I’m back with another brand profile. A lot of text coming up so I will just cut the chit chat. Shout out to remy_le_beau, our new creative contributor. You can expect to hear (or read) more of him in the future.

But without further due I will get on with today’s brand profile on Momotaro Jeans.

The town of Kojima, Okayama, which also serves as the home an headquarters of Momotaro brand, is where the story begins. In the classic Japanese folklore Momotaro (Peach Boy) is born/ delivered from a large peach which drifted down through the river, the peach was found by an old couple who found and raised the boy. The boy became something of a little hero, befriending animals and fighting demons. But there is also belief that the story is actually more of a story of rejuvenation, with elderly couple eating peaches and as a result able to bring a baby boy into the world.

Folklore is always a folklore but Kojima is a place where time passes slowly, no matter how hectic it gets in the outside world. This small coastal town in Okayama moves at a different pace than the rest of the world, and just being there can make you feel relaxed. It is there that tradition and artisan spirit still lives on and where true denim maestros strive to weave perfect textiles and fabrics using techniques passed down over many generations.

Momotaro uses only the best raw materials and dyes cotton with indigo blue for use on its weaving machine – all by hand. The production process is what separates Momotaro from majority of the brands. For instance Momotaro jeans still keeps up with the traditional indigo dyeing techniques in pursuit of the original Japan -blue. I wrote a little something on the natural indigo process and think it is something recapping in the near future so I am not gonna go into too much detail in the meticulous process of achieving the perfect blue using natural ingredients. Nevertheless, the brand pursues fabric production with true dedication and at Momotaro, the artisans have a saying, “Made by hand without compromise”. The jeans are truly something you need to experience yourself to truly understand.

Pictures courtesy of Japanblue Momotaro.

Momotaro believes in philosophy that jeans are a lifestyle tool. Just like in every aspect of life, you need the right tool for the right job, heh. A well built pair of jeans that in time becomes  more like a second skin is sure to enrich every individual’s life journey. Like the folks at Momotaro put it, “we don’t follow fashions.” The brand is not just your ordinary fashion house, they are a brand to be appreciated for their extraordinary approach.

Just a few words on the most known labels under the Momotaro flag.

Gold Label
The crème de la crème among denim. The supreme example of artisan spirit. The Momotaro Gold Label. “Perfect jeans which are like work of art.” 100% hand made, dyed with Momotaro’s natural indigo dyeing process weaved by hand and washed in the Marine Essence of Seto-Sea water, Gold Label jeans are the final result of tradition and innovation, a showcase of Momotaro’s exquisite attention to details. The production of the only one supreme piece of natural indigo dyed handwoven jeans takes at least three months to reach it’s finalization. According to Japanblue ,”the hand woven denim takes almost 8 hours of work a day to just produce 1m(3.28ft). By that calculation it takes at least 3 days to finish the denim for one pair of jeans. The hand woven denim has a different texture to the machine produced one, and the production result is affected with many factors such as weather for instance. It’s really all in the detail, just like with any work of art.

A nice little video showing the Gold Label Momotaro Jeans.

Vintage Label
A classic Vintage feel to denim made of raw denim that will shrink little bit after every wash and then gradually stretch again. 15.7oz Darkest Indigo Blue Denim Jeans, with soft and comfortable fit. Vintage series is sewn with 0s yarn (thickest type), and has no decoration on the back pockets, making them genuine and solid jeans. It is not just your ordinary heavy oz denim, but an experience that will reflect your personal lifestyle in the process of fading.

Copper Label
Inspired by old Japanese denim, Momotaro uses an indigo dyeing technique that reproduces deep blue color for the cotton. The jeans are washed with Marine essence same as Seto-Sea’s water, which is rich with minerals. The blue color is kept more natural by using special cotton with long fibers that lets the jeans wear in unique and personal ways. As they say, natural cotton makes superior denim.

Going to War Label
White lines on back pocket representing Japanese Tradition. Going to war label is dyed only with darkest type of natural indigo. The jeans are 15.7oz of rigid denim with good fit and after wearing them for a short time, they will soon feel like a second skin. Wear them as you like. It has the feel of classic Vintage denim but comes sanforized with a one wash finishing. A great fit with a great classic style.

Lady’s line (previously known as Peony Label)
Lady’s line is woven using special long length fiber cotton that gives you a flexible feel. The original Japan blue jeans, which have a greenish blue hue similar to the yellowed indigo of beautiful old cloth. Fine Japanese denim for the ladies.

There is much more to the brand and I should probably write few more “stories” about the production process and such. You know what? I will. But I think that is enough for this edition of Brand profiles. We will be back with more stuff to talk about I guess as soon as tomorrow. Keep your eyes open, I know we do. Be easy everyone, dig out those candles if you’re in the dark North like we are, as it is getting real dark and cold outside and at least the candles have sort of a warm effect in your crib. Mood lighting for real, haha.

That’s all for now, be easy everyone and stay safe. I’m out. Peace.

Busy week with extraordinary days. But a great week nonetheless. One of the most amazing things I came across with this week was the sudden change of climate. Early winter as one might call it, definitely surprised many drivers out there. I guess the snow has melted away from majority of the cities, but there’s still some snow left here and there. It’s amazing to still see the colors of the autumn in the trees, just with a coating of snow on the top. Even the apples are still on the trees just pretty much frozen now, heh. Below just few pics to further elaborate what I mean.

We’re already on Thursday and thought of jotting down a few word on another great brand. This time on the spotlight is Kato.

The ah so formal introduction of the brand, also available on 0ur website. Kato is aJapanese brand by denim maestro, Hiroshi Kato. Kato was a long time denim consultant before he decided to launch his own brand simply called ‘Kato’ in 1999, a brand that would be defined by quality. Based in Kyoto, Kato has access to the most intimate Japanese textile traditions and uses only specific fabrics along with innovative treatments, all made in Japan to bring together a highly detailed jeans and outerwear line. Organic cotton and indigo sourced from producers who ferment twice harvested indigo underground in pots for 25 years. It is this dedication to using the finest ingredients and shifting responsibility away from machines to the artisan craftsman that defines the Kato products.

The cuts, sewing, fabrics, washing, all of these elements create much more than your everyday garments. Kato makes clothes that immediately become part of people’s lives. As they say it whilst man is a tool for completing a garment, the garment cannot be complete without the personality of the wearer. Altough this sentence could be associated with number of brands and their products, there are few who bring out the unique characteristics of their clothing like Kato.

Part of the brand are their AAA shirts that bring alive the feeling of a truly vintage clothing with attention to details, the production process and the organic fabrics, Kato’s interpretation of true Vintage clothing really stands out in their AAA garments.

The brand is so much more than just interesting cuts and pocket shapes. The brand and its products are truly unique, clothing that becomes part of your everyday life. Unique clothing that you feel comfortable wearing no matter what the occasion.

For more details, take a look at the Kato goods and don’t hesitate to contact us for more details on the brand and its products.

We have more to come for the Autumn and the Winter ahead, so stay tuned and be seeing y’all. Peace.

Wednesday and the sun’s up. Good look for the week. I mean damn, we got first snow in Finland already few days back on Monday and some parts of the country (or so I hear) still have snow on the ground and it’s only October. Hope this is an indication of a superb winter ahead.

Had places to go and people to see, plus a heap of planning and other stuff at hand for the weekend as well as beginning of the week so had basically no chance to post blog updates as of yet. Lame excuses, I KNOW. But it is what it is. Well I’m back with a vengeance. Kicking off the week with another brand profile. Since we just got new tees and have more to come from our beloved KIKS TYO, I thought of posting a few words on the brand in another Brand Profile edition.

Described as a “Community of the sneaker nuts, For the sneaker nuts, By the sneaker nuts”, KIKS TYO has been bringing the heat with a number of unique products ever since its launch in 2006.

KIKS TYO is indeed a uniquely Japanese streetwear label and brand founded in 2006 by DJ, designer and streetwear/sneaker culture personality hobby:tech (Shinichi Izaki). In the past few years the brand has since gained recognition worldwide for its dedication to producing well crafted, high-quality tee shirts, apparel and accessories based on the worlds of sneakers and sport culture. The brand has made name for instance by mixing high quality garments, hot chicks and hot kicks. A style many other brands have followed since.

The brand has packed numerous collaborations to the past three years and while celebrating their third anniversary have much more to come. Some of the collaborations include CASIO G-SHOCK, NEW BALANCE, MEDICOM, DISNEY, SANRIO, CHAMPION, NEW ERA, TECHNICS, WARNER BROS, DC COMICS, AKI HOSHINO, YUKO ISHIDA, SHANADOO, MARIE SUKEGAWA, AYA KIGUCHI, SOLE BOX, SNEAKER PIMPS, BLACK FLYS, YASUMASA YONEHARA AKA YONE, PETE ROCK, CROOKED TONGUES, TRAINERSPOTTER, JOR, SBTG and many more.

The brand’s novelty approach to the street-wear scene is like a breath of fresh air in the often so congested environment. The brand’s tees and apparel just like many other brands and products in our catalog are something you can truly appreciate not just by the cool looks of the products but also the high quality of the garments and prints. It also helps that the gear is rather exclusive and definitely fresh. I mean not something you run into every day, heh.

We will keep you posted on the brand and its products and you can count on us to bring in more goods from KIKS TYO in the future. That said, be on the lookout for the Bo Trainee Tee coming up and many more.

Don’t forget the ongoing Autumn Promotion, stay fresh and be easy no matter where you’re at. I’ll be back with more soon but now I’m out. Peace.

Terrific Thursdays. The sun has returned after a short hiatus yesterday. Well that’s all fine and dandy, but I want to get on with it, with today’s Brand Profile Edition about True Religion. Started off last week with a little something about The Year Of… and going to go along the same path with True Religion.

The brand has created a stellar following across the globe with everybody from high-schoolers to celebrities rocking a pair of these fine American jeans.  Throughout its existence the brand has stayed true to what it stands for, high quality, perfect fit and timeless style.

To quote the brand profile: “Jeffrey Lubell founded True Religion in 2002 with the intention of redefining premium denim. His vision was to make quality, American-made, authentic, timeless, great fitting, 1970’s inspired jeans wear, with a trendsetting appeal for today’s consumer.”

The brand’s signature characteristics include thick contrast stitching, big rivets and buttons, twisted inseams and especially the horseshoe-shaped character in the back pockets, a Japanese Hiragana character “hi”. These characteristics differ in visibility between the different styles of jeans and apparel.

Following the immense popularity the brand has expanded the offering to other categories such as knit and woven sportswear, T-shirts and western shirts for examples. What connects all of the products under the brand is the vintage feel of the garments. Of course such popularity provides an opportunity to expand to different product categories such as shoes, perfumes and accessories. You can’t really blame a brand for wanting to expand as this is what majority of the brands strive for. The good thing is that the brand has retained the high quality of garments and not given into the temptation to outsource the production and thus possibly sacrifice the quality.

The brand’s huge success and recognition have of course given the brand a solid foundation among the core audience, but the popularity among the celebrities and people wanting to look like their idols have thrown off some of the potential clientele, whom today see the brand as a mainstream brand. Nonetheless the products speak for themselves and to fully understand what the brand and its products are all about, you should try out a pair for yourself.

But what True Religion is and always will be is Timeless, Hippie, Bohemian, Chic.

For more information please visit our True Religion selection for Men and Women or www.truereligionbrandjeans.com

Fresh week, last of September 2009. The sun is still shining, and life’s good.

The journey continues and personally I have another reason for celebration. It happens to be my birthday, heh. It so happens that this year I celebrate another milestone on a Monday. Typical! Well I won’t let such details keep me down. I guess it’s just fitting for this particular year of the Ox.

Talking about years, this week I decided to kick-start another segment called brand profiles. Just providing insight into the brands close to us. That said, we’re going to start off with a brand that started their journey in 2002 and moving along the Chinese zodiac are now celebrating The Year Of the Ox…

Just a brief company background, also available on our site:

The Year Of… is a novelty brand in the truest sense. Each pair of jeans is one of only 144 globally all individually marked. The craftsmanship involved, like the reversed chain stitch, bluffed-on pockets and embroideries can only be achieved using highly skilled people, so tailors are hired to manufacture the jeans, and it is specifically one man to make one pair. The fabric used is high quality Japanese denim produced from organic cotton and features custom made selvedge only available to The Year Of…

The Year Of… is for the individual who seeks to mark their moment in time with the latest in specialty denim that mirrors the exuberance of success. Our hope is for each pair to be worn with sincere appreciation of the skill and effort involved.

The brand has built its success through exclusivity, limited edition pieces tailored using high quality materials and with careful attention to detail. Everyone knows that a fine product should come in a nice package, well The Year Of’s products come not only in a dedicated tote bag but also a tin like no other.

The tin is just the shell, but the where the products truly differ is the details. Details such as use of the metal threads, the signature gold and silver selvedge as well as detailed stitching and embroidery have raised the curiosity of those in the know around the world. The denim used is high quality organic cotton which adds to the wearing pleasure.

Pictures courtesy of The Year Of…

The brand has also gained stellar celebrity following, with artists like Ludacris and Young Jeezy wearing the brand. The brand has worked together in collaboration with numerous big names and brands, most recent of which is artist Simon Birch, who collaborated on several designs for the brand.

The brand is still going strong, retaining the exclusivity retailing at only selected retailers across the globe, of which NDH is happy to be one. The brand is really for those who believe in the truth of beauty. Innovations ahead of our time, timeless yet on point clothing like no other.  The pieces are often like works of art rather than just something you wear out of functional needs.

The journey continues and every step is like a new adventure. I try to make these brand profile updates something like a weekly thing from now on. But now, I will get ready to take some time off and perhaps even get a chance to celebrate my birthday, although it’s Monday.

Be easy y’all and enjoy the journey, I know we do…