Today the Ladies’ Line is divided into Ladies’ Going To Battle Label with pink Japan lines and Ladies’ Copper Label with the same tobacco stitching as with men’s Copper Label. I really loved the visual appearance of Peony Label and wanted to bring the jeans in back in 2008, but Momotaro Jeans had already updated the ladies’ collection so not enough stock left in this design. That makes this label/jeans truly a collector’s item.

Our friend Ika, who’s taking part in the Project Wear and Tear recently acquired a pair of Peony Label jeans from eBay at a good price too. Ika was in touch with me asking if there was another label in addition to Copper and GTB so I sent her details on the Peony Label. I have to say this is pretty cool finding. Ika posted pictures and details on the jeans on the Project site. You can read the story by clicking here.

The jeans have a more loose fit in comparison to the current Straight Leg jeans for women. I really like the vintage style and different elements in the jeans. Back in 2008 Momotaro  featured the jeans in their catalog and below is a scanned image from this particular catalog we still have in Finland.

I really liked the lifestyle image and the characteristics not to mention fit are presented pretty nicely in it. A great design, no longer in production but I’m sure there are still a pair or two floating around. So if you’re lucky you might even come across one like Ika did.

Tim soaked his KIKS TYO x MOMOTARO JEANS collaboration to make the jeans a bit softer and improve the fit. The jeans got 15 minutes cold and 15 minutes hot soaking and the result as he put it was cozy and improved fit.

Below a picture of the fit post soaking. Looking pretty good I might say.

Speaking of KIKS TYO x MOMOTARO JEANS my pair of jeans took a midnight train and traveled to the sunny state of Penang. Awesome but exhausting trip, but it was awesome meeting up old friends in the University and it’s always nice to visit your old neighborhoods.

Tuomas’ G003-MB Copper Label Project is evolving at a rapid pace and at four weeks the jeans look like they’re seen the world and show the stories on the surface of the denim. Having personally seen the evolution of the Copper Label denim it will be interesting to see how this pair of jeans evolves.

Rob’s 0901 Battle Armor is evolving nicely and the Utilitarian post featured some of the daily items he carries around on daily basis. I bet the notebook in his back pocket is gonna produce nice fading. Having worn 0901 Vintage Label before, I know it produces awesome contrast but perhaps fades a bit slower in comparison to denim such as Copper Label. Rob’s denim however is already showing some light blue color, so the these jeans are traveling at “light speed”. Click the picture for more of Rob’s pics and the story.

This seems to be a project full of contrasts as well. One such contrast is the weather in which the denim evolves. Since it’s a global project the denim featured in the project gets worn in very different environments. Just take a look at a pics below.

Stay tuned for more updates and follow Project Wear and Tear for more evolution of denim.

I’m telling you, I’ve had some awesome pants in the past but I have never had such trouble retiring a denim project than I had with this particular pair of pants. The Copper Label G003-MB jeans has its flaws but in my opinion this is probably one of the greatest jeans in the world. No joke.

It’s not just the fading, the denim quality or the fit but the combination of all the elements that just fit. It doesn’t matter whether you’re tall or short, the jeans will adapt to your lifestyle like no others.

The only criticism goes to the pocket lining fabric. Although the fabric is as soft as it gets and it’s dyed with natural indigo, the pocket is not as strong as the one with Vintage or GTB labels. By all means it is more durable than many others, but it will be the first to break and I had to patch and sew the pocket lining from both pockets more than once. But hey, the patching is just part of the process and I truly believe there are not too many people that put their jeans through as much as I did. It was truly a wear and tear project. I have raised up this issue and the Copper Label jeans now have enforced stitching that will enhance the durability of the fabric.

The denim kept evolving until the very end, although the process slowed down a lot after about 7-9 months of wear and few washes. Still I was happy to witness the denim evolving even after several washes. The first wash I gave the jeans was at about 3 month mark.

It has now been a bit over a week that I have been wearing my new jeans. Totally different fit, same fabric (although raw in the start) totally new denim experience. I am sure these jeans will adapt to become as great (if not better) than my Copper Label pants, but I have to say they have pretty damn big shoes to fill. You can follow the latest project at Project Wear and Tear site.

Thanks for the year G003-MB. They say one should quit while winning, this pair of jeans remains a winner.

P.S. Now that I think about it, the title sounds like a freaking Star Wars Droid… all of the denim labels do. C-3PO, R2-D2, G003-MB. All good stay tuned for more denim projects and updates!

These jeans were so popular that Momotaro Jeans is producing a new run of the jeans for the SS2011 season. The jeans will only be produced following order and in case you missed the jeans during the first release this is a unique opportunity to ensure you get a pair in your size. If you would like to order a pair, feel free to contact us for further details. The jeans are priced at 249 euros (plus shipping) and will be ready in April 2011 (scheduled) and as mentioned only limited number of these jeans will be produced so act fast.

Contact info@nordicdenimhouse.com for more details.

Click here for plenty of KIKS TYO goodies and click pictures for individual products! As always should you have any inquiries whatsoever, feel free to contact us.

So what about the jeans? We were lucky enough to grab few pieces of this coveted collaboration, most of which have already been delivered to (from what I have heard) happy customers. As the saying goes, you should never get high on your own supply, but in this case I made an exception and actually grabbed one piece for myself.

First thing you will notice is the Momotaro Jeans dust bag redone with the collaboration’s OKY TYO graphics. The dust bag is always a nice add-on, but this one is special.

The jeans feature many Momotaro Jeans specific details even with accessories such as tags and labels but have that KIKS TYO touch to them. The leather patch has Momotaro jumping out of a sneaker instead of the traditional peach. The folklore hero also rocks KIKS TYO shirt. Naturally Vintage aspects such as hidden rivets, embossed belt loops and back pocket tops as well as hidden selvedge in the coin pocket are featured in the jeans.

Sewn on the pocket lining, you can find KIKS TYO tag that matches the style of the jeans. Also note that the sizes for the jeans are marked from M to XXL. M is 30, L is 32, XL 34 and XXL 36. The jeans have a straight cut, wide fit and due to the oven-fresh nature of the denim, the jeans are sized up a bit just like denim from Momotaro Jeans Vintage Label. The closest comparison to any Momotaro Jeans design would be the 0901 Classic Straight Vintage Label Momotaro Jeans. The pocket lining is sturdy enough to last even tougher wear and the strong stitching/sewing will keep your phone or keys safe in the pockets. I really like the pick for the pocket lining.

KIKS TYO calls this “the best fit for your kicks” and they are definitely not far from that. The fit is comfortable but not too baggy. Vintage straight cut jeans.

Unless you like to wear your jeans raw from the start, I recommend soaking/washing them first. The jeans will adjust nicely although due to the sanforized denim, the jeans will not shrink much after wash, I would say the denim rather adjusts. If you are used to non-bleeding jeans, beware pre-soaking, these jeans will bleed. The denim is 14.7oz denim some might be familiar with from the Copper Label Momotaro Jeans. The denim is very similar to Copper Label after you have given the jeans the first soaking.

The selvedge is Momotaro’s pink lines and it matches the pink inseam, also Momotaro Jeans signature touch.

The back pocket design chosen for the model features Momotaro’s Japan Lines. The lines are Japanese Symbol from the time when the soldiers/samurais painted these lines on their flags in sign of bravery and to boost their spirits in battle. The Going to Battle Label style coincides with KIKS TYO’s Squad theme for the season. Another KIKS TYO style touch on the jeans is the red tab on the side of the right back pocket.

The denim’s rigid nature was a surprise for me as I am used to the Momotaro Jeans’ 14.7oz One Wash denim. This design is one wash short of that and has a very rigid feel to it. This should however attract those who prefer raw denim, and also makes these jeans special. Rigid but comfortable denim that will fade beautifully in time. Below an example of similar 14.7oz denim worn for 14 months.

The exclusive collaboration nicely introduces KIKS TYO to the denim game. Although the brand has had denim in the past they are openly saying that they’re still newbies when it comes to denim. Good start though, let’s see what the future collaborations have in store for us.

More will follow, that’s a promise!

The jeans were worn raw from the start and as they were pretty much fitted from the start there was quite a risk that the jeans would shrink beyond wearability. But the good thing about these jeans (as with most other jeans) is that they stretch in wear and the soaking kind of counter balanced the stretch (shrink to fit). The fit looks pretty nice and the jeans are fading along nicely. We’ll keep on watching the developments of these jeans so stay tuned for more updates.

The trip to Genting Highlands was the last journey (for now) that the pants have made with me wearing them, and what a trip it was. The cool mountain air, superb views and so much to do, three days just flew by mostly just enjoying the scenery.

Of course what really counted on this trip was the family time. My wife and especially Maxwell really enjoyed their time as well. Maxwell has not worn long sleeves almost the entire time he has been in Malaysia, and I could see the Lil’ Hulk was really happy about the cooler climate.

Our trip coincided with the Chinese New Year celebrations and 9th Day of Chinese New Year which is actually very significant celebration for the Hokkien community. Needless to say, there was plenty of fireworks and celebration going on.

The time up on the hills was superb but the way down was not bad either. Again, amazing views and a nice restaurant where we stopped by for some lunch.

All I can say is that it was an awesome trip and even I felt like I was on holiday, although emails were flying around as per usual.

So what about the jeans? How are they handling the local weather and all the trips. Very well I might say. The jeans are right now in the laundry basket waiting to be washed one more time before I’m packing them for retirement. I guess the “retirement” will be one more post next week but I thought of posting a little summary as well as plenty of pics for this edition.

The jeans have been constantly fading during our time in Malaysia, the short time we have spent here has dealt more lines on the denim that much longer time in Finland did, I guess it has all to do with the hot and humid weather and the fact that I’m still wearing the heavy oz jeans although it’s 35 degrees Celsius here. The seat, crotch and back of the knees have faded especially rapidly as can be seen from the pictures. More creasing has appeared and the pocket areas have become few steps lighter in the color scale. Naturally the look of the jeans has stagnated the bit but even without washing the whiskers have become more visible and the light parts of the jeans even lighter. The hems of the jeans have been slightly torn and they’re quite dirty at the moment, but add to the character of the jeans. The lining inside the jeans has remained pretty much standard lately and has not faded much. This was expected though. Oh, and the patchwork I have done on the jeans is holding up really well too. I really love the feel and the look of the jeans and to be honest it feels very weird to start wearing dark indigo jeans again after such a long time. However at the same time it’s bloody exciting as well.

That’s how the jeans look at the moment, but the pictures cannot tell how good the pants feel. They are getting softer and feel pretty much amazing. I have worn numerous pants in my life, but these are definitely my favorite jeans/pants ever. If the new project gets anywhere close to these jeans in comfort, fit and style, it’s going to be an awesome pair of jeans as well.

That’s where we are at right now, the leather patch is more tanned than I am but it’s all good. I still have time to get some sun. I’m out, peace.

The design has been made available in sizes 28-34, 36 and what makes this design so exclusive is that only 40 pieces are made for the NI0705. As per my friends at Momotaro Jeans told me, most of these pieces have been sold out as well. So we are talking about a super exclusive piece of denim. Not only has it been dyed with Natural Indigo, the jeans also feature Sterling Silver hardware as well as hand dyed indigo leather patch.

I can see this design featuring many different already familiar designs from Momotaro Jeans. The denim seems to be similar to G003-A Gold Label jeans, that also featured Natural Indigo dye. The Sterling Silver hardware again was used with the Gold Label G001-T model in the past and the leather patch is similar to older Momotaro Jeans’ Copper Label with the difference being that it has been hand dyed in indigo. The 0705 in the title again would indicate Going to Battle Label’s 0705 cut, which would make this the slimmest Natural Indigo Momotaro Jeans design to the date.

It remains to be seen if/when we can get our hands on the final products but all I can say is that based on the info I have received and what I have seen, this product is something else. It’s almost like a new member in the Gold Label family. We’ll keep you posted so stay tuned for more.