JELADO Manufacturing ~Vintage Denim~ Vol.3 "The DNA of the '501XX' woven with romance and science"

Top > JELADO Manufacturing > Vintage denim > Vol.3

 

～The romance of vintage. A deeper world～

 

The 501XX was created by dismantling deadstock 301XX and using the latest science and the skills of skilled denim craftsmen. More than a year has passed since the release of the 2020XX in September 9, and a new project for this project has been launched. As with the previous project, the project's guide will be Muroi-san (hereinafter, Muroi), who can be said to be a key figure in the domestic denim industry. This time, we will introduce the background to the launch of the new project and its purpose in the form of a dialogue between Muroi and JELADO Goto (hereinafter, Goto).

 

 

 

"The 301XX was really good. But that's exactly why I wanted to try something new with a different perspective." - Goto

 

 

GotoBefore we talk about the new project, I'd like to start by looking back at the 301XX. Muroi-san, what did you think of the finished product?

 

MuroiI think it was very good because it clearly showed JELADO's response. During the production process, Goto's requests for each of the items, such as the plan, cotton quality, unevenness, and finish texture, were clear, so communication was smooth. On the other hand, what was the reaction of the customers from JELADO's perspective?

 

GotoThanks to you, we had been receiving inquiries even before the release, and even now, more than a year after the release, new customers are still picking it up. What makes me happiest is that people who had no contact with JELADO before have become interested in the 1XX.

Before releasing 301XX, we released various denim items as an American casual brand, but this project brought in a lot of new customers, so I was worried that maybe the image of denim had not yet been firmly established in the market (laughs).

 

MuroiThat's great. Also, as we've been talking about since we were making the 301XX, it would be great if this kind of project didn't end after just one time, but continued for a second or third time, aiming for something even better.

 

GotoExactly! The 301XX was very good. But because I spent so much time, effort and money on it, I was able to see what I wanted to do, so this time I wanted to try and make it happen.

 

 

"This time, I wanted to make the so-called '40 model early period,' made in the 47s," says Goto.

 

GotoLast time, I used the '50s leather patch and one-sided tab "Late 47 model" as a base, but this time I'm thinking of making a new model based on the "Early 40 model" made in the '47s. In other words, I want to use the fabric I made last time to reproduce products made in the '50s, and the fabric I make this time to reproduce products made in the '40s. By the way, when I look at the early 47 model I have on hand, the color of the weft, the neps, and the unevenness look quite rough, but why is there such a big difference?

 

MuroiI think the differences are not simply due to differences in age, but also due to individual differences. That's because spinning technology at the time was not as advanced as it is today. They probably wanted to create straight threads that would not break easily when put on a loom and would be easy to weave, but since they didn't have the spinning technology we have today, unintended random unevenness inevitably occurred. The cotton they used was different from today's cotton, which has been improved through breeding, and there was variation not only in its properties but also in its color. Even with rope dyeing, the finish would have changed depending on the season. I think it's highly likely that the finish was slightly different every year, or even every season, and every lot.

 

GotoI see! It seems that this difference is not simply due to the fact that the 501XX that this model is based on is older.

 

MuroiThat's right. Sometimes you come across a pair that makes you go, "Huh? Is this also XX?" I think that the individual differences are what makes the 501XX so appealing. In other words, even if you were to recreate them, every XX you picked up at the time would have individual differences, each with its own flavor and characteristics, and there being no two that are the same, which is what makes it so interesting.

 

GotoIt's not about what you want to reproduce, but how seriously you want to reproduce it with the 501XX you have at hand. The 301XX was beautifully finished in a good way, and I think it was a correct answer for JELADO, created with the help of science and the power of Japanese craftsmen. So this time, I would like to make a fabric that stands out for its roughness, taking advantage of the good points of this base model.

 

 

"Spinning, dyeing, and patterning. I want to differentiate it from the 3XX in these three areas and create another answer for JELADO." - Muroi

 

GotoWell, when it comes to "reproducing the roughness," I think the key is to make the unevenness of the spinning even stronger, but another important point is the color. In the 301XX, we were conscious of the goodness and speed of color fading, but this time I want to take a slightly different approach. I want to make the deep black blue that is unique to vintage more obvious.

 

MuroiIt is true that the surface color will fade more easily if the thread is processed before dyeing, but it may be difficult to achieve the color that Goto-san is aiming for when it is new. This time, in order to go more into the vintage style, why not try dyeing the thread pure indigo without any secondary processing? The key to this dyeing is how to express the depth of indigo, the whiteness, and the speed of fading.

 

GotoThat's nice. Last time I was committed to reproducing the color of the base model itself, but this time I'd like to change things up and reproduce a wilder color.

 

MuroiIt looks like it will be a model with a lot of unevenness, neps, and roughness. As for the new fabric, I think it will have a slightly different texture from the 301XX.

 

GotoBy the way, when we made the 301XX, we took measurements from a fairly large vintage pair of jeans and then graded (adjusted the pattern to the required size) the pattern, which resulted in a deep rise and a modern silhouette, but this time we were able to take the pattern from a 32-inch pair of jeans, so the finished product should have a shallower rise and a sleeker silhouette.

 

MuroiThere are a lot of jeans on the market that imitate vintage styles from the same era as the model we are using this time, but it seems like we will be able to create a new answer for JELADO again this time.

 

 

"The release is scheduled for September 22. I look forward to being your guide again this time." - Goto

 

GotoThis project is aimed at creating a more beautiful 301XX and a rougher finish. I'm sure I'll make new discoveries after it's finished, and I'll be chasing the 501XX for a few years to come.

 

MuroiEven if you are doing work that you think is perfect, the more you pursue the more you see the walls you want to challenge yourself with. The basic premise is that you can't make something that is exactly the same as what was made in that era. That's because there are no products today that have the exact same conditions as the cotton, spinning machines, dyeing machines, and looms that were used in America 70 to 80 years ago, and even more so, the people who make them and the production processes are different.

That's why I think jeans will allow you to continue pursuing your dreams forever.

 

GotoThat's right. No matter how much you try to approach things scientifically and accumulate facts, in the end you have to make fine adjustments based on your imagination, something only someone with knowledge and experience can understand. That's the romantic thing about it.

We are aiming to release the product in September 22, so we look forward to your continued support.

 

 

JELADO original denim line Last Lesort productsclick here