Pure Blue Japan

[LordDingle]

Saw an interesting review about PBJ's. Not much reviews about them on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcXkbWAkd2A

 

Edited January 29, 2017 by LordDingle

[Danny @ Rivet & Hide]

On 1/28/2017 at 8:31 AM, jselvedge said:

Anyone know if it's possible to shrink PBJ raw denim a full size below tagged size in the waist?

 

Most jeans measure 1" more than tagged size when raw. This inch will go with the first soak but will stretch back out.

[Danny @ Rivet & Hide]

On 1/26/2017 at 4:08 PM, misterjaayy said:

Has anyone been able to get their hands on the new XX-019 fabric? I was about to pull the trigger, but being a new fabric, I wanted to see other peoples input before going for it. It's PBJ, so i know there will probably be a lot of slubby (and neppy with this new fabric) goodness, but the pics on OD didn't show a lot of texture when compared to their pictures of the XX-013.

Lots of nep in the fabric and the x019 will open up PBJ jeans to those who need extra room on the thigh compared with existing fits with a taper.

[Geeman]

You getting these in Danny?  Would like to see them in the flesh 

[Danny @ Rivet & Hide]

2 hours ago, Geeman said:

You getting these in Danny?  Would like to see them in the flesh 

Yes, we should have them in 10-14 days time if not sooner.

[misterjaayy]

23 hours ago, Danny @ Rivet & Hide said:

Lots of nep in the fabric and the x019 will open up PBJ jeans to those who need extra room on the thigh compared with existing fits with a taper.

Awesome. Thank you much for the picture Danny. 

[gazeboarder]

I saw these in person last week in Japan.  They look really nice.  I went for the KS-013 in the non wash as I wanted that Hank dyed look without paying the $400.  I'm happy with my purchase the KS-013's look awesome in person.  Very streaky look to them.

[cool_hand]

On 24/01/2017 at 6:05 AM, somatoform said:

cool_hand,

 

how did those start with a 12.5" fr? Denimio and BiG have the 36 one wash going down to 10.75" fr and Rivet and Hide and Okayama have the raw 36 starting with 11.5" fr.

 

I'm thinking about getting a 36 as well, but the difference between 12.5" and 11.5" fr raw is very substantial.

 

12.5 FR is the measurements of the jeans I received. Don't know why Okayama have them at 11.5? I didn't measure the thigh. Hot wash later.

[gazeboarder]

On 1/30/2017 at 8:06 PM, gazeboarder said:

I saw these in person last week in Japan.  They look really nice.  I went for the KS-013 in the non wash as I wanted that Hank dyed look without paying the $400.  I'm happy with my purchase the KS-013's look awesome in person.  Very streaky look to them.

Here are a couple close up shots of the KS-013's and the 6oz hand distressed western denim shirt I purchased at the Pure Blue Japan store in Harajuku.  The staff there was awesome.  I bought the KS-013's in the raw non wash version which they special ordered for me from the PBJ warehouse.  I was in Japan for a week so I was able to wait the couple days until the jeans came in.  I went with the raw version because I felt the front rise on the one wash was a little too low.  The PBJ store only stocks the one wash version of their jeans in the shop.  I gave these jeans a 1 hour warm soak.  I've now worn these jeans for 3 days and they now have the following measurements.

Size 36

Waist = 38.25 / Front rise = 10.8 / Back rise = 15.5 / Thigh = 12.9 / Hem (w/ 1.5" cuff) = 8.25

[The Chad]

XX-005

About a year of wear

[The Chad]

2nd photo is the most accurate 

Edited February 2, 2017 by The Chad

[Flodiesel]

I just got a lightly used pair of XX 003s...my only previous pairs of raw denim were APCs (the fades were still great, but a pretty standard jean nonetheless). The hand on these PBJs is unbelievable, the slub and nep is something I've never felt before and I'm super stoked to see where these fades go.

[The Chad]

If I were to purchase another pair of PBJ jeans what would be the general consensus. No more than $300

Edited February 10, 2017 by The Chad
Change

[gazeboarder]

2 hours ago, The Chad said:

If I were to purchase another pair of PBJ jeans what would be the general consensus. No more than $300

If you want a pair that looks like a streaky pair of hand dyed jeans then I would go for the KS-013's.  The KS-013 looks awesome in person with a lot of character.  I

[Geeman]

10 hours ago, The Chad said:

If I were to purchase another pair of PBJ jeans what would be the general consensus. No more than $300

What fit are you after?

[The Chad]

Same as XX-005.    I've been taking a long hard look at those XX-007s of which if I'm not mistaken is the over dyed model. My legs are pretty damn thin

Edited February 11, 2017 by The Chad

[chicote]

Just going off your fit pic in waywt, chad, I'd recommend you try the xx-009 if you can find it. Same double indigo fabric as the 007 but in a (in my opinion) much nicer/more versatile cut.

[Planetarium]

009 is one of my favs of all time and I'm concerned about the 003 cut looking to be a bit rarer these days

really wish they did some of their newer denims and weights in this classic straight fit

[cool_hand]

On 23/01/2017 at 1:50 PM, cool_hand said:

I finally cold soaked my PBJ XX-003-VTG (REGULAR STRAIGHT). I sized up to a 36 in these as that appeared to be the consensus and advise to go.

Here are pre and post soak measurements:

Waist: 18 1/4"  –  17.5"
FR: 12.5"  -  12"
RR: 15 5/8" - 15 1/4"
Inside Leg: 37" - 36"
Opening: 9.5" - 9"

Was surprised there wasn't more shrinkage in the leg, just an inch, but were cold soaked. I'm going to wear them for a bit as they are and then machine wash 30 or give them a hot soak as I'd like to get some more shrinkage out of them, especially around the leg width and thigh. Not a lot of taper on these!
 

 

Hot soaked / machine rinsed cold / line dried these yesterday.

Waist: 17"
FR: 11 3/4"
RR: 14 3/4"
Inside Leg: 35"
Opening: 9"

Sizing up appears to be wise, but maybe the waist will stretch a lot? I would expect a little more shrinkage in the leg, maybe 1/2". Will comment on the fit later.

[cool_hand]

From 7th March Okayama Denim is increasing the price of PBJ (on average) by 35%!!

Insane.

If there's something you're considering I would grab it now.

[beautiful_FrEaK]

Or simply buy elsewhere 

[mpukas]

It's PBJ's new international pricing, not Okayama Denim. All retailers selling internationally will be subject tot the price increase 

[beautiful_FrEaK]

Of course you are right but with a proxy I guess you could still buy from some other shops.

[gazeboarder]

7 hours ago, cool_hand said:

From 7th March Okayama Denim is increasing the price of PBJ (on average) by 35%!!

Insane.

If there's something you're considering I would grab it now.

I think it's cool that Okayama Denim is giving you triple points when you buy PBJ stuff under the new PBJ international pricing.  Has anyone purchased the new 22oz denim yet?

[mpukas]

59 minutes ago, gazeboarder said:

...Has anyone purchased the new 22oz denim yet?

I was eyeing that new denim too. The measurements on that cut look very appealing for what I'm looking for. I don't own any PBJ, have been very interested for quite a while. The new price on that model will be a 42%+/- increase - OUCH! 

 

I REALLY, REALLY like that double natural indigo Type II - that's truly a work of art. But at current price it's rather expensive. The new price will be 44% increase, and that puts in into the realm of ludicrous for a denim jacket, regardless of how nice it is. 

 

7 hours ago, beautiful_FrEaK said:

Of course you are right but with a proxy I guess you could still buy from some other shops.

I've thought of that too, but when you add proxy fees, plus the taxes that proxy has to pay being in Japan, and shipping fees that adds anywhere from 25%-35%, there's not much if any savings over the new international prices. 

 

I think - and I'm making an marginally educated guess - that other makers are going to follow suit rather soon. Those of us in the western world, and particularly in US where we usually don't have to pay customs fees for clothing/goods up to a relatively high value (and that was recently increased), have had it really good for many years being able to buy through Rakuten and other retailers willing to ship overseas directly. 

[beautiful_FrEaK]

Of course you won’t be able to shop at the same price level anymore if you go the route of a proxy but it should still be cheaper. I heard (and I haven’t checked that, sorry) that some items will rise about 40 or more %. The average proxy takes 10 %. There are cheaper ones and more expensive ones. You surely have to consider the tax and maybe shipping inside Japan and the shipping to you. I guess 20% on top of the Japanese retail price is a good estimate for the proxy costs.
Also shipping at Okayama Denim was never really free. They included shipping costs in the final price.

For example at Hinoya the XX-003 costs roughly 200 $ as of today incl. tax whereas at OD they cost 215 $ (dunno if tax is included but shipping is). I don’t know how much the XX-003 will cost at OD after the price adjustment

I think Real McCoys went a similar route some years ago when they stopped Japanese retailers to ship to the rest of the world at all. Also Mr Freedom adjusted the prices in Japan as far as I know. Now we have to see if other brands follow this route. Full Count also forced Denimio to increase their prices but they went back down to Japanese retail but I don’t think they really stock Full Count anymore.

 

Edit: just to add that Hinoya also ships directly to your door. I would be really interested if this price adjustment only affects OD and Denimio as they are strongly targeted at the worldwide market and if the “normal” Japanese shops just continue like they did before.

Edited March 6, 2017 by beautiful_FrEaK

[BlackPig]

This is really bad that International customers have to pay more for PBJ and other brands that have forced retailers to increase the pricing.

Personally, I think it does their brand more harm than good, as I won't be paying more.

Time to seriously consider some of the Non-Japanese denim brands.

[TheIntelligentHoodwinker]

4 hours ago, beautiful_FrEaK said:

 

I think Real McCoys went a similar route some years ago when they stopped Japanese retailers to ship to the rest of the world at all. Also Mr Freedom adjusted the prices in Japan as far as I know. Now we have to see if other brands follow this route. Full Count also forced Denimio to increase their prices but they went back down to Japanese retail but I don’t think they really stock Full Count anymore.

Yeah. Denimio have very little left. They let you pre-order some stuff though, which suggests to me that they're essentially proxying it.

[ShootThePier]

That int'l pricing is crap. 

Who gets our extra $? PBJ or the shop that sells internationally?

PBJ doesn't make anything I would have to have regardless of price. They do make some things I would have liked to try, but not with blanket mark-up that has nothing to do with materials and production.

I'm actually surprised the stores didn't just drop PBJ. How does a store explain it to a loyal customer? OD needs loyal customers more than they need suppliers that never keep up with demand.

[kukupoint]

The mission of the Western dealers completed successfully,now all the layers of customers are equal-the same payment (at the top rate).There is a chance for obscure Japanese and other manufacturers,but they will also gradually raise prices,forced,IMHO.Time will judge.