It’s a low tension weave more textured than rough.Īn extra interesting fact about this denim is that it’s a combination of short staple Californian cotton and longer staple Peruvian Aspero cotton.

This beige weft is cheese dyed, meaning it’s performed at temperatures higher than boiling and under high pressure, in a rotating drum, which results in most of the excess water being removed. A beige weft is usually considered something of a throwback to old fashioned jeans, as the beige gradually coming to the fore as the indigo fades is what produced the classic denim fades of the mid 20th century. The weft is a rustic, unbleached beige that you can see poking through in the image above. This color is achieved with fewer rope dye dips, with the process described on their site like this: “it will decrease in the time of each dip and quicker exposure to oxygen after each dip.” This “also results in some greenish undertones in the denim,” which will become more noticeable after a few washes. While intended to pay homage to the vintage denim of the 1960s and 1970s, these aren’t faded jeans. It obviously stands out for its unique, brilliant shade of indigo. It’s designed to be very breathable (it is) and it’s also made with their lightest color. This denim is 13 ounces, which is one of the lightest offerings from Tanuki. Combination of Californian short staple and Peruvian long staple cotton.

Unsanforized, one-wash, slub selvedge denim.Today I’m checking out their famous Kaze line, specifically the KHT 13oz “Kaze” Fade Blue High Tapered, which is a great example of their innovative, streetwear-focused approach to selvedge denim. If you want to know who comprises that super-team, you’re out of luck - they write on their garments that their “names don’t matter,” they just want their creativity and passion to shine through in their sharply designed garments. They’re also known for clean construction lines, modern fits, and extreme mystique. A team who, among other low tech, high tech accomplishments, have figured out a refined rope dying process that uses less indigo to achieve a deep color. Multiple outlets that have reported on the company describe it as formed by a “super-team” of Japanese craftsmen who have worked cumulative decades in the denim industry. Their slogan is Transform Your Being, and it makes sense given people tend to buy selvedge denim for the transformation: to see it change and evolve and, yes, fade, but also take on the stories it’s lived. Tanukis are shapeshifters, and transformation is the central theme of Tanuki, the brand. Or a Mario game that wasn’t released in the 80s.) (You may recall Mario turning into one in Super Mario Bros 3. Some will say Tanuki translates as ‘raccoon,’ but it actually means ‘raccoon dog,’ a real animal that looks like its name and has a rich history in Japanese folklore as a supernatural being capable of feats of transformation. Launched in 2016 in Okayama, where most of Japan’s legendary denim is crafted, Tanuki has catapulted to popularity on the denim scene, achieving serious notoriety in a seriously short span of time.

Oni x tanuki fade