How much do you know about Japanese denim production? Specifically, how much do you know about the five iconic brands that really put it on the map: the Osaka Five?

The first big wave of interest in denim came in postwar Japan, as deployed American GIs would trade and sell their Levi's to people who lived around the bases. This interest was further grown by Kensuke Ishizu of VAN Jacket and his book "Take Ivy," which was a captivating showcase of the outfits worn on campus by students at American Ivy League schools. However, as production of denim increased and was switched to being made on lower-quality projectile looms in order to meet demand, there became a growing subculture focused around quality selvedge denim made on imported vintage shuttle looms. The Osaka Five are known as the founding members of this movement.

But why Osaka? Osaka was a perfect location due to it already being a region that contained many garment production facilities, as well as vintage stores where inspiration could be gained from classic denim models.

Studio D'Artisan is the brand that kicked it all off, being founded in 1979 and wanting to focus on traditional indigo selvedge with cinchbacks, in direct opposition to the factory-fading and acid-washing that was popular at the time. Their production featuring shuttle looms as well as hank-dyeing instead of rope-dyeing set them apart from the competition, and started the wave of repro denim brands to follow.

The next brand is Denime, founded in 1988 in Kobe, but its proximity to Osaka lets it keep its Osaka Five title. Denime was known for its closer adherence to American classics than other brands, as well as its wider accessibility due to higher production numbers. They were also known for quick fading, which was a popular selling point for raw denim enthusiasts who wanted to get fades that uniquely tailor the garment to their bodies and daily usage. Denime has changed hands a few times, being purchased by The Real McCoy and now being produced under Warehouse & Co's banner. The founder, Yoshiyuki Hayashi left the company to go on to found the competing brand Resolute.

Perhaps the most well-known of the five due to its prominence in American hip-hop culture is Evisu. Taking its name from a combination of denim legend Levi's and the Shinto god Ebisu, the patron of fishing and fortune, Evisu inspired many other repro brands and are known for their signature seagull mark that were initially hand-painted by the founder. They were also the most willing to depart from tradition, experimenting with things like silhouette, decoration type, as well as other details to set them apart from the competition.

The fourth brand is Full Count, which started when the founder departed Evisu in 1992 to strike it out on his own. Full Count was the first brand to use long-fiber Zimbabwe cotton due to its similar characteristics to the American cotton used in the 1940s, alongside a goal of jeans that “feel so good that you don’t want to take them off until you get in bed.” They also made waves by taking their near-perfect Levi's reproductions from Full Count's workwear roots and transforming into a lifestyle brand over time.

Warehouse & Co was founded in 1995 by two brothers, Kenichi and Koji Shiotani who similarly to Full Count started out at Evisu, but departed due to a difference in brand philosophy: rather than Evisu's more revolutionary approach, the Shiotanis wanted to create the most faithful reproductions they could to the vintage denim they so dearly loved. And they absolutely succeeded with models like their flagship 1001X which feature details such as iron buttons, copper rivets, and red rayon pocket tabs to truly replicate that vintage experience even down to the materials.

Overall, despite differences in philosophy and methodology between the brands, they all highlight different aspects of the same thing: a true love of the craft of quality denim jeans. We offer a selection of options from the Osaka Five in our store, as well as many of the other repro brands that they inspired. So please come into Kiriko Made in Downtown Portland or shop online to find your perfect pair of jeans!