YEN jeans

[billy]

Hey,

Saw these jeans in a shop yesterday -looked real nice but quite pricey. Before I get them just wanted to know what anyone thinks of them. Worth the money or not? Thanks

[ringring]

There's 2 parts to Yen. Made in Japan and made in Italy. Quality-wise, they are very good. Their worth depends on your taste and your wallet.

[absolut]

they look nice.

sold anywhere in the usa?

[skecr8r]

Haven't visited the site in a long time, but I still have the url:

http://www.yenjeans.net/englishred/index.html

Denim Fanatismé.

[micro]

yen jeans are so wack its ridiculous

looks like a bad version of an enyce jean

[juxtaposed]

i am sorry micro, but i have to disagree.

if you would read carefully through that website provided, you would see that the japanese red labels exclusive line, has top notch quality, maybe only comparabable to 45 rpm and nudies veggie indigo. theres a reason why only 20-30 (!) pairs of those jeans are manufactured annually / each year..ok?

these are probably the best jeans in the world..

[skecr8r]

Hardly.

Denim Fanatismé.

[Blanc0]

Edited by Blanc0 on May 17, 2005 at 07:46 AM

[dunkin deeznuts]

yen jeans x vans........

www.wellbred.org

[sr20det]

weren't yens billed as an evisu bite?

All of the wick wack that wanna be abstract

But they lack the new knack that's comin from way way back

[yen_kid0]

Like ringring said, their worth depends on your own taste. Personally I think Michiko Koshino is ahead of her time in terms of design. I own a few pairs of the orange label and I think they are fantastic jeans. Haven't seen any red label around here but i def wouldnt mind a pair of red label dry selvage!

Evisu biter? I don't think so!

Try it, you'll like it!

[skecr8r]

Definitely Evisu Biter. The older versions had a yellow Yen sign on both pockets and the exact same cut as a Lot2001 Evisu jean.

They are nice enough, I'll convinced a few of my popped-evisu-too-standard-now friends to get some pairs, and they are good quality.

Denim Fanatismé.

[juxtaposed]

i dont think that yen jeans are biters. the italian line (orange label is maybe).

but the japanese line (red label) and especially the ryukyu shoai line is definitely a high-end denim brand.

it features selvedge, natural indigo dying, hand weaving, etc. these jeans are crazy limited..only 20-30 pairs are made each year..because its all hand-crafted.

thats why i think its the best jeans you can get.

please tell me if i m wrong and why??

check out the link:

http://www.yenjeans.net/englishred/index.html

[Geowu]

what's the price of those?

if it is all hand-crafted then the sewing is made by needle by hand and so on? this has some advantages if done right, the tension on the stitching is better (at least on hand-sewed shirts).

If its so expensive (it must be) then you could use cashmere, silk, etc.. instead of cotton, right? But if the cut is vintage Levis then I would not think it is the best jeans.

[juxtaposed]

i dont know how much they cost.

the sewing is done by machines, not by hand.

but the weaving is done manually. as far as i understood it right, they dont use shuttle looms, there is this one guy who does it all by hand. also the dying with special natural indigo (blended with some plant blossoms and earth pigments) is done manually.

they use zimbabwe cotton which us ring-spun then.

thats why it takes forever to get a jeans manufactured, and the limited output.

regarding cuts, i think they should be well cut also. anybody who is willing to spend more than i would guess between 500-1000 dollars, can expect a decent cut.

[yen_kid0]

sorry for the newbie question, but how do u see the orange label as being an evisu biter? what have i missed? I could understand if you see red label, with the vintage cut and backpocket design, but then couldnt this be said for most vintage-repro styled jeans?

fill me in?

Try it, you'll like it!

[rakis]

I don't remember these being mentioned but for those in London I have seen Yen jeans in their boutique/outlet near Soho/Carnaby Street....if I remember correctly the raw denim/selvedge range was about £110-130....

Anybody own a pair? Any info on quality of these?

Yen site (for ease of reference):

http://www.yenjeans.net/blog/media/index.html

[Corbin Law]

ive seen em on japaense sites n such, but never in person, anyone have any poerson experience with them?

chwa?

[AlohaBoy]

i own two yen jeans one red with selvedge, and other orange! but what you want to know?

[rakis]

I've seen them in person but not tried them on yet. Just wanted to know what type of cutting the different ones are. I can't carry off the tapered slim-fit type jeans so need to get something that is straight all through. My APC-Le Anglaise. Edwin Rainbow and Nudies RR all have the straight cut.

Also what is the difference in quality between the various tags (i.e. red vs. orange?)

Thanks.

[takashi]

I have a couple of pairs -- the 110 (right-hand-twill) and 115 (left-hand-twill).

The red-label are the Japanese-made line, the orange-label the Italian-made line. Not all are selvege, so check.

The 105 line are the classic 501-type jeans, slim (ish) leg; they have a black back-patch. The 110 and 115 are kind of wide-leg hip-hop style. I'd suggest you try the 110.

The 105 and 110 are both available dry unwashed. They shrink down to tag size so don't 'add a size' to what you normally wear. The 115 comes one-wash.

Yen are quite common in Europe but don't seem to be distributed in the US.

[AlohaBoy]

what you need to know about redlabel yen jeans, takashi already said... i can tell you that i prefer the orange label cut, because is more actual, and fashion, is that kind of jeans even a person who don´t know anything about denim will love... but the quality is better on redlabel, selvedge and dry unwashed... i like them both

[Ahlvahroe]

I was wondering are Yens, the redlabel, are sanforized ? I was doing some research but the google translations of the Japanese sites are a bit vague sometimes. Thanks in advance.

[rakis]

Takashi, thanks fo rthe heads up. They retail for up to £150 here. I also popped in to Designworks and they are also have some japanese selvedge. When I was examining the jeans, the shop assistant shouted out at me, "Those are the highest quality of denim you can buy on the market!!!".....I sort of turned and said that I knew about the denim being selvedge but I was not too sure that that was the "highest quality denim"...price was £180!!!......I can't remember what brand of japanese denim it was though......

In any event, I had bought of pair of Japanese made Edwins (Waynesville) for £80 from Interstate and had a long chat about denim with the owner in there so I was not too convinced that I would have to splash £180 for the "best quality denim"...

[docdoom]

I like interstate. I bet the edwins were much better quality than some overpriced bullshit in the other shop. Did you go in the edwin shop in cov garden?

[takashi]

Quote:

I was wondering are Yens, the redlabel, are sanforized ? I was doing some research but the google translations of the Japanese sites are a bit vague sometimes. Thanks in advance.

--- Original message by Ahlvahroe on Oct 30, 2005 10:04 PM

No, they're not sanforized -- the Yen dry denim models will shrink down quite a lot, but this is already compensated for in the tag sizing (for example: if it's labelled 32, then 32 is the size the jeans will be after shrinking).

I'm a fan of the unwashed model 105 rigid jeans. Very nicely made (flat fell inside seams, etc), with brown weft, a rough hand, and absolutely loaded with indigo.

Edited by takashi on Oct 31, 2005 at 07:58 AM

[takashi]

Quote:

Takashi, thanks fo rthe heads up. They retail for up to £150 here. I also popped in to Designworks and they are also have some japanese selvedge. When I was examining the jeans, the shop assistant shouted out at me, "Those are the highest quality of denim you can buy on the market!!!".....I sort of turned and said that I knew about the denim being selvedge but I was not too sure that that was the "highest quality denim"...price was £180!!!......I can't remember what brand of japanese denim it was though......

In any event, I had bought of pair of Japanese made Edwins (Waynesville) for £80 from Interstate and had a long chat about denim with the owner in there so I was not too convinced that I would have to splash £180 for the "best quality denim"...

--- Original message by rakis on Oct 31, 2005 03:38 AM

The brand they carry there is Full Count, which is a decent and well-established Japanese brand.

As for being "the highest quality of denim you can buy on the market", well, shop assistants would say that, wouldn't they? They are very good quality indeed, but there are so many very good quality Japanese brands it's not very meaningful to talk about 'the best' --- it's more useful to talk about the differences in cuts, fits, detailing and types of denim.

I like Interstate too.. I think the Edwins are excellent value for money. Strangely, the "Edwin" shop that just opened on Neal Street doesn't carry Edwin's own Japanese red selvage lines (it carries the Italian-made Edwin rainbow selvage, and some Japanese non-selvage lines).

Edited by takashi on Oct 31, 2005 at 08:02 AM

[sybaritical]

Quote: In any event, I had bought of pair of Japanese made Edwins (Waynesville) for £80 from Interstate and had a long chat about denim with the owner in there so I was not too convinced that I would have to splash £180 for the "best quality denim"...

Not wishing to come across as a pedant, but I was under the impression both from personal enquiries with the staff there and my own inspection that the Edwin Interstate sells is manufactured in Europe (Germany I think). Least it was when I checked last year. I'm sure they're still lovely jeans, but IMO it's cheeky if it is and they're telling everyone it originates in Japan.

[rakis]

Really? The chap I spoke to (older dude with dreadlocks) was telling me that my Edwins (rainbow selvedge) were made in Italy whereas the Waynesville were made only for Interstate and made in Japan!!!

Maybe I am missing something? If not, then maybe someone can clear this up for us?

Also, the prices in Interstate are almost £30 cheaper compared to the Edwin store in Covent Garden. Rainbow selvedge is £99 (Edwin store: £130) and the Greenville line is only £69 (anbout £130 in Edwin store if I remember correctly)....I know Interstate have been carrying Edwins for the longest time but this is the first time I am hearing Germany mentioned.....<u> </u>

[docdoom]

Edwin cov. garden told me that nashvilles were being discontinued but still a few being supplied to interstate as a kinda 'gentlemans handshake' thing.

I cant really see the edwin store doing that well to be honest. People into denim probably know about interstate.