If there is one piece that we associate with Japanese know-how, it is raw denim. And it has been a very long time since we made you new jeans in Japanese canvas at BonneGueule! You will see, it is not Japanese denim for nothing: it may surprise you.
So without further ado, let's talk in detail about these new, somewhat special jeans, starting with where they come from...
Here he is, the new kid joining our indigo family!
A confidential supplier... literally!
No, you're not dreaming: unlike usual, we won't give you the name of the spinning mill that produced this denim. It's top secret, and that's just the way it is!
Well, to tell the truth, it's already happened once or twice at BonneGueule.
For two of our shirts in the so-called "Essentials" range, we found a little-known supplier whose quality/price ratio was so good that we decided not to talk about it... And this was to protect our research and product development work, and not to find our shirt copied by another brand a few months later.
We don't always think about it, but the two most valuable things a brand has in the textile world are probably knowledge of the product and contact with its suppliers.
Whether it's the workshops that assemble the pieces or the weavers, without these players, the brand does not exist...
But on the other hand, without the astute choices of a product manager and the keen eye of a designer, you can have the best suppliers in the world, the basic idea behind the product and its execution will be poorly thought out.
These are the two elements that allow it to offer a slightly unique product each time, and not a clone identical to all the other basics on the market. And when you pay for a product from a great brand, you pay for that too, even if we talk about it less than the material, the manufacturing, or the quality of service.
For all these reasons, we hope that you will understand our approach to protecting our work.
In fact, the first ones to suggest that we not reveal the name of our supplier were our Japanese contacts themselves, those who helped us find this supplier. They told us bluntly, "If we were in your place, we wouldn't communicate about it, because you are really the only ones working with them in France."
Our friend Boras from the Borasification blog has once again taken part in the shooting game. Here, he remains faithful to the origins of jeans, worn in a slightly "loose" look with a noragi jacket. (Maison Cornichon tee, Visvim boots, Jinji necklace. For the Noragi, Boras tells us that he has recently been developing his own pieces himself. His brand is called Borali )
How did we find this Japanese gem?
I can tell you that it was not easy to find this supplier. To achieve this, we called on a Japanese company that we met on site, which does "representative" work. Its job: to oversee very small independent weavers, who produce rare fabrics in small quantities, in order to offer their materials to brands. Their work is of high quality, but no one knows them outside of local players.
We are talking about suppliers so small and unknown that they cannot even be found at trade fairs dedicated to textiles.
So, not only are we certain that we are the only ones in France working with this one, but we might even be the only ones in Europe...
In a few words: if you ever find the same material elsewhere, from the same supplier, Benoit is ready to shoot a "Let's Talk Clothes" with a pink faux fur hat and overalls ...we will be truly surprised. This is what we can call a truly exclusive material.
Quick reminder: what are raw jeans and why do we like them?
I don't want to lose the newbies along the way, so let's do a little refresher.
To sum up very simply, raw denim is denim whose fabric has not been washed after its production. Its indigo dye, unstable by nature, is still entirely impregnated in the fabric, which therefore has a dark shade, very saturated in pigment.
What makes raw denim interesting is, on the one hand, the authentic, vintage and robust aspect of the fabric when it is still new. And on the other hand, its particular wash, the patina it obtains over time as the indigo lightens in places, and the jeans "personalize" themselves according to the life and body of their wearer.
If you want more details on this process, I suggest you kill two birds with one stone and read my article on the care of raw denim . You will understand how it all works. And in addition, you will know how to take care of your jeans in order to have the best possible wash.
This time, it is worn with our new Japanese denim shirt, our white sneakers , and a Maison Cornichon t-shirt. The easy outfit in all circumstances, beautiful and simple like raw denim.
Japanese denim that (really) stands out
But what exactly does it bring us to go and find this material in the depths of a tiny, little-known spinning mill?
It's simple: it's probably the most "denimhead" canvas we've ever offered.
Our Kurabo canvas is very high quality raw denim, but with it, we chose classic characteristics that would appeal to the greatest number of denim lovers.
So with this new jean, we wanted to surprise you, and to make you discover all the variety that the Japanese are capable of on denim. We wanted to address those who are looking for fabrics a little more "special", more exotic. Basically this denim is a bit of a consecration of the pilgrimage that Benoît and Geoffrey recently made to Japan .
So if you are sensitive to what the big "purist" denim brands like Momotaro, Oni, Pure Blue Japan, Studio d'Artisan, or Resolute are doing, we think you will like these jeans.
Here is the "selvedge" border characteristic of old looms. They are most often red and white, but not always! There are all sorts of varieties, and they are all "signatures" that distinguish the different fabrics. This time, ours is off-white, with blue dots! Also note the slightly "burnished" appearance of the white weft thread, which reinforces the vintage look of this fabric.
Low tension denim: comfort and texture
Its first distinguishing feature is the "low-tension" weaving. Through an "in-house" adjustment From some vintage looms, the weaver manages to produce denim with a less tight weave and less taut threads.
Result: on the one hand the weft thread comes out a little more and gives a more pronounced grain. And on the other hand, comfort is improved, since the jeans have greater natural flexibility. Rather nice when you know that most raw jeans are extremely rigid to start with, and require a certain amount of wearing before they relax.
By the way, to talk about the weft thread again, the most perceptive among you will have noticed that it has something different. Its color is slightly browned, rather than being bright white. And this "ecru" aspect reinforces the vintage side of the canvas, recalling the natural color of cotton when it has not been bleached.
What do we notice in this photo, apart from our friend Boras wearing our sneakers and our new jeans? Well note that he is very well installed, in a very comfortable posture, in Japanese jeans that are nevertheless brand new and without stretch: this is what this "low-tension" weave allows.
“Unsanforized” jeans for a canvas with character
The second original point here concerns the treatment of the canvas. Perhaps you have already heard of "unsanforized" denims?
Sanforizing is a technical process, invented by the American Sanford Lockwood Cluett at the beginning of the 20th century, which allows cotton to remain more stable, not to shrink excessively, to soften and to soften. But therefore, the very first denims were not sanforized.
And as you can learn from the excellent book Ametora (which I highly recommend to anyone interested in Japanese fashion), the pioneers of Japanese denim have made it their mission to resurrect the original American garment, and even to be "even more faithful than the original" . In this spirit of pushing "purism" even further than the source of inspiration itself, they have therefore brought back into fashion "unsanforized" denim.
No surprise, raw denim can be used as a base for any type of outfit. Here Boras wears it with a Dry Bones printed shirt and Universal Works x GH Bass loafers
And in doing so, they noticed that, despite its instability (unsanforized jeans can shrink up to 2 sizes in the wash!), they had a unique character, a textural charm even more marked than classic raw jeans. For the brands I was talking about earlier, "unsanforized" denim is even a production standard.
And there, I can already see your worries coming...
Don't panic. We know it would be complicated for you... And for us too, by the way. Obviously, we found a little solution to avoid this kind of trouble, which I will explain to you right after.
But first, let's quickly go back to what makes this painting so special...
Fluffy like a blue chick
It's the final aspect of this jean that makes it unlike your average raw jean: small cotton fibers that dot its surface and create a new texture on top of the grain of the weave.
Okay, come on... I'll even reveal something to you that I'm not supposed to say here: between us, at the product department, Benoît, Julien, Charlotte and I, we affectionately call it "the hairy jean" .
So, it's sure that it doesn't sell very well when you say it like that, and we wouldn't want to shock the customer by making them believe that these jeans are a big, still-living creature...
But note that American workwear fans have no trouble talking about "hairy denim" , and have no problem singing the praises of these fabrics with a very marked vintage character.
In fact, it would be more accurate to say that these jeans are "fluffy" . Like a flannel, its surface is covered with small cotton fibers that give it this appearance. Except that unlike this one, this is not obtained by scratching the surface of the jeans, but thanks to the type of cotton selected!
The famous little down: when you look at the jeans at an angle, it is even more visible, and the "snowy" effect is revealed to you.
Did you know that, depending on the room and the desired effect, different types of cotton are preferred?
For dress shirts, for example, we look for the finest and longest fibers, to obtain a very smooth, very soft and luminous final fabric. And if long fibers have the reputation of being "very high-end", short fibers also have their uses.
Because it is precisely these shorter fibers that interest our supplier here, and exclusively these! Thanks to their thickness and their shorter length, they bristle more easily on the canvas, and form this characteristic down. That said, it is not soft as a flannel either, because underneath these little "hairs", you have a good old rough Japanese raw denim.
And that's the whole point of this canvas: aesthetically, we find that the contrast is great, between the very "soft" and "cottony" down, and the textured aspect of a Japanese canvas. The two blend together wonderfully. And from certain angles with the right light, you'll have the impression that this denim is covered with a thin layer of indigo "snow".
A one-wash wash to make your life easier
Well, now that we've explained everything to you, we imagine that you want to try this purist denim.
But as I said above, we also know that not everyone is ready to accept all the drawbacks that come with "unsanforized" jeans. Because jeans that shrink two or three sizes when washed, that are as stiff as cardboard (yes, even more than your usual raw ones) when new... Let's just say that you have to be a little passionate to accept these constraints.
So we found a compromise: we gave these jeans a one-wash.
This is the lightest industrial wash possible, which keeps your raw denim looking very close to its original appearance, but makes the fabric and dye a little more stable. You can therefore wash this denim without fear of excessive shrinkage , as is normally found on most "unsaforised" fabrics. But still follow the care instructions for raw denim.
What's nice about the "one-wash" wash is that it's also one of the most aesthetic, in my opinion, when it's done on a beautiful canvas. Because it lightens the indigo very slightly, so as to give it a brighter, more shimmering blue. You can compare it with a classic new raw jean, and you'll see the difference in shade.
The light one-wash brings out more shimmering shades of blue within the indigo dye.
And last but not least, it makes the jeans much more flexible.
And precisely, this wash combined with the natural flexibility of this "low-tension" fabric will make it one of the most comfortable Japanese jeans you will ever try. Especially on 100% cotton like here, without the slightest trace of stretch.
When I first put on the jeans, I was very surprised that they were so comfortable to wear given their very raw appearance. So you have "the cake and eat it too" as they say: the authenticity of unsanforized AND the comfort of washed jeans.
Well, on the other hand it still bleeds like real raw denim. This guarantees you a very nice patina over time, but be careful when you wear certain clothes or shoes clear.
The cut and details that have already seduced you
To accompany a beautiful canvas, you need a good cut. And you need the right details.
We therefore kept the cut of the Bleach Ozone jeans, fitted in the thigh without being tight, with a fairly tight leg opening, but balanced by enough ease in the pelvis to be comfortable.
You've had good feedback on this cut, and we're delighted to see in store that it flatters a wide range of body shapes.
Fabric relaxation wise, it is similar to Bleach. So present, but moderate. Estimate that it will relax about a half size to a full size.
So you can choose it well-fitted or even a little tight, depending on your preferences, and it will become even more flexible over time. Choose the same size as for Bleach and Candiani jeans.
Double lined loops, and vegetable-tanned leather patch... We don't change good habits.
In terms of finishes, we maintain the high-end standards that you have already seen on Kurabo and Bleach Ozone jeans:
- Hidden rivets on the back pockets, so as not to damage your armchairs and sofas when you sit down.
- Double loops, to adapt more easily to different belt widths, and lined with a very strong fabric on the reverse side, to hold up better over time, and resist friction against the belt... In short, they are "double-lined"!
- The interior is fully braided. Simply for a prettier finish, and because it's nice to see clean white braid instead of sewing threads when you put on your jeans.
Have you noticed one of our clothes from Japan?
Our low-tension selvedge jeans, the workwear jacket in textured fabric and our light or dark denim shirts are available in our boutiques in Paris , Lyon and Bordeaux and on our e-shop .
