Saturday, January 24, 2009

Brand Profile - Omnigod

When i traveled Japan, i ran into the Omnigod flagship store in Kyoto. Back then, i read about the brand once or twice, but never got a good look at the products. The store looked promising from the outside, with big roles of selvage denim greeting the customers.


Here you can see the (orange) selvage denim. Peep my dad's Red Wing 877 for size comparison.

It's Omnigod's mission to create simple, basic clothing for a comfortable everyday life. The brand is part of Domingo (based in Kojima), who also carry the brand Spellbound. The aesthetic resembles to brands like 45RPM and Pure Blue Japan. Relaxed clothing made from the finest cotton available, with great craftsmanship.

Unlike other Japanese brands, Omnigod knows how to create superb washes on their jeans, denim shirts & jackets. So if you're lazy, have a salaryman lifestyle or cannot deal with wearing unwashed denim, the Omnigod prewashes sure are something to look out for. Pricewise as well, as a pair goes for 11.000 - 22.000 yen, which is cheap compared to others.

When i left the store (empty-handed, i didn't buy anything because i had time left in Japan and didn't want to spend money until i handled some other brand as well - stupidly enough i didn't find Omnigod anymore afterwards) the friendly SA ran after us to give me and my dad a booklet about the brand. Unfortunately, i don't have a scanner but i did try to photograph a couple pages. This never really works out properly, but it gives you an idea of the fading capabilities. Too bad Photobucket re sizes the images... I'll find out another way to upload my high-res pics soon.






Check out their website for the latest goods and the 'Standard Lineup': http://www.omnigod.jp/

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Pure Blue Japan XX-007 at 2 months

As i said before, i also want to use my blog as an evolution journal for my jeans. First up is my pair of PBJ xx-007, which is something different as both the warp and weft are dyed with indigo.

It's made out of 14,5oz denim, and the texture is amazing. One of the slubbiest out there!






Saturday, January 17, 2009

Brand Profile - Higuma Jeans

Higuma ('brown bear') Jeans is a small brand from the northern regions of Japan, Hokkaido. The special thing about these jeans is that they are dyed with onions. Sure, we've seen persimmon, mud and tea dyes before, but an onion dye sure is something else.

I tried to figure out what the dye would add to improve the color. Essentially, a normal pair of indigo jeans are dyed to darken the warp and weft. This way the jeans will have a brownish tint to them when worn for a longer period of time.

The denim used on these is 13,5oz and the leatherpatch is made out of goatskin.

On to the pictures:


Back of the jeans, with a lovely cinch back:


The dying process:


Before and after:


The tab:

I'm not quite sure if i'd like to wear this for an extended period of time, but at least it's something different again. Higuma makes two different models, the HWP-1 and the HGM-1. Fitwise, they seem pretty similar, and to be honest i can't really tell where the difference lies.
Unfortunately, for those who just fell in love and are taller than 5', you're gonna miss out on these. There's just one inseam, and it's 32" long. Strictly for the Japanese market, as it seems.

Pictures used in this post are courtesy of Higuma Jeans (www.higumajeans.com).

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

PRPS "New Fit" Selvage

These PRPS jeans were my first pair of truly gorgeous denim. Bought in February 2007, but they have only been worn for about 10 or 11 months total. The cotton is harvested in Zimbabwe, and it's extremely soft. They are washed 2 times, and have been soaked once. The 'New Fit' of 2007 was later known as the Tight Fit.

There are many details which make PRPS jeans stand out from other brands, such as the snaps on the waistband and the pocket bags.





The Hidden Rivet - Welcome

So, i finally started my very own denim blog. I will mainly use this as a changeblog for my own jeans, and to give information about obscure Japanese brands. Soon i'll update with pictures of my projects (which are, at the moment, Pure Blue Japan's XX-007 and Skull 5109xx).