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Dope & Drakkar jeans

lilldavid

By lilldavid
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lilldavid

lilldavid

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If this is cone denim I'm very surprised. I own several different LVC's and this denim is far superior to those. Dope + Drakkar own a cotton field of their own in Texas where they grow this super-organic cotton. Then, as I understand it, they make the denim on their own old american looms and sewing machines in Japan.

Here's what Eiichiri Sataka (founder and designer) has to say about his denim:

We start making my jeans by creating the denim fabric from scratch, with 100% organic cotton. That makes my denim original, and it is very important for us to tightly control each step of the production process. Unfortunately, we can’t get organic cotton within Japan, so we import our cotton from the United States, where the roots of denim exist. There is an organic cotton farm that is owned and run based on Japanese direction. They are the resource for my organic cotton, and I make yarn with it. The yarn’s thickness, the way it twists, all these details reflect on the final product. There are many advanced machines that allow you to make many yarns at one time, using waterpower or steam engine. However, we use authentic, original looms made in the 60s, that only make about 10 m of yarn a day. It takes time, but we can control every detail of the process. We make our original blue pigment obtained from indigo dye. We dye our organic cotton yarn carefully to our satisfaction, and then it goes to the weaving process. I believe every denim brand gives their respect to Levi’s, the originators of denim. However, execution of denim is varied by brand. We place careful attention on every process, starting with selecting the right cotton. You can feel the difference when you wear them. In Japan, we have outstanding machinery to make clothing and authentic looms which no other country has. Also, we have the craftsmen who can repair and maintain the authentic looms, as well as pass the skills on to younger generations. In short, we have the right hands and right tools here in Japan. I think jeans made in Japan with premium denim fabrics are second to none. I see many international brands incorporating denim made in Japan. They know the excellence of it. If other countries could make the fabrics as well, I don’t think anybody would care about importing denim made in Japan.

so yeah, there you have it. :)

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enojy

enojy

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Here's what Eiichiri Sataka (founder and designer) has to say about his denim:

WELL SAID. i need to print this shit out and carry it with me at all times (5), for all of my friends who have ever asked "why the hell would you spend $X on jeans?"

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pacioli

pacioli

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Then, as I understand it, they make the denim on their own old american looms and sewing machines in Japan.

Hi lildavid- can you direct me to where it is stated they use old American looms in Japan? I have been reading their European English-language website and cannot find that information anywhere.

The only information I can find on the looms they use is here: http://www.dopexdrakkar.eu/concept.html

There is a narrow loom shown but even from the small picture it does not look American.

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ikwhy

ikwhy

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If this is cone denim I'm very surprised. I own several different LVC's and this denim is far superior to those. Dope + Drakkar own a cotton field of their own in Texas where they grow this super-organic cotton. Then, as I understand it, they make the denim on their own old american looms and sewing machines in Japan.

Here's what Eiichiri Sataka (founder and designer) has to say about his denim:

We start making my jeans by creating the denim fabric from scratch, with 100% organic cotton. That makes my denim original, and it is very important for us to tightly control each step of the production process. Unfortunately, we can’t get organic cotton within Japan, so we import our cotton from the United States, where the roots of denim exist. There is an organic cotton farm that is owned and run based on Japanese direction. They are the resource for my organic cotton, and I make yarn with it. The yarn’s thickness, the way it twists, all these details reflect on the final product. There are many advanced machines that allow you to make many yarns at one time, using waterpower or steam engine. However, we use authentic, original looms made in the 60s, that only make about 10 m of yarn a day. It takes time, but we can control every detail of the process. We make our original blue pigment obtained from indigo dye. We dye our organic cotton yarn carefully to our satisfaction, and then it goes to the weaving process. I believe every denim brand gives their respect to Levi’s, the originators of denim. However, execution of denim is varied by brand. We place careful attention on every process, starting with selecting the right cotton. You can feel the difference when you wear them. In Japan, we have outstanding machinery to make clothing and authentic looms which no other country has. Also, we have the craftsmen who can repair and maintain the authentic looms, as well as pass the skills on to younger generations. In short, we have the right hands and right tools here in Japan. I think jeans made in Japan with premium denim fabrics are second to none. I see many international brands incorporating denim made in Japan. They know the excellence of it. If other countries could make the fabrics as well, I don’t think anybody would care about importing denim made in Japan.

so yeah, there you have it. :)

interesting... maybe i was mislead by the dude in hinoya... he did say something about "america cone mills"...

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kiya

kiya

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Hi lildavid- can you direct me to where it is stated they use old American looms in Japan? I have been reading their European English-language website and cannot find that information anywhere.

The only information I can find on the looms they use is here: http://www.dopexdrakkar.eu/concept.html

There is a narrow loom shown but even from the small picture it does not look American.

Very odd, because three or four years ago i met up with the American distro rep for D&D and he said specifically that they used Japanese made looms from the early twentieth century (Toyoda looms i'm assuming..).

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pacioli

pacioli

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yeah I know we've been down this road before, so I know this may be bogus info but on the tag that comes with the jeans it says this:

dnd1210tag.jpg

Thanks for pointing this out. This is very interesting. Vintage looms fascinate me.

Regarding "60' weaving machine" (aka looms) I wonder if they are referring to 1960's period looms or 60" width looms. The 60's was a time when double width American and European shuttle looms were in vogue, with some reaching widths of over 70". The closed selvage edge would have been discarded by garment manufacturers.

It is still possible to procure such an antique loom but it would require one heck of a steampunk to cut it in half, find/make the parts necessary to retrofit them to weave denim properly, and put it all together.

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pacioli

pacioli

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Definitely not only. The widening of shuttle looms is something I am trying to get more information on. It certainly did not start in the 60s but rather by then it was prominent.

When ACG started their mill in the 70's they began weaving on wide shuttles (I believe they were Picanols, Belgium origin) while shopping for shuttleless looms. If you want to read about ACG's history, which has a couple of loom tidbits buried in all the corporate name dropping, you can search for a cheap copy of Field to Fabric: The Story of American Cotton Growers By Jack Lichtenstein.

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lilldavid

lilldavid

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I got my pair in a shop in Berlin called Vampstar Salon. It's run by this really nice guy called Endo. So if you're ever there I recommend getting them there.

here's their website http://www.vamp-star.com/#showroom

here's a list of shops http://www.dopexdrakkar.com/dearer/dearer.html

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