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Posts from Heddels for 11/27/2023
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Heddels is the leading destination for those seeking to understand and find well-made, enduring denim, footwear, and other clothing that improves with wear.
By Karu on Nov 27, 2023 12:01 am
I came to Kojima with a clear goal in mind. Coffee. Not just any coffee, not even expensive single-origin coffee served to me by someone in a fisherman beanie who’s never fished. (Hey, I haven’t touched a fishing rod either since I was about 6, so who am I to talk?). Honestly, the quality of the coffee doesn’t really matter, it could be discount instant coffee for all I care. It was coffee that came in a raw denim bag. (!).
Image via Karu
But hey, seeing as I’m here anyway, let’s talk jeans. Everyone who reads Heddels will know Kojima. The mystical Kojima. The sacred Kojima. The magical land where beautiful selvedge denim artisans live blissfully in their repro 501s and type 2 jackets.
But to avoid the risk of adding to the increasingly saturated Kojima content online (c’mon, even The Guardian did a piece), I wanted to highlight some parts of my journey beyond just the Iron Hearts, Momotaros and Japan Blues.
In the raw denim niche, Okayama, Kurashiki and Kojima are used interchangeably. It’s just different names for that same place where the good stuff is made, right? Yes and no. Kojima is a district of Kurashiki city, which is located in Okayama prefecture. Many factories are scattered across Kurashiki city, but Kojima is where the famous jeans street is.
As I wrapped up the Shikoku leg of my trip, I made the journey up to Kojima. I arrived on a foggy Tuesday midday. Here are some cool things on the trip.
Image via Karu
Kojima Genes
Image via Karu
Kojima Genes doesn’t garner the same amount of respect as its peers. It doesn’t have the same history as the Osaka 5. It doesn’t have the same fashion-forwardness and design consciousness as Japan Blue Jeans. Nor does it have the same character and quirkiness of Samurai and Studio D’artisan. But to make it for itself, Kojima Genes makes affordable, no-nonsense quality denim.
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