland and Sweden starting in 1997.
In 2002 Rosso increased Diesel's share in the global fashion market by buying fashion concerns under the parent company these included Maison Martin Margiela,
Viktor & Rolf and Marni.
’For Successful Living’ remains Diesel’s motto today.
DL1961 is a global premium denim brand that has hundreds of stores worldwide.
The brand was founded in 2008. It uses an eco-friendly manufacturing process that it introduced in 2013 to use less water, waste, and dye.
According to the DL1961 CEO, Zahra Ahmed the brand is "centered around innovation and technology”.
DL1961 patented XFIT LYCRA, a fabric that is a cotton-wrapped Lycra thread intertwined with polyester made by DL parent company ADM Denim, which was founded by Faisal and Meliha Ahmed.
Founded in 1999 in Fossombrone in the Italian province of Pesaro and Urbino, Dondup begins it’s path with it’s first Women Collection.
It wasn’t until 2003 the company designed and launched a collection for men and a kids collection in 2006
The doors of the first Concept Store ’Casa Dondup’ were opened in 2011 in Milan and then in 2017 it’s new flagship store right at the core of Milan’s Fashion District.
Through it’s e-commerce in 2019 Dondup reveals the D/Zero Project, in 2020 the company becomes a 100% Made in Italy produced brand.
”Innovative, adventurous, always authentic” Dondup proudly lives by the core values of Denim culture.
"I'm more of a craftsman than a designer" says Mr. Yu Kuniyoshi. A self-proclaimed "jeans-geek," Mr. Kuniyoshi joined Kapital jeans a jeans company based in Okayama back in 1997.
After 10 years training he returned to his hometown of Okinawa where he put his hard-earned Okayama skills to good use creating Koza-made denim
”I was in the factory for 10 years in Okayama. At that time, Kapital had several factories for making clothes – the one I was in just made jeans. We were making between 150-200 pairs a day then, about 15 of us in total. My job was just to do two or three steps in the whole process. You know, at that time we were also doing sewing for Denime, Samurai, 45r, Hysteric Glamour. I’ve sewn thousands of pairs of Denim”
The denim Doulbe Volante uses is from the Shinya and Yamaashi mills in Okayama. and comes in around 20 different weights ranging from 12.5oz to 16.5oz, the 13-14oz range being the most popular.
The buttons, rivets and everything else are all sourced locally.
Double Volante is a very small ”made to order” business and their products are difficult to find outside of Japan.
Created in 1918 by manufacturer M Hoffman. The brand’s first factory was in Hoffman’s home town of Boston, Massachusetts. Dubblewear was quickly adopted by farmers and became the standard for workwear across America in the 1930s. The factory was heavily effected by the conflict during the 40s and closed down after the second World.
The original factory was the first to create inclusive workwear, that geared the marketing towards women as well as men.
It was one of the first brands to work with iconic fabrics such as Cone Mills denim and chambrays and started working with Pendleton Woolen Mills for the European market.
In the Spring of 2020 Dubblewear had a relaunch and using fine fabrics reworked archival products in rich cotton and Selvedge denim. Complimenting the updated fabrications is a commitment to retaining old-fashioned production methods using only 100% authentic Union Special machines, and modernized silhouettes
Edwin has always been known for it’s authenticity, innovation and craftsmanship was established in Tokyo in 1947.
Inspired by a growing demand the company debuted the first made-in-Japan jeans in 1961.
By the ’70s, the company had established itself as a pioneer in denim manufacturing. Experimenting with wash techniques that impacted the processes around the globe,
innovations included ’One Wash’, a prewash process to eliminate shrinkage prior to purchase, and ’Old Wash’, a precursor to ’Stone wash’ that reproduces faded colors through abrasion techniques for a lived-in denim look.
Today, Edwin continues to set the gold standard in denim production, priding itself on the use of exclusive imported and organic fabrics, revolutionary production technologies, state-of-the-art finishing and advancements in design and fit.
Eternal is a brand born in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, Japan.
It is a denim production area surrounded by the sea and mountains.
Eternal has been making jeans since 1997 and is currently owned under the umbrella of the Maeno Corporation.
The brand is known for it’s mid-weight, slubby fabrics and specializes in high-tech and traditional distressing techniques. They use modern cuts and styles mixed with traditional methods of manufacturing.
Legend has it that the jeans are hung in cherry trees to dry after being washed once. Over time Eternal jeans achieve high contrasting vertical fading known as ”tate-ochi” in Japanese.
Everlane was founded in 2010 by Michael Preysman and Jesse Farmer as a direct-to-consumer online menswear retailer.
Preysman and Farmer collaborated with Andy Zhang for the sourcing of ethical materials.
The company enables customers to see how much each item costs to produce and how big the company's markup is.
Everlane started with a referral invite list that gained 60,000 subscribers in five days, although the company only had 1,500 T-shirts in inventory!
Another Japanese giant founded in Osaka Japan. It is named after the Japanese god of prosperity Ebisu.
Originally each pair of Jeans was lovingly hand-painted with the famous seagull logo. As the brand evolved, their colorful designs have continued to highlight the back pockets and detailing of their jeans.
In 1991 Evisu captured the imagination of the detail obsessed Japanese fashion crowd and inspired a revival of vintage denim which spread around the world.
Today Evisu has gained critical acclaim as one of the ultimate denim must haves, internationally known and embraced by both collectors and hipsters alike.
Initially Evisu was more of a labour of love than a commercial venture and despite phenomenal success the company’s mission to create the highest quality products has remained unchanged. This fundamental value defines Evisu’s position as an icon in the history of denim wear.
To meet the needs of prospectors passing through Seattle on their way to the Klondike Gold Rush, Clinton C. Filson founded C.C. Filson's Pioneer Alaska Clothing and Blanket Manufacturers in 1897.
The company supplied prospectors with a variety of outdoor gear including clothing, blankets, boots and sleeping bags. After the gold rush ended around 1899, Filson shifted to providing rugged gear for outdoor activities.
Filson remained a family concern until 1970 when they sold their interest in the company. In 1981 Stan Kohls bought Filson and extensively expanded the product line to over 250 products.
In 2005 Brentwood Associates, a Los Angeles private equity group bought Filson.
The brand has a small range of jeans, all sewn in The United States, their selvedge model uses Japanese denim.
Founded in 2012 by Brothers Matt and Andrew Brodrick, Freenote began with denim and expanded from there, while keeping denim the foundation of their brand.
With all it’s products manufactured in the United States, American culture and it’s timeless style icons provides the inspiration for Freenote’s designs.
The company has it’s headquarters in the historic district of San Juan Capistrano, a town that embodies the ranch era of territorial California.
With a store Highland Park, Los Angeles, both bases are home for Freenote.
FullCount & Co. has a long history in the Japanese denim industry.
Mikiharu Tsujita the owner and head designer of FullCount was an early exponent of the use of Zimbabwean raw cotton in jeans. Today this is seen as quite commonplace but in 1992 was considered revolutionary.
FullCount was the first ’Made In Japan’ denim company to use cotton from Zimbabwe and still uses it today in the company’s collection of selvedge jeans.
All made in Okayama, Japan.
G-Star AKA G-Star RAW is a Dutch designer clothing company, founded by Jos van Tilburg in Amsterdam in 1989. It was originally named Gap Star but this was changed to avoid confusion with the existing store chain Gap.
In 1996 G-Star introduced raw denim jeans to their range using unwashed, untreated fabric which came straight from the factory.
G-Star is influenced by military clothing and inspirations of their designs come from vintage military apparel from around the world.
Sustainability and creativity are at G-Star’s core and they aim to bring pioneering styles while challenging industry standards and constantly trying to improve our impact on people and planet.
Ginew pronounced Gih - noo was the first Native-American owned denim brand. It was started in 2010 and is a family business founded by husband and wife Dr. Erik Brodt and Amanda Bruegl.
The couple first started producing buffalo leather belts but since 2010 the collection has expanded to include denim, tees, accessories and other goods, their products drawing direct inspiration from their cultures and relatives.
”Our small-batch clothing production focuses on quality. Many items we create are in quantities of 100 or less globally. Whenever possible, garments and goods are made in the USA. What does that mean? Fair wages to every person that is part of our manufacturing. We lean into longevity and durability”
Amanda and Erik are from Wisconsin and currently reside in Portland, Oregon.
Ginew is Erik’s Ojibwean name - The Ojibwe are a Native-American people whose homeland covers much of the Great Lakes region and the northern plains,
In Ojibwean ”Ginew” means ”Brown or Golden Eagle”
KATO by Hiroshi Kato, founded in 1999, is a Japanese denim brand that focuses on combining modern advances in fabric comfort with a love and appreciation for vintage denim and workwear.
Although this passion is shared by many Japanese denim companies KATO set themselves apart by focusing on comfort. To achieve this they incorporate bare minimum amount of stretch fibers in their rigid denim fabrics to deliver just the right amount of ’give’.
Hiroshi Kato has a great collection of selvedge and non-selvedge denim.
Cardigan is not only home to the cardigan but the small town in West Wales, was also home to a jeans factory that made 35,000 pairs of jeans a week for 30 years.
When it closed down over two decades ago, it was the last remaining jeans factory in Great Britain.
In 2012, David and Clare Hieatt started Hiut Denim reopened the factory and got the town making jeans again.
Hiut jeans are not cheap, they are aimed at the denim head. People who will buy selvage denim jeans, go through six months of breaking them in and not washing them.
Hiut’s team of ‘grand masters’ only make 100 jeans a week, and they always sign their work.
”Do one thing well” is the brand’s motto.
Mats Andersson launched Indigofera in 2009 building the brand around two core relationships -
”The first relationship is with the community of creative souls responsible for bringing the garments to market”
”The other relationship that defines our story is hidden in the nature of denim itself”.
Mats has had a long career in the denim industry and in 2004 started his own company ”The Grocery” distributing Edwin and Cheap Monday jeans.
By 2007 Indigofera was conceived and by 2009 was selling products in Sweden and shipping to the U.S.
The brand’s denim primarily comes from Japan, the jeans are cut and sewn in Portugal.
Beginning as a pattern maker at Edwin, Shinichi Haraki advanced to be designer, producer and director for the company.
In 1984 he decided to go it alone and combine his two passions - denim and motorcycles. He created a rugged, tough and classic denim brand to be worn by Japanese bike riders.
Iron Heart clothing is made from heavy weight fabrics designed to be durable and to somewhat protect bike riders.
A dream realized by the creative genius of Nicola Bardelle in the early 2000’s.
Originally designed as a denim collection made in Italy and considered a status symbol, it anticipated the concept of a casual look that would soon become a must.
Jacob Cohën has always combined exclusive quality and excellent comfort with stylistic research and artisanal expertise.
Today the brand is the reference point of a daily luxury intended as a way of thinking, living and dressing.
Luxury denim, which means luxury lifestyle.
Jeansverket (The Jeans Works) trademark was registerd in 2017 but the factory in Borås, Sweden have been making jeans from 2010.
In 2019 the company opened their online store and today have a good range of jeans and clothing for men and women, made exclusively in the small town in Sweden.
Johan Käll, the brand’s founder states
”My dream is to build a modern jeans factory in Borås. With the swedish working conditions and sustainable laws and regulations, to achieve as close we can, a cirkular and sustainable manufacturing for a better future in Sweden and globally...”
The Dutch denim masters, Kings of Indigo, perfectly balance their love of iconic American jeans with a Japanese eye for detail and innovation.
Founded in 2012, the brand incorporates sustainable practices into every stitch.
KOI uses only the best materials, from organic cotton denims distressed with eco-friendly lasers, to tencel (regenerated cellulose fibers that are created by dissolving wood fibers with a chemical solvent) to recycled materials.
Kojima Genes was born in 1996, their focus was (and is) pursuit of continuing the genes of the “Kojima Craftsmen”. The company doesn’t perhaps have the heritage of some Japanese denim brands born in Okayama but don’t be fooled by their history and modest prices, they offer a mean jean.
All the way from the standard 15 oz. fabric to a brave
25oz, and everything in between.
All of Kojima Genes products are entirely hand crafted in Kojima.
Lee was formed in 1889 by Henry David Lee in Salina, Kansas as ”HD Lee Mercantile Company” originally producing jackets and dungarees. With the growth of denim work clothes Lee produced the ”Union-All” coverall in 1913 and went on to develop their first overall in 1920/21.
The first zipper fly was introduced later in the 1927.
After the founder’s death in 1928 the company went on to be the leading manufacturer of work clothes in the United States during the 30’s and 40’s and in 1944 the Lazy ”S” became the official trade mark back pocket.
In the 1954 the focus was shifted from workwear to begin catering to fashion cycles and Lee has many milestones since then including the release of Lee ”Westerners” in 1958, the ”Leisure Suit” in 1972 and the separate brand of Lee’s ”Riders” in 1993.
Since then Lee has been relaunched in 2014 and in 2019 was moved into ”Kontoor Brands”,
an American clothing company based in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Left Field was started in 1998 in a time when American made clothing was practically unheard of. Back then, the word "vintage" was only used to describe pieces that were actually old, and from a previous era.
Christian McCann, Left Field’s founder has been with the company’s journey every step of the way, from apartments in Brooklyn NYC to present day. His brand is described as a ”Gritty East Coast Version of Levis” (Coal mines instead of Gold mines).
Although the brand has been through many phases over the years, making quality, American clothing, in America that our grandfathers would be proud of has always been it’s number one concern.
Levi Strauss and Co was founded in 1853 by Levi Strauss in San Francisco, California.
Jacob Davis, the man behind the original copper rivet idea joined Strauss as a business partner and in 1873 they received a U.S patent for their denim design.
The company first started producing denim overalls in the 1870’s, and after the rivet was patented in 1890 lot numbers were assigned to their company products.
”501” was designated to the famous copper riveted waist overalls.
In the 1920’s modern jeans began to appear and after the 1930’s jeans had spread in popularity across America.
Between the 50’s and 80’s Levi’s became very popular with youth subcultures creating massive demand for their product.
The 1990’s saw a rise in competition from other brands with cheaper products from overseas. This caused Levi’s to gradually close most of it’s mainland production forcing it to rely on cheaper foreign labor.
By 2007, after nearly a decade of declining sales, Levi Strauss was again profitable and despite many lawsuits for various cases the company has gone on to be the world’s most successful denim brand.
In 2023 Levi Strauss and Co. celebrated their 150th anniversary.
Miscief Denim Division joined the Indonesian jeans boom in 2008.
Their inspiration comes from music, youth culture and the underground art scene.
The brand uses simple, original designs with artful leather patches.
The jeans are 100% hand made using a good quality material by skillful craftsmen.
”...a pair of jeans is never just a pair of jeans, it’s more like an attitude and daily [record] of what you do and where you’ve been”.
The company is based in Bandung, Indonesia.
“Momotaro” or ”Peach Boy” is a very famous fairytale in Japan and the legend has been passed down for generations. The origin is said to come from an ”Ura” legend handed down in Soja-City, Okayama, Japan.
The denim brand Momotaro was founded in 2005 in the birthplace of Japanese domestic jeans, Kojima, Okayama. It was then part of the Japan Blue Company.
Momotaro’s focus was on producing top quality denim, it still does today and the majority of it’s jeans are produced using Zimbabwean cotton in Kojima.
”We believe “Jeans” is not only fashion items but also the tool for creating a lifestyle”
- Momotaro
Mister Freedom is a vintage-inspired clothing brand created in 2003 by Christophe Loiron.
Located in Los Angeles, California, they have a great range of ”California Blue Jeans” that come in a range of weights and denim fabrics. Everything from 14 Oz. sugarcane fiber indigo denim to 14 Oz. “Okinawa 301” denim. Really classic American cuts and details.
Made in the U.S of A.
MUD Jeans is a denim brand based in the Netherlands, it specializes in sustainable denim products. The company is a certified B-Corporation meaning that it adheres to the principles of the circular economy, this is achieved by using up to 40% post-consumer recycled content in it’s jeans, the material sourced from unwanted denim.
Some of the denim comes from MUD Jeans customers, who can send their old jeans in for free. In addition to regular purchasing, customers can also lease their jeans for a monthly fee, over a one-year period. After one year, customers can either keep their jeans, swap them for a new pair at a 10% monthly discount or return them for recycling or up-cycling.
MUD uses specific production methods to reduce the environmental impact of the production of their jeans. Their manufacturing partner recycles 95% of the water used during production process. Through the dry indigo method, their fabric manufacturing partner replaces traditional dyeing methods, which typically involves multiple dyeing baths, with a high pressure and dyeing foam application. To measure the exact environmental impact of their jeans, MUD Jeans carries out an annual Life-cycle assessment on each of their products. Through this, they communicate the water and CO impact of their products on their website. This concept, known as Lease A Jeans, was launched in 2013 and includes free repair services
In 2012 the company was re-launched by Bert van Son. He had a new vision for the company and decided to invest in MUD Jeans. After 2 years in Almere the company relocated to Laren, Netherlands at the Groene Afslag in September 2018.
Naked and Famous’ founder Brandon Svarc didn’t want his brand to be defined by the people wearing it but more know for the quality and the production values of the company.
- Always produced in Canada, always from raw undistressed Japanese denim.
The company was founded in 2008 by Canadian native Brandon Svarc, his family in the garment business for over 65 years. Working in fashion PR, Brandon decided to create his own label and ventured into the raw denim business. Growing tired of the celebrity endorsed fashion of the 00’s he wanted Naked and Famous to be a purely product based brand that didn’t rely on advertising.
This he hoped would result in an affordable, high quality product.
Neuw Denim was the creation of three friends, two from Sweden the other from Australia. The company was founded in 2009 as ”an independent, modern denim brand that puts cultural integrity over profit, Neuw fuses sombre Nordic design with a more casual Melbourne aesthetic inspired by the trio's love of contemporary music, art, and vintage design”.
Neuw has stores across three states in Australia and distributers in Europe.
Noko Jeans
Noko Jeans was a Swedish company founded in 2007. It was best known for importing jeans from North Korea and although the company was not the first to import jeans from North Korea, it was the first company to insist to keep the label 'Made in North Korea' on the jeans. Noko Jeans ceased operations in 2011, in 2013 the company claimed to have only 100 pairs of jeans left.
Nudie Jeans Co. is a Gothenburg based denim brand founded in 2001 by Maria Erixon.
The business’s focus has been on social responsibility and sustainability, they aim to be a fully transparent company.
Their organic cotton is sourced from Italy, Turkey and India and most of Nudie’s manufacturing takes place in Italy.
In the 2010’s the company starting offering ”free repairs for life” on their products and now 20%
trade-in discount on their jeans. They also recycle some of their old products.
Nudie Jeans Co. have a comprehensive range of jeans, with selvedge denim being their core collection.
”The Real Indonesian Denim”
Est. 2014 in
Jakarta, Indonesia.
(Not much info available)
In the middle of the Indonesian denim explosion of 2010 Old Blue Co. was founded.
Oldblue's main inspiration is
from American vintage workwear, especially in the 1890s to 1950s eras.
Founded in 2010 in Jakarta, Indonesia, by Ahmad Hadiwijaya a.k.a. Jax and Randy Wilmar
Oldblue focused on setting themselves apart with a design grounded in classic blue-collar Americana workwear combined with durability, and purpose, using the highest quality imported fabrics and producing them locally.
There isn’t much information about Oni the denim brand from Okayama in Japan.
The name ”Oni” comes from a kind of yōkai, a demon or troll in Japanese folklore and that almost describes Oni’s own existance in the Japanese denim industry.
The company is extremely small, rumor has it that a single man operates a single loom that produces all of Oni’s denim. There is no advertising and Masao Oishi rarely gives interviews. The company has only done one collaboration, with Naked and Famous in 2011.
Mr Oishi has over 60 years of experience in within the denim industry, he had a prominent role at Levi’s Japan and for Canton Jeans in the 1960’s.
Oni is an exclusive brand with limited cuts and fabrics, though it tends to lean toward slubbier textures with irregular weaves, gentle tension, and impeccable finishes.
OrSlow
(Via Stuarts, London)
The brand OrSlow is relatively new and emerged in 2005. Since then it has gained recognition for it’s commitment to creating timeless and durable clothing ’slowly’
The visionary Ichiro Nakutsu behind the brand started it with a mission to produce garments that embodied a sense of authenticity while having longevity.
The name “OrSlow” itself - ”Or“ standing for ”Original” and ”Slow” emphasizing the deliberate and un-hurried approach to creating each garment, certainly reflects the company’s philosophy.
The majority of OrSlow’s products are made in Japan, the commitment to this production not only supports local craftsmanship but it also ensures every piece is made with care and attention to detail.
Pace Jeans
(No longer in production)
Pace Jeans was founded in 2003 by husband and wife duo, Klas and Cecilia Erixon and draws it’s inspiration from one man’s journey half way around the world during the 1900s.
Erik Erixon, emigrated to America embark upon a gold mining dream and take advantage of the fortune making times.
After several hard years in the mines of Telluride, Colorado, Erik returned to his home in Sweden and together with his wife had a large family of ten children. They started a business of importing jeans from America.
One of the ten children’s grandson Klas shared his grandfather’s love of denim and in 2003 started his own brand - Pace Jeans.
The denim used in Pace jeans is made in a traditional vintage way on original shuttle looms and comes from small mills around Osaka, Japan.
It has a right hand twill, ring spun in warp and weft. and a unique in look and feeling.
Using significant details such as split side seams, chain stitching on hem, tab and a patch in real leather The buttons have the gearwheel logo in steel finish, zippers in antique copper from the classic brand YKK, strengthened pocket openings on all models, rivets in real genuine copper.
Piger Works is a Thai denim brand established in 2010. The company started out by designing a 1950s cut jean (still their signature fit today, by the way) in 13.5oz Japanese denim. The original product was over constructed, making them the strongest pair of jeans that modern engineering could produce. They made 75 pairs as a trial run which sold out within an hour.
In 2017 Piger Works upped their game with 22oz brown-weft denim from Collect Mills. They were a perfect showcase for their heavy, durable construction with handmade hardware and are now the core of their collection. The brand is very popular with Thai denim heads and can go toe to toe with the best heavy denim brands out there.
The brand name comes from the founders Mr. Opaspong and Mr. Kongchuch. Opaspong was born in the Year of the Tiger, and Kongchuch was born in the Year of the Pig, so they crossed the two symbols resulting in ”Piger”
Prps is a New York based luxury denim brand established in 2002.
The company states that it ”Single handedly started the rise of the Japanese luxury denim jeans business in America”
The company was started by Donwan Harrell a former Nike designer and originally their jeans were manufactured in Japan using Zimbabwean cotton produced on looms from the 1960’s, similar to the type that were used to produce denim for Levi‘s.
Today, many Prps goods still use quality materials and authentic distressing but due to high demand some garments are produced in China.
Pure Blue Japan or Syoaiya has a reputation as makers of some of the finest denim in the world.
Started in Okayama by Kenich Iwaya in 1997 and after a lot of practice produce a rough, slubby and hairy denim.
”We particularly take pride in the original slubby texture of our Selvedge Denim, which is an accomplishment of many trial and errors to achieve this impossible goal.”
- Pure Blue Japan
All of Syoaiya products are entirely domestically produced in Japan.
Raleigh Denim Workshop
is an American enterprise started by Sarah Yarborough and Victor Lytvinenko in 2007/8.
It started with an obsession to make the ideal pair of jeans.
Their collection includes selvedge denim from White Oak Mills (from 2017) and non-selvedge stretch denim.
Every pair of jeans they produce is handmade using vintage machines.
Each pair is autographed by it’s maker.
Realign is quite a new denim brand founded in 2021. Their jeans are designed in The Netherlands and made in Okayama.
Realign has a contemporary style and draws it’s inspiration from classic American workwear and the legends behind Japanese denim.
Established in 1981, Fashion Box S.p.A. is now one of the leading international companies in the denim sector.
In 1978 Claudio Buziol registered the brand ”Replay” and in 1981 ”Fashion Box”.
The premium Italian brand provides sustainable denim with over 40 years of heritage.
The name Sage is derived from its literal meaning, ”Sage”- a wiseman, who have seen more.
The brand was established in Indonesia 2012, and it’s focus was on producing crafted apparel inspired by the great outdoors and the passion to see more.
In 2019 the company revealed it’s own selvedge denim producing facility, using Japanese raw materials and the best experts handling the production it set out to perfect the company’s very own version of selvedge denim.
Sage today has a decent collection of high end selvedge jeans.
The company motto is -
“Who Lives Sees, Who Travels Sees More”
Saitex
(Via Country Road)
Located in Vietnam, Saitex is a denim manufacturer that is focused on supporting environmental and social change.
Founded in 2012 by Sanjeev Bahl and now commonly referred to as the "cleanest denim factory in the world," Saitex is famous for it’s water recycling system and renewable energy sources,
as well as it’s laundry list of ethics-centric certifications.
Its vertically-integrated facilities spread across 22 cubic acres in Ho Chi Minh City, mass-producing denim for brands like Everlane, Madewell, J.Crew, Silvrlake and many more. In 2021, Saitex opened its first factory outside of Vietnam, in Los Angeles, the unofficial heart of the American denim industry.
The factory is driving innovation at key stages of denim production to address energy use, water consumption and waste. From spinning the raw cotton fibre to weaving the denim and constructing the garment, every step of production is completed in-house at Saitex.
Samurai jeans was established in Osaka in 1997 by Toru Nagami and have gained a legendary status in Japanese denim culture embodying it through superior craftsmanship and premium quality materials.
Famous now for it’s Samurai imagery the brand started with it’s own interpretation of the 501 jean in a range of denim weights, the company now well known for it’s use of heavy weight denim.
But as well as heavy denim, Samurai gives a lot of consideration regarding the quality of cotton it uses, this commitment extends to cultivating their own in Hyogo, a prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan’s main island.
The company also explores other aspects of denim production, different dying techniques for example and the use of traditional vintage machinery to produce selvedge denim.
Nogami’s guidance has brought innovation and change to Samurai’s designs, developing new cuts and adding distinctive components like their wagyu leather patch, silver buttons and Japanese imagery.
In 2010 Simple&Raw set up their operations in Bangkok bringing a team of international designers to add a taste of something ”fresh and mouthwatering” to the Asian market.
This added to their existing reputation as an extremely skilled and accomplished brand.
Simple&Raw combines traditional craftsmanship with innovative design for men and women’s denim.
Their denim collections offer an exciting mix of indigo fabrics, supreme craftsmanship and refined details.
In 2010 SOSO Brothers was founded by Swedish pair Jannis Hoff and Johan Blom. It has become a globally recognized denim brand with it’s production based in Bangkok. The guys both shared the same vision of becoming the world’s largest producer of affordable, cutsom-made, high quality denim. In 2017 Fredrik Milton Schoultz joined the company and in 2018 established it’s head office in Umeå, Sweden.
SOSO Clothing have a range of jeans in various denim weights, their heaviest a 33oz double indigo Swedish selvedge crafted from 100% Australian long staple cotton.
Studio D’artisan
(Via Redcast Heritage)
Another original member of the ”Osaka 5” is Studio D’Artisan which was founded by Shigeharu Tagaki in 1979. The company has played a instrumental role in the development of the Japanese industry.
When Tagaki-san returned to Japan after years of living and working in France he wanted to combine the best parts of European fashion with the classic skills of Japanese artisanal craftsmen.
As the vintage denim boom hit Japan in the 1980’s Studio D’Artisan was the first company to charge several hundred dollars for a pair of jeans, unheard of at the time, and in some ways this paved the way for other traditionally minded brands to follow suit therefore justifying their costs of needing to survive while using outmoded and time-consuming production techniques.
Today Studio D’Artisan’s are designed in Osaka and produced in Okayama
The philosophy of Yoshinori Fujikawa, the current president of the company, believes that when
a pair of jeans is sold, that is only half of the story. ”Completion” as Fujikawa defines it, can only happen once the jeans have been lived in and have their own unique personality.
Sugar Cane were the first in the world to produce a selvage denim fabric made from woven cotton yarns and sugar cane fibres.
The business can trace it’s roots back to the 1950s with a denim company called Kosyo.
The modern Sugar Cane brand began trading as such in the late 1980s and it took the company over 20 years of hard work and research in order to create their own selvage-denim ”dungarees” as perfectly as the great classics that spawned their inspiration
Sugar Cane prefer to use the vintage term ‘dungarees’ in preference to the term ‘jeans’ to describe their product.
“The word ‘jeans’ has become the vernacular for faux denim fashion wear that masquerades as the tough, classic waist overalls history made famous.”
- Sugar Cane
Tanuki Inc Japan
(Via Redcast Heritage)
The Tanuki brand was established in 2016 in Okayama Prefecture. It comprises a small group of great artisans who are passionate about denim and boast more than 30 years' experience in other brands in the industry. If there is something that characterizes Tanuki garments in addition to it’s modern cuts, it is the quality and variety of its fabrics, with prime importance given to the best cottons, natural indigo and the application of different types of tension on the shuttle looms when producing the fabrics.
Michael Maher, Michael Armenta and Barrett Purdum founded Taylor Stitch
in San Francisco in 2008.
The trio sought to craft the perfect customized shirt but eventually expanded to offer a much fuller line, including denim.
Taylor Stitch was built upon a belief that this industry can and should be different, and we’ve organized our efforts around Five Pillars of Responsibility : Sourcing Responsibly, Building Responsibly, Closing the Loop, Creating a Community and Giving Back
The company offers it’s full line at it’s flagship San Francisco store, but most of it’s business comes through online sales, where domestic shipping is free.
Started 2009 and based in San Francisco, Tony Patella and Pete Searson (Tella-son) are the committed founders of Tellason. Committed to keeping denim jeans production to it’s spiritual home in Northern California. When the company started, all of Tellason’s denim came from The White Oak Cone Mills in Greensboro, N.C but after the closure of the mill in 2018 they were forced to look further afield for their fabric. Most of the Tellason selvedge collection today (July 2024) is made from Japanese denim. According to their website product information, their non-selvedge range comes from The White Oak denim plant which reopened on a scaled back bases in 2021.
In 2008 co-founder Menno van Meurs opened the first Tenue de Nîmes store in Elandsgracht, a district of Amerstam. The first collection at the time was a mixture of raw denim and high-end fashion which was extremely successful and in a relatively short time the store became became one of the world’s finest denim retailer.
In 2012 the company opened a second store, also in Amsterdam carrying a collection for both men and women.
During their short existence Tenue de Nîmes has had collaborations with iconic denim brands like Momotaro, Japan Blue and Tellason.
In 2015 the company released their first limited collection of jeans, which sold out in a very short time. The second, coming later in the same year was met with similar success.
Since then Tenue de Nîmes have gone on to launch more collections, sometimes limited to only 30 pieces.
Along with their own ”Tenue.” jeans, Tenue de Nîmes carries Orslow, RRL and A.P.C in their jeans selection.
The Flat Head was founded in Nagano, Japan in 1996.
The brand is know for it’s carefully handcrafted classic American-style clothing, primarily in raw, selvedge denim.
The company’s founder Mayashi Kobayashi, is a dedicated enthusiast of 1950s American fashion, drawing inspiration from music, motorcycles, cars, and architecture of that era, notably influenced by rockabilly culture.
In the early 90’s he would fly to the United States hunting down and buying the best vintage clothing, repairing it and then displaying it in the window of his ‘Dessert Hills Market’ store. The brand’s focus is to produce clothing of unparalleled quality and character by utilizing bespoke fabrics and labour-intensive production methods. In doing so, The Flat Head hope that all of their products are worn hard and cherished for many years to come.
The Stronghold brand is steeped in history.
It was founded in 1895 and was the only maker of denim and canvas work wear and the first branded apparel to be manufactured in Los Angeles before WWII.
In 1908 a mascot was introduced to The Stronghold’s labels and buttons used on workwear. His name was ”Stronghold Steve” and he would go on to be used throughout the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s.
In 1916 Charlie Chaplin, the world’s most famous film star at the time endorsed The Stronghold brand in an advertisement with Edna Purviance. When Chaplin inquires about the overalls she is wearing, she replies "Sure, they're Strongholds".
This is the first time in history that a denim garment was shown on a woman in an advertisement of any kind.
In early Hollywood the majority of workwear seen in movies was produced by The Stronghold, this meant that most pre-war Hollywood movies that featured any kind of workwear, cowboy attire or railroad workers clothing would come from The Stronghold factory.
In 1936 The Stronghold hickory striped bib-overalls were made famous by Charlie Chaplin in ”Modern Times” one of his most memorable movies.
These bib-alls are now in the permanent collection of The Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
In 1940, Henry Fonda wore The Stronghold bib-overalls in the movie adaptation of John Steinbeck's ”The Grapes Of Wrath”.
The original Stronghold company closed in the late 1950s. Fifty years later, a vintage clothing collector showed The Stronghold's soon-to-be new owner the remains of a pair of The Stronghold jeans that had been found in an abandoned silver mine in California's Mojave desert.
Because of the fascinating circumstances of the jeans recovery and because of the graphic strength of the brand name and logo on the label, the vintage remnant of The Stronghold jeans was purchased from the collector.
After this an extensive research into the history of the brand and the gradual acquisition of a collection of vintage Stronghold garments, advertisements, and other archival materials.
In 2004 The Stronghold brand was relaunched and are again being manufactured in Los Angeles at the same factory, with the same construction methods and with authentic rivets, buttons and labels all reproduced from company archives.
Staying loyal to it’s heritage, all of The Stronghold's products are still manufactured in Los Angeles.
Hailing from Kojima, Japan and Founded by Tohru Hamamoto, The Strike Gold boasts over two decades of Japanese denim-making expertise under husband and wife team Tohru & Yoshiko Hamamoto.
Drawing inspiration from 1940’s and 1950’s and revitalizing traditional techniques from the turn of the century the brand weave a unique set of fabrics into classic fits with a supreme focus on craftsmanship and detail.
True Religion is an American clothing company established in 2002 by Jeff Lubell and Kym Goldand, they are based in Vernon, California.
The company’s jeans are made from premium denim and traditionally know for their distinctive and sometimes elaborate stitching designs achieved by reengineering conventional sewing machines to achieve a unique five-needle thread at two-stitch-per-inch process, known as the ”Super T stitch”. True Religion jeans can be found largely in the United States but are commonplace in many countries.
Although there were two filings for bankruptcy in 2017 and 2020, the brand
appeared to recover in 2021.
Two Cats Brand or TCB Jeans concept is to produce modern clothing inspired by denim products from the good old days and propose a lifestyle with a good pair of jeans.
TCB are ”especially committed to putting the details, vibe, and mood of those days into our products, and we pay much respect to denim products as workwear.
Workwear should be durable to fulfill the duty it’s purpose, but at the same time, age beautifully as you wear it. Your clothing helps you do your work.
That concept is what we love the most about jeans”.
Every pair of TCB jeans is a narrative piece, telling the story of a bygone era through it’s fabric and construction.
The Unbranded Brand’s policies are simple.
”No branding. No washes. No Embroidery. No Ad Campaigns. No Celebrities.”
Founded in 2009, the company is an initiative of the Naked & Famous brand, led by Brandon Svarc, to create a "brand without brand": no advertising is done, the denim is neither washed nor provided with distinctive patches, engraved rivets or labels.
All of the jeans are made with signature blue selvedge and produced in Macau.
Visvim is a Japanese menswear brand
founded by Hiroki Nakamura in 2000. The brand’s headquarters are in Tokyo, Japan, and has stores in Japan and the US. The company’s products are sold internationally at luxury department stores and boutiques including Bergdorf Goodman in New York and Dover Street Market in London
Warehouse & Co. was created in 1995 by twin brothers Kenji and Kenichi Shiotani, formerly of of Evisu and Full Count, and was the final member of the ”Osaka 5”
Their brand renowned for it’s meticulous detail and considered construction. in fact Warehouse’s very creation was with the intention to produce vintage mid-century jeans, as traditionally as possible right down to the last detail.
The brand’s motto is “The faithful reproduction of authentic vintage garments.”
When the founder of Warp+Weft, Sarah Ahmed started the brand in 2017, her mission was to create affordable jeans for every body and every body shape by using the most sustainable eco-friendly denim in the world.
”My goal isn’t to simply sell jeans, but make sure that if we are bringing more stuff into the world, we come as close to zero waste as possible”.
Warp+Weft’s denim factory is based in Jakarta and it’s Belgium, Italian and Swiss weaving technology helps to create virtually any kind of denim imaginable, in weights
from from 7oz to 15oz.
Started in 2017 as a custom jean maker, Wingman Denim now only produces ”ready to wear” clothing.
Based in West Java, every product Wingman produces comes from their factory in Bandung.
The company uses denim from Japan, Thailand, USA and China. But also carry out development for denim made in Indonesia.
The three main elements key to Wingman is Fit, Fabric and Finish and Wingman prides itself on attention to detail.
In 1919 The Hudson Overall Company built it’s first factory on South Elm Street in Greensboro and changed it’s name to Blue Bell Overall Company. In 1936 the company sets a new industry standard by lauching ”Super Big Ben Overalls’ made from 100% sanforized denim that reduces shrinkage by 99%.
Blue Bell aquired the Casey Jones work clothes company in 1943 and the rights to the name Wrangler and in 1947 introduces the ”11MWZ” Jeans aimed particularly at cowboys.
They featured a zipper fly, a strong tack in the crotch instead of a rivet and felled in and out seams.
In 1962 Blue Bell opens it’s first factory outside of the U.S in Belgium and the brand name Wrangler is successfully launched in Europe.
By 1996 it is alleged that one of every five pairs of jeans sold in America is a Wrangler.
To help offset costs in 2001 Wrangler starts making its jeans in Mexico and 2005 it closes it’s last factory in the United States.
Yen Jeans is a Tokyo-based premium denim brand started in 1996.
The production of Yen Jeans lavishly incorporates traditional Japanese culture and techniques, such as Kyo-Yuzen and Amami Oshima’s Dorozome dyeing technique, as well as traditional textiles.
Using vintage denim weaved with a power loom from Okayama, Yen Jeans offers a design that is not bound by the conventional concepts of denim.
In 1998, London’s two leading specialty boutiques, Jones and Browns, began sales of Yen Jeans, which were followed by L’eclaireur in Paris and more than 90 prestigious shops around the world.
Although the brand ended production once in 2007, Yen Jeans made a comeback in celebration of its 20th anniversary in 2017.
Founded in LA by Johan Lam and Andrew Chen, 3sixteen's journey began in 2008 with their inaugural pair of jeans, the SL-100x.
They partnered with Japan's Kuroki Mills to produce a distinctive denim. Their ethos centers on enduring quality and adaptability, fusing Japanese fabrics with American and Indian craftsmanship. Their collections have evolved to encompass diverse fits and fabrics, all striving to be enduring like their foundational jeans. This philosophy extends to all kinds of garments, drawing inspiration primarily from art and nature. Through their deft use of textures, they craft truly distinctive garments designed to develop character over time.
7 For All Mankind is an American denim
brand founded by Michael Glasser, Peter Koral, and Jerome Dahan in 2000 and
It’s based in Vernon, California.
In search of jeans that combined casual with luxury 7FAM set out to change the landscape forever.
Born in Los Angeles, the brand redefined the denim industry (in their own words).
The founders established that fabric innovation, unparalleled fit and attention to detail were key to a luxury garment.
I would like to thank all of the above brands for the use of their commercial property, all images and literature.
And all of the sites that I have used to cross check information.
I have listed these on my Resources page.
