The Dye:

We told Tanuki that we needed to do something special and something with a very unique fading potential. We handle a lot of denim on a daily basis and we wanted to bring something new to the table. Turns out, to do something really new, Tanuki had to dig out something really old first, a very traditional Japanese dyeing technique: Kusakizome. It won’t come as a surprise for most of you that the Japanese have been using natural dyes for centuries: indigo, kakishibu, and more have been around for quite some time. Kusaki-zome specifically refers to a natural dyeing technique using dyes from plants and other natural sources.

The term was formally adopted in 1930, in order to distinguish natural dyeing from dyeing techniques that make use of synthetic dyes. The essential ingredient that gives this technique its name is the Kusaki, or as it is commonly known outside of Japan: the pomegranate. You might wonder how the pomegranate results in such a deep olive green. The vegetable dyes used come from the skin of the pomegranate grown south of Japan's main island, along with some iron to achieve that extra-light shade of green. Pomegranates originally grew wild in Iran before coming to Japan in the Heian period, roughly a thousand years ago, and they have since been treasured as symbols of fertility and prosperity ever since. This unique colour has a trick up its sleeve too. Usually, the weft of denim fabrics fades a lot slower than the indigo warp. The denim masters from Tanuki engineered the weft in a way that you will get fades on the inside and outside.

The warp threads are surface-dyed with indigo in a rope dyeing machine. The threads are dipped into pure indigo 7 times to get a deep shade of blue that will nonetheless bleed indigo quickly. The contrast between the olive weft and the indigo warp will give fantastic fades. This fabric is truly worthy of a fading contest.

The fabric:

Both the warp and weft are made using 100% dry touch cotton picked in El Paso, Texas, USA, which absorbs dyes like few other cotton fibers do. The fibers are then processed in Japan to a 6.7-short pitch thread with an extra uneven feel and a lot of slub. Next, the threads are then rotation-woven on a 1940 vintage Toyoda G9 shuttle loom in one of Tanuki’s denim mills with very low tension. The greatest feature of rotation-weaving is the unique roughness and frayed feel of the twill lines or ridges on both the front and back of the fabric. This cotton has very little oil and feels very dry which emphasizes the fabric's bumpiness. These little slubby knots on the surface will be the first to fade away, so expect some of the legendary freckled fades which are exclusive to Japanese-made selvage fabrics.

The selvedge ID features the bold Tanuki-blue, made of a 3/1 reverse twill in royal blue and unbleached cotton. At 14oz and with it’s loose weave, these jeans are perfect for every season.

The details:

All the important quality details are here: chain stitch at the hem, hidden rivets, raised belt loops, lined back pockets, a durable herringbone pocket fabric, the 二 embroidery. This is the full package. To top it all off, these jeans come with a special deerskin patch drawn by Tanuki’s head of design, depicting the Tanuki face. This patch is literally a cheeky bugger if you excuse the pun, but see the small, yet very detailed beetle (or bug on the cheek)? It will develop a nice patina over time and the leather of Tanuki’s patches has been one of our favourites since we first saw them.

Another distinct detail of these jeans is the stitching. This aspect doesn’t get enough attention but Tanuki’s stitch-work has always been exceptional. They have a great eye for the different colours and for these jeans, they have outdone themselves. The bright orange really pops, yet highlights the fabrics distinct colour at the same time.