Studio D'Artisan XXX28 - Extra Special Denim

[Guest lewis@noverre]

Studio D'Artisan are releasing a very special model this spring - the XXX28. The denim is dyed with natural indigo found on a small island off the coast of Japan. It is made from the finest organic Zimbabwe cotton and the features a beautiful cordovan leather badge. It comes in a wooden presentation box and also includes a denim banner. The fit is low/medium rise and a regular straight feel to the leg. The selvedge is pink as you can see in the images. I'll have more images once I get it in stock in a few weeks but here is a sneak preview from some images I took at SDA HQ in Osaka last November. European Stockists will be Solo Sweden, Concrete Amsterdam and Superdenim.co.uk

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa223/lewishull/IMG_1166.jpg

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa223/lewishull/IMG_1167.jpg

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa223/lewishull/IMG_1168.jpg

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa223/lewishull/IMG_1169.jpg

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa223/lewishull/IMG_1170.jpg

Also see the SDA website link:

http://www.dartisan.co.jp/bottoms7.html

[who8mahrice]

Ooo, looks very nice. I like the patch color a lot.

[takashi]

The "small island off the coast of Japan" you mention is actually Shikoku (四国), one of the four main islands which comprise Japan (the others are Honshu, Kyushu, and Hokkaido). It is a huge island with a large population, railways, airports, etc, etc. Natural indigo was traditionally harvested in Tokushima prefecture, in the northeast region, and today it remains the biggest source of the crop. It is no accident that this area is just across the the strait from Okayama prefecture, home of traditional fabric production and dying, and where many jeans manufacturers are today located.

Learn a little bit about Japan..!

Best Regards,

Takashi

[cabl3]

some good info Takashi. and the jeans are nice...price tag on those known yet?

[SeanUCSB]

This was on the link provided above....damn pricey....

￥52,290（税込み）

[RobZ]

First time I've ever seen pink selvage. I still am not a fan of the arcuates but I hope somebody picks these up.

+Rep to takashi for the information.

[HEWSINATOR]

This is the first I have heard about superdenim the store. I wonder how the powers that be here feel about that, as I can see no affiliation?

[mrpenguin354]

Just wait til the shoes thread hears about the cordovan patch...

::drools::

[bustinxjustin]

Those look beautiful, but damn they are expensive!

[tweeds]

thanks for the correction, takashi-san - is there a reason why the main indigo crops are located across the strait in tokushima, and not right alongside the milling and dyeing processes in okayama?

[rollups]

They are very expensive! Superdenim is not cheap either so they will be a fortune from that site!

[takashi]

thanks for the correction, takashi-san - is there a reason why the main indigo crops are located across the strait in tokushima, and not right alongside the milling and dyeing processes in okayama?

It’s a good question Mr tweedles, but there is simply not enough agricultural land in Okayama, which, except for a narrow coastal strip, is quite a hilly prefecture. Most of Shikoku is hilly too, but there is a broad plain around Tokushima which supports an extensive amount of agriculture. Before Japan was opened up to the West in 1868, indigo was one of the most important crops in this area. After that, the production of indigo declined, for several reasons --- first, it became possible to import indigo (from India, courtesy of the British), thereby freeing up the land for the more important production of rice; second, in 1897 the German company BASF discovered how to produce indigo synthetically; and third, in the new liberal atmosphere of the Meiji period, colors other than blue became fashionable for the working classes (up until then, blue was the color of the clothing which common people wore, because indigo was the cheapest kind of dye available, and also in some areas there were actually laws forbidding them from wearing other colors, which were reserved for the aristocrats).

[fre-co]

Very interesting Takashi. Thanks for another great post.

So is the indigo cultivation still on a very small scale and most of the tokushima land used for rice crops, or is land being reused for indigo now that it is more popular with artisanal clothing manufacturers, and therefore profitable again?

[tweeds]

comprehensively answered takashi-san.

appreciate the touching on related topics--the historical significance of indigo [which ringring brings up in another thread if i can find it again...] and more recently the significance of synthetic indigo.

[Superstar]

The "small island off the coast of Japan" you mention is actually Shikoku (四国), one of the four main islands which comprise Japan (the others are Honshu, Kyushu, and Hokkaido). It is a huge island with a large population, railways, airports, etc, etc. Natural indigo was traditionally harvested in Tokushima prefecture, in the northeast region, and today it remains the biggest source of the crop. It is no accident that this area is just across the the strait from Okayama prefecture, home of traditional fabric production and dying, and where many jeans manufacturers are today located.

Learn a little bit about Japan..!

Best Regards,

Takashi

touché... konichiwa bitches !

[Spastic_Koala]

Wow, that was extremely hepful takashi. Thank you very much!

[midnight]

Tried these on today at BiG and was pretty impressed. I'm thinking about getting a pair but I can't tell if takashi is trying to say the indigo is of a lower quality than most other natural indigos, if it is on par, or if it better. For that price I don't want to be paying for low quality natural indigo. Also, anybody know if they're died by hand? Thanks a lot!

[lance]

I have a pair and they are beautiful. Be forewarned, they do not shrink as much as advertised. I bought the size 36 which is 38” waist and 38” length raw and after several washes, two in very hot water, the length is 36 1/2” and the waist remains 38; they are apparently sanforized so you should not expect much shrinkage. As for the dye, what I understand from Gordon and from reading about the denim, the yarn is dipped up to 50 times in a very good natural indigo dye. I would buy a second pair of XXX-28 in a minute if I could find size 34.

[sell veg]

First time I've ever seen pink selvage. I still am not a fan of the arcuates but I hope somebody picks these up.

+Rep to takashi for the information.

?! Never seen pink selvedge? It is everywhere. although I concede that the selvedge on the xxx28 does look pretty unique.

[Turntabloid]

mine (w36) came

38"

39.5"

pre-soaked and turned out

37"

38"

post-soak (hot wash)!

i doubt that they are sanforized.

they feature a second hidden cordovan patch in the left back pocket and hidden pink selvage in the coin pocket. run is limited to 161!