JELADO Manufacturing ~Vintage Denim~ Vol.1 "The DNA of the '501XX' woven with romance and science"

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~The first "1XX" reproduction project has begun~

 

 

"501XX" is a well-known legend in the world of men's fashion.

Although the appeal of this product, both its quality and its reason for existence, have been passed down for over half a century, there are still many aspects of it that remain shrouded in mystery.

 

The aim of this project is to literally cut open deadstock 53XXs manufactured between 54 and 501, and using the latest science and the outstanding experience of denim craftsmen, to dispel as many of the mysteries as possible and bring back to life 501XXs that were as close to brand new as possible at the time.

 

This project will be carried out in three parts.

The focus of this first installment is on three points: the original appeal of the 1XX, the difficulty of reviving the 501XX in modern times, and why JELADO decided to launch this project now.

 

Check out the conversation between Muroi-san (hereinafter referred to as Muroi), the craftsman who has been pursuing a modern reproduction of the 20XX for over 501 years and continuing to provide feedback of his knowledge to the domestic denim industry, and JELADO Goto (hereinafter referred to as Goto), who will be the guide for this project.

 

 

 

"There is no right answer. That's the appeal of the 501XX."—Muroi

 

 

GotoFirst of all, since I think this article will be read by people of all ages, I have created a diagram to explain what "501XX" means in this project.

 

At JELADO, we see 1954 as the turning point when the 501XX reached its final form, and for a long time we have been developing a five-pocket jean called the "1955 model," taking the figure from 55, the year the model was likely fully adopted by the market.

 

We are thinking of proceeding with this project as a renewal of the "55 model."

 

Now, I would like to get straight to the point. From your perspective as someone who has been watching the Japanese denim industry for over 501 years, which boasts the highest level of reproduction quality of the 20XX even by global standards, what is the appeal of the 501XX, to put it bluntly?

 

MuroiThe answer is that it is the perfection of five-pocket jeans as workwear and the origin of modern men's casual fashion. Even designers of major fashion houses around the world are following the 5XX when it comes to five-pocket jeans.

 

GotoThis is truly the root of men's casual fashion.

It is no exaggeration to say that it is synonymous with vintage denim.

Let me change the focus of the question a bit and ask you, as a denim craftsman, what do you think is the appeal of the product in terms of quality?

 

MuroiSince my main specialty is fabric, I'll start by talking about the fabric. Even for those of us living in the modern age, it has an excellent balance as tough workwear.

The exact figures are company secrets so I can't disclose them here, but the thread count and number of threads used, as well as the model that this model is based on, which was manufactured around 53-54, also make use of different cotton characteristics for the warp and weft threads.

 

 

GotoIs it different from products of other brands of the same era?

 

MuroiIt's different.

It seems that Levi's has frequently taken measures to improve quality, and even items from the same era can have slight changes in specifications, which shows their serious attitude towards manufacturing.

Compared to other brands, I think what makes us different is the fact that we have an overwhelmingly large history and scale as a company, the fact that we have been fully committed to the workwear manufacturing business, and because everything is made in our own factories, we are able to quickly reflect the voices of workers on the ground in our products.

 

GotoI see. It's true that the so-called "war models" made under material controls during World War II prior to the '47 model are famous for going against instructions from the authorities and increasing the weight of the fabric to avoid a decline in quality. But this shows that the brand had a very strong stance in its commitment to quality.

By the way, if there have been many detailed specification changes, is it possible to come up with a physical definition of the 501XX, or a technical definition of the product?

 

MuroiThat's a difficult question (laughs).

The quality control of products at that time was lower than it is today, and there were significant differences in the shape of the thread and indigo colour within each batch, so there is no such thing as a 501XX.

Depending on the era and lot, there are differences in the cotton, various machines used, and dyes, so if you decide on a base item, it is possible to create something that is as close as possible to that item, but I think the selection of what to make is very important for projects like this.

 

That's why I'm really looking forward to this project.

We'll be cutting up deadstock 501XXs and analyzing them.

 

GotoThe more I learn about the 501XX, the more I realize how deep it is...

There's no correct answer.

 

MuroiThat's right.

For craftsmen like us, it's interesting because there is no right answer, and it makes us want to work with it for the rest of our lives (laughs).

 

"What is the source of the greatness of Japanese denim?"—Goto

 

 

GotoI imagine that the world of denim craftsmen, who have to reproduce something like the 501XX when there isn't a clear-cut answer, is extremely tough. What do you think is the most difficult part of honing your skills as a craftsman?

 

MuroiThe most important thing is to continue to have a curious mind.

This may sound a bit theoretical, but it's really important to constantly take in new knowledge without creating common sense for yourself.

This is because, no matter how much cutting-edge technology is used to analyze fabric, there will always be cases where the part of the fabric analyzed or the fabric itself is an "exception," and it is sometimes necessary to use objective facts and experience to effectively correct these errors.

 

GotoAlthough technology is useful for gathering objective facts, the direction required to recreate the 501XX and the data analysis methods themselves require an overwhelming amount of knowledge and experience.

 

MuroiThat's it.

A while ago, there was a new pair of 501-pocket jeans overseas that was supposed to be a reproduction of the 5XX using modern science, but they had a strange color that looked like it would be bad for your liver... (laughs)

In the end, I once again realized that 501XX is something that cannot be competed with solely on science.

The journey to recreating the 501XX is a continuous process of improvisation that only someone with experience can pull off.

 

GotoThis may be a bit of a general question, but what is the reason behind the high quality of Japanese denim?

 

MuroiFirst of all, it is the long history of craftsmen who love the 501XX.

In my case, strictly speaking, I like the "fabric" of the 501XX (laughs).

Also, the biggest difference compared to other countries is not only the dyeing technology, but also the looms used.

I think Japan might be the only country that still has the shuttle looms that were used to weave denim in America in the 40s and 50s in operation.

By the way, it takes 10 to 20 years to become able to operate a shuttle loom properly, so having a craftsman who can operate it can also be an advantage.

 

 

"Today, I'm going to cut some deadstock."—Goto

 

 

MuroiBy the way, why did you decide to do this project now, at this time?

 

GotoTo put it simply, as a brand, we wanted to recreate the 501XX with a realistic logic that JELADO saw coming.

Personally, I got into this industry because I love vintage clothing, so I've seen quite a few things with my own eyes.

And until recently, this feeling was something that users felt very close to, and I think that just the keyword 501XX would have created buzz around the product without any need for words.

But not now.

I think there's been a kind of blind deification of the 501XX, and it's becoming harder to understand what is actually good within the industry.

 

MuroiThere are an increasing number of people in the world who have never seen a real 501XX, and in this day and age, it is not impossible to create products by simply expanding the "501XX theory" that the predecessors of domestic brands have created...

 

GotoThat's right. That's why we insisted on using primary sources, in other words dead stock, and wanted to combine the latest technology in this day and age with the experience of people like Muroi to create a "solution" as JELADO and release it to the world.

I think that as a brand that has been fascinated by the 501XX and has continued to run to this day, one of our responsibilities is to pass on the appeal of the 501XX to future generations.

So today, we're going to have a certain research institute analyze the fabric of the deadstock 501XX, and Muroi will actually cut it with scissors and take it home (laughs).

 

MuroiAh, so you're going to do it right here and now (laughs)

 

GotoLet's go for it (laughs).

 

MuroiWe will take this to a certain research institute and have them examine the thread count, number of twists, number of threads per inch, weave structure, fiber texture, and dye concentration.

 

 <Text by Kobo Tagata, Photos by Sawada Seiji>  

 

~Part 2: From spinning yarn to making fabric~'Kensetsu Fair Hokuriku,'

Using the results of a scientific analysis of disassembled 501XX deadstock, we take a closer look at the process of actually recreating the fabric.

 

 

JELADO original denim line Last Lesort products'Kensetsu Fair Hokuriku,'