The Kuroki jacket: why did we want to do things differently?
When we talk about "denim jacket" The first image that comes to mind is the famous "trucker jacket" that has been seen everywhere for decades.
We are the first to appreciate it (we even love it), and it will forever remain a classic of the male wardrobe... But we said to ourselves that this time, we could go a little further in this reflection, and offer you something really different.
Because honestly, the denim jacket has no shortage of variations that draw on retro inspiration or raw workwear.
In fact, even Type III, which is the more contemporary basic that we see everywhere, still has a very vintage connotation.
So if we talk about type II or I which are much more retro, there is no point in looking for modernity... It's vintage, or nothing!
Type I, type II, type III... For decades, even more than a century for some, nothing has changed in the design of denim jackets. We really wanted something different...
(Credits: Heddels )
We even see that nowadays, if a brand decides to make an original denim jacket, it will probably turn to something even more retro, with models that are directly inspired by work clothes from previous centuries... Very nice, but really not the most accessible.
In short, for over a century, nothing has really changed: there are big jeans buttons that adorn the front of the jacket, there are still those orange stitching derived from jeans, and those flap pockets on the chest...
Our mission: to create the denim jacket of our time
And we wanted a more modern, less loaded jacket , while retaining a certain nobility in the choice of denim, without losing this concern for authentic material that we find precisely on vintage models.
We thought of this jacket as the jacket that you could wear in perfect harmony with our white sneakers while keeping the same design philosophy. A little more racy, a little more sober, but not ordinary for all that.
There is the same state of mind that animated the creation of our sneakers: we have a piece that can be worn very easily with everything, but which nevertheless brings something pure and different in its lines.
We also wanted to create stronger lines, which enhanced the silhouette of the wearer, something that would look urban and modern. We didn't want to do "vintage" here, but really something contemporary.
So if we started from the historical type III, before creating and modernizing it, we first had to purify it.
It's simple: rather than adding elements, we thought we had to remove some.
More specifically, it was necessary to remove what gives the vintage connotation of a classic denim jacket, but without losing the essence of the shape of a real denim jacket. Are you following me? Ok, let's go...
The process: cleaner lines, more modern design
We start by tackling the most visible: those orange seams that have been seen and reviewed. They have therefore been replaced by tone-on-tone seams, which are more discreet.
Discreet tone-on-tone seams, which put the material at the heart of the subject.
Then, the visible metal buttons on the throat and on the chest pockets were removed. The lines of the jacket are lighter and a more contemporary look is finally starting to emerge…
The discreet snap buttons that replace the classic jeans buttons. Once closed, the jacket will have a continuous and pure central line rather than a row of buttons.
The same goes for the sleeves, which no longer have the classic buttons, but hidden press studs.
Still with the aim of purifying the silhouette, we have removed the flaps from the front pockets, and they now have the shape of a back pocket of jeans, a nod to our first fashion loves.
But to give a stronger line, we decided to run a seam line from the bottom of the jacket to the chest pocket. This allows for a more unique visual signature.
They should be seen as two lines of force that visually "carry" the front of this jacket, a bit like two beams in architecture.
The final touch: chest pockets without flaps, like those on the back of a pair of jeans, and a line of force that crosses them diagonally, to emphasize the silhouette and provide structure.
This adds structure to the whole, creating a line that draws the eye, and that the eye naturally follows when looking at the jacket.
The “stonewashed” shade: an aesthetic and practical choice
Finally, the question of color had to be addressed.
It was not possible to release a "bleached" shade like for our jeans, because it is the one that would have taken it the most towards a vintage connotation. And then as we explained to you in our article on the denim jacket , it is much simpler to combine different shades when you want to assemble several denim pieces in the same outfit. The tone on tone can very quickly give a very strange effect...
As for choosing canvas in its raw, unwashed state... It can have a lot of charm, but remember: indigo is an unstable pigment by nature, which tends to bleed very easily onto light colors.
So when it's a pair of pants that stain your shoes, it can be managed quite easily with proper care or by choosing dark colors... As for a jacket, we wanted to avoid staining all your shirts, knitwear, or light-colored t-shirts.
The beautiful nuances of the Kuroki canvas, in its "Stonewashed" version.
It was therefore quite natural that we chose a “stonewashed” shade !
As a reminder, this shade refers to denims that have been lightly washed to obtain a slightly brighter blue, which reveals some azure reflections, but is still rather dark in its overall shade.
(The name comes from the fact that it is usually done using pumice stones and numerous washes. But not here, as you will see very quickly...)
To summarize: with this stonewashed shade, we therefore obtain...
- a jacket that can be worn with all the jeans we have made so far: from raw to bleach, including gray or even canvas pants. The shades of blue are yours!
- A jacket that won't bleed all over your nice light-colored clothes. That's better, though, right?
With this "Stonewashed" shade, the most discerning among you can even have fun introducing subtle shades of blue with darker raw jeans, a navy shirt, a sky blue knit...
A few reminders about this Kuroki canvas and ozone washing…
It's the exact same fabric as our bleached denim: a 12.7 oz. Kuroki fabric and it's also an ozone wash (but lighter than our bleached denim).
The result is a canvas that is softer and more supple than a classic selvedge canvas, and whose fading highlights the magnificent irregularities in color and relief of this Japanese fabric.
A 12.7 oz Kuroki canvas meets ozone
Japanese denim lovers, you've probably come across the name Kuroki. They supply a lot of denim purist brands.
Established in 1950, they have the particularity of having a factory dedicated to dyeing, another to weaving, and a last one to finishing. They have enormous know-how in dyeing , because they know how to very finely adjust the different parameters that influence the final color (oxidation of the indigo, cotton used, etc.).
A real Japanese boss! Image taken from their website . Note the mention of pure water…
Little by little, they are investing more and more in the environment, particularly in the treatment of dyeing water .
They are also starting to install photovoltaic panels — currently, 10% of the energy consumed by Kuroki comes from the sun . Let's hope they continue on this path! I invite you to explore the dedicated page , it's a subject that seems close to their hearts.
For those who are curious, the creators of the US workwear brand 3sixteen have published a full article on Heddels about their visit to the factory.
Oh, and for the record, their most recent loom was purchased in 1958! So this is a fabric that is right in the Japanese folklore of the old loom that works very, very slowly…
An ozone wash?
We can say that our jeans are "ozone washed" ! As a reminder, ozone is a molecule composed of three oxygen atoms, with a powerful oxidizing power. If you have some knowledge of chemistry, here is a link that summarizes what is happening .
It is a much more ecological solution than a traditional wash obtained with water, enzymes, chemicals and pumice stone. Its operation is rather simple to understand: the jeans are moistened then exposed to this gas, to then be rinsed.
For example, for a single pair of jeans:
- 6 to 7 washes and rinses are traditionally necessary,
- compared to only 2 to 3 with an ozone wash .
Ozone washing thus helps to reduce:
- water consumption by 50%,
- energy consumption by 61%.
If you have the courage, here is the detailed breakdown of the energy expenditure of an ozone wash… And if you really want to dig deeper, I invite you to read this document from a machine manufacturer. And if you are still not satisfied, also read this document …
The ozone is then converted back into regular oxygen before being released into the environment!
The finishes: long live selvedge and hidden pockets!
Just because we've pared down the design doesn't mean we're going to deliver a piece without the little extra touches that make it so charming!
On the contrary, we focused on hidden details, because we know you love that!
Still in a nod to our Kurabo jeans, the chest pockets have hidden rivets, and if you look inside, you will see a selvedge border that borders each of them…
And there’s selvedge edging everywhere:
- the most visible is the one that runs along the bottom of the jacket, inside...
- inside the collar…
- then in the hand pockets, on the sides!
We really let the selvedge show through on the hidden parts of this jacket. It's an expensive thing to do, but these are the kind of "secret" details that only the wearer can appreciate, and that we care about.
And these pockets have a feature that we have not seen anywhere else: each of them contains an additional zipped pocket. So you have a zipped pocket inside another pocket. It's an "Inception" of pockets!
Indeed, it is never very reassuring to slip objects into pockets on a denim jacket, and here, you can secure some personal effects in the zipped pocket.
And finally, this jacket has a neat interior, thanks to beautiful blue braids that finish all the seams. The bonus is obviously the Sahsiko patterned lining, like on our bleach jeans. We wanted a sober exterior design, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't have a little fun on the hidden parts!
The seams are braided for the cleanest possible finish, and we used the "Sashiko" lining of our bleach jeans as a reminder of the Japanese world of Kuroki canvas.
Our lightweight Maruwa cotton linen shirt and its exclusive blue
But what is this shirt that we see in the distance...?
Remember our Japanese flannel shirt from this winter? Now we want to offer you an equivalent for the nicer days!
Here, it’s a cotton/linen blend (45/55%) that comes to us straight from Maruwa.
... This is the new arrival from the Japan Line! An ideal shirt for sunny days, and to give more personality to a very simple outfit.
We wanted to choose a pattern that would bring variety between your plain shirts, and we had to keep that Japanese touch that we like so much.
The solution? We asked Maruwa to develop a color especially for us!
All in shades of blue and more or less irregular gradients for the Japanese side.
Yes, it is a totally exclusive color that you will not find anywhere else!
It must be said that there is something exhilarating about knowing that a renowned Japanese manufacturer has configured its loom according to our specific requests, just for us...
We can clearly see the gradients of the checks here, they are what bring a unique touch compared to a classic checked shirt.
As you know, I'm not a big fan of very "first degree" checks on shirts, which is why I much prefer it when there is subtlety, blending, very light gradients between the colors, as you can see in the photos.
Regarding the origin of raw materials, the origin of raw cotton is distributed as follows: USA 60%, Brazil 20%, Australia 10% and Greece 10%. It is then spun and woven in Japan.
Here, for lovers of detail, a very close-up of the material, where we can clearly see how the colored threads gradually mix.
As for the linen, it comes from Belgium!
And for the more technical among you, its weight is 157 g/m2, which corresponds to a rather light hand.
The hand of the cotton linen of the shirt contrasts very well with the wool flannel of our sleeveless vest. It is a very simple spring outfit to compose, especially in terms of colors, and which allows you to face variations in temperature characteristic of spring.
The color of the patterns will go particularly well with khaki or olive shades.
Small final note: in this very Japanese universe, it is Boras from the Borasification blog who volunteered to wear our April clothes. A big thank you to him!
How to get the new products for April?
Our clothes are available on our e-shop and in our boutiques in Paris , Lyon and Bordeaux . The choice is yours!
