Which Japanese denim maker is the most artisanal?

[kolecho]

Is it Studio, Samurai, Sugar Canes, Iron Heart, Real McCoy etc?

[Stacks]

Unquantifiable concept.

[akuma no uta]

Now that I own some canes I'd have to say them. Their denim is mindblowing.

[choice_genes]

Have to agree with Stacks here.

Although maybe you could argue that something like Studio Zero is 'more artisanal' than say Sugar Canes, since SC's designs are largely quite conservative.

[Handlethevibe]

lol, "most artisanal".

[Stacks]

true, most art is anal

vv i know that :/

[coleslawyum]

Funny thing is that its a real word.

Denim is about making money, not art. If art gets made in the process of making money, then thats a "happy accident."

[salaami]

how do we define most artisanal? seems impossible to measure, although some labels produce jeans that are more 'authentic' than others. maybe artisanal leans more towards 'most painstakingly made'

[.API.]

"Denim is about making money, not art. ..."

i would have to argue that this may be the worst quote of the day. this is exactly whats wrong over here these days.. lack of respect for the craftsman of days gone by...

mass produced denim that is sold in the walmarts of the world is not art, but take the "denim is art idea" and take a good long hard look at the Oni Shoai denim sometime and tell me its not artistic in nature...

art is in the craft, when a craft or trade is mastered, the craftsman becomes an artist, not only in his creation, but in the movements he makes to create it.

as for the original question, salaami put it pretty well i what i believe you were meaning ("painstakingly reproduced..."). artisanal needs quantification because there are an overwhelming number of different ways your question could be answered. maybe artisanal wasn't the word you were looking for..

[salaami]

yeah, when i think 'artisanal' i think more like in terms of bread. like wal-mart jeans are wonder bread, and ooe yofukutens are like a panera if you will...

[toruokada]

In my opinion, the answer to API and Coleslawyum's discussion is somewhere inbetween. People wouldn't be in the high-end denim business if they weren't going to make any money but people also wouldn't be in the high-end denim business if their only goal was to make money.

[Stacks]

I don't think craftsmanship = art. A great craftsman needn't make great art, just great quality product. At least for me, art inspires thought. I love my denim, but ultimately its purpose (for me) is to cover my legs, not to inspire thought.

And this is from someone who owns OniShoai. I appreciate every aspect of the creation process, and admire the craftsmanship that is responsible for them, but I couldn't say these great jeans move me the same way great (traditional) art does.

[artificialsky]

somehow this thread reminds me of those heady 05-06 days, when everyone was discovering raw denim.

[.API.]

i was not so much referring to the descriptor "craftsmanship" as much as just the act of creation. watching a master work his trade always seemed a bit artistic to me, almost like watching a performance or watching an animal stalk prey.... maybe art, as with beauty, is truly in the eye of the beholder.... or at least thats what they tell you anyway..

[Quinnskimo]

^good call. stacks just isn't feeling the love. maybe you should watch this video. using a "machine" that looks like its been around since the 1800s to make those shoai you're bitching about in the Oni thread feels like art to me. Taking the whole process, include that of wearing, into account, it's hard to just brush aside the process of making them as "craftsmanship." There is something more to it (though, apparently not for some).

csPL3WQrLRM

[salaami]

art is in the eye of the beholder, so we'll never end this discussion.