Why Japanese jeans are a cut above the rest.

Here at MR PORTER, we’re well aware that different items of clothing, like different brands of washing-up liquid, come packaged with various impressive claims and qualifiers. Perhaps it’s “handmade” (in fact, it probably is – all clothing is handmade to a certain extent). Or perhaps it’s “artisanal” (meaning that some kind of skilled craftsman has worked on it). Clearly, some of these selling points are more helpful than others. But when a denim product can boast the words “japanese denim” and “made in Japan” we would advise you to take notice. Why, exactly? “Japanese fabrications are the most authentic in terms of the way the fabric is produced,” says Mr Adam Cameron, the founder and designer of British brand The Workers Club. “It’s about painstakingly respecting the original way that denim fabric was made. It’s the opposite of the industrialised process”.

Though based in the UK, Mr Cameron sources all his denim from Okayama Prefecture, home to Kojima, the so-called “Denim Capital” of Japan, where a glut of traditional mills continue to make (and dye it, and distress it) the old-fashioned way. “There’s a romanticism to it,” admits Mr Cameron, “but you just have to touch the denim and you know it’s different. I don’t think anything compares. It’s also hard-wearing. All the fabrics we use from Japan are fit for purpose. They’re made to last.”

Of course, Mr Cameron is not the only man who recognises the superior quality of Japanese denim. As he launches his natural denim jeans on MR PORTER today, we thought it high time to draw your attention not just to The Workers Club, but some of the other excellent brands that are dedicated to made-in-Japan denim. Scroll down to discover them – and perhaps see what all the fuss is about yourself.

Exclusive to MR PORTER, The Workers Club was founded in 2015 by husband and wife team Mr Adam and Ms Charlotte Cameron. Fabrics – many of them Japanese – are at the core of the brand’s timeless, workwear-inspired styles, a fact that is abundantly clear in its latest offering: a pair of jeans in natural (undyed) Japanese denim. “Other brands offer a white denim,” says Mr Cameron, “but ours is a natural, which takes it away from being more of a ‘Euro’ look.” As with each pair of The Workers Club jeans, this particular pair is packed with details designed for denim fans, from the internal ropes sewn into the seams of the hip pockets (which encourage attractive fading and wearing in this area) to the sashiko-stitched bandana (made with fabric from the same denim mill) tucked into the pocket of every pair, to the all-important “made in Japan” label. (“Lots of brands use Japanese denim,” says Mr Cameron, “but not all are made in Japan.”)

The “Slow” in the name of Japanese brand OrSlow refers to the pace at which it designs and produces its garments. Striving wherever possible to use time-honoured, hands-on methods, founder Mr Ichiro Nakatsu has installed a collection of vintage machines in his studio in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, to weave, dye and wash its fabrics and products. This particular pair, in satisfyingly heavy black denim, is of the fade-your-own variety – that is, providing you don’t wash it, it will fade appealingly and authentically over time. Wear it with a sleek black shirt from music-inspired Tokyo brand Wacko Maria.

Fabric-Brand & Co is where Japanese heritage denim gets a little hardcore. Not only is every pair made with fabrics spun on shuttle looms from Kojima, Okayama, but each individual product is slow-dyed and carefully hand-distressed, meaning no two pairs are alike. The jeans also tend to incorporate other traditional Japanese fabrics – look out for the panel of Sashiko-stitched fabric on this particular example’s interior back yoke.

Shop more Japanese brands here

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