I still have a very special feeling about the denim overall when I was little. Though I was only a child and didn’t know why, I was attracted by the unique charm of denim that changed color and texture over time.

In those days, domestically produced jeans were popular, but it was mainly one wash denim and weathered or distressed jeans did not even exist. People simply had not arrived at the idea that they could enjoy the aging of jeans.

Denim has turned to be more and more sophisticated as a fashion item since colored pants, pedal slims, and chemical washed jeans became popular in the fashion industry. Though design and technology of jeans dramatically improved over the years, I felt something very important was missing: the magic that I felt when I wore the overalls.

In the late ’80s, vintage denims became a fad. And I finally came across a pair of jeans which gave me the answer I had been searching for. Its rough texture, unique fading and the color losing around the selvedge…. All those details reminded me of the overalls I got from my mother when I was a child.

Technological advancement allowed jeans to be mass produced. Design is also developing as a jeans became a fashion icon following the trend of the times. But on the other hand, haven’t the charms and potentials of jeans been sacrificed?

Later, this question is going to change my entire way of life

I love motorcycles, cars, and outdoor products made in the ‘40s~’70s. It’s the same with second hand clothing.

I use vintage sewing machines like Singer and Union Special, while taking care to maintain the machines well. And the other machines in my atelier are inevitably just as old as the sewing machines.

These so-called “antique” machines do not always produce stable products.

But the products made from the vintage machines have a very unique attractiveness that high technology equipments can never create.

Right from the early 1900s about when they started being mass-produced, jeans were a brand new kind of product which not only had unrefined and functional quality as an industrial product, but also had warmth to its character as clothing.

And jeans which came out of a transition period of fashion history, from hand-making to mechanization, finally reached the completion of 5 pocket style after WWII. It was miraculously well proportioned. At least, I think it was.

Looking back and learning from the past as well as trying hard to create a new perfect style of jeans. this is the essential core value of orSlow.

The blue made from dyed warp and unbleached weft gets a deeper flavour the more you wear. This is one of the most attractive point that denim products have.

The delightful phenomenon of aging jeans, which actually emerged by accident, enrich the value of denim products with aging and established this new concept : “the more you wear, the more it gets better”.s

The pure indigo dyed fabric reflects unfeigned blue.

Denim fabric, which takes us a whole day to make mere 50 ( about 160 feet ) meters, creates an indescribable great atmosphere as it is woven slowly and delicately.

It gives you a warm and nostalgic feeling like it has always been there and will never turn you down.

Like a metronome, one by one, the fabric is woven carefully and slowly as not to damage the twisted yarn. This is how our distinctive denim fabric is created.

Everybody has a turning point in their life. For me, the encounter with denim was the turning point.

The overalls I got in my childhood, and a 5 pocket jeans I found in second-hand shop in the ’80s: both were vintage denims made between the ‘60s and ’70s.

These unexpected encounters helped me to connect the dots, and they have directed my life like a compass.

Encountering something new leads to encountering someone new. “Denim” is always the center of a circle reaching and connecting different products and people. And this is the simple delight and motivation for us at orSlow.

I believe that just like each of us has unique characteristics, products should have character, too.

Although industrial technology has dramatically developed over the years and has allowed mass production, all the products made by the fully automated production line are uniform.

Unlike machines, the artisan’s hands can add a delicate nuance to the products.

It might not be a very visible characteristic that everyone notices. But I strongly believe that time and effort gives a unique life to each product.

I believe that just like each of us has unique characteristics, products should have character, too.

Development of denim products has evolved with development of sewing machines. Originally, one sewing machine was used for every process of denim production. But as time went on, denim makers divided the processes using several different machines.

Not everybody can handle industrial sewing machines. It requires the artisan’s masterful skills and rich experiences.

Denim products have seemingly contrasting features: the beauty that systematic industrial machines create and the warmth of craftsmanship.

The only thing that make this possible may be the artisan’s pride and skills that have been passed on throughout the century.

In fashion industry, time flows very quickly. Even though the world and especially the fashion industry is swiftly changing, I always try to keep being myself and to continue to grow at my own pace.

Denim and various clothing that were birthed in the 19th~20th century, especially the workwear and military clothing, were elevated to standard fashion, beginning with workwear.

Even though trends change seasonally, the warmth of craftsmanship never changes.

To make products that allow the wearers to feel the artisan’s spirit in them… this has always been orSlow’s foundation.

As I said before, I am attracted to jeans made in the 1950’s~70’s. In order to explain why, I need to go thorough a little bit of the history of jeans.

Jeans were once tailor-made, where a single sewing machine was used for every process. But in the early 1900s, the standard of clothing production changed as jeans became mass produced in systematic clothing factories where fabric was weaved with dozens of looms.

And the current 5 pocket-jeans style was born after WWII. Though everyone has different tastes, I personally really like the jeans made in the transition period of industrial technology.

Since I was attracted to the denim products produced over half a century ago, I went to the United States and visited many vintage and second-hand shops in various areas. Though my English was not very good, sometimes I negotiated with local people and was able to buy the denim that they were wearing. All those vintage denims I collected in the US over two years are still my irreplaceable treasures.

Skyrocketing development of manufacturing technology now brings significant influence among not only apparel industry but also in many different fields. Maybe it will soon be perfectly normal to download the data of products and print them with a 3D printer.

But no matter how much technological innovation there is, I will not change the standard for manufacturing our products. We will continue to be diligent with our handwork. This is because I truly believe that nothing, even the highest technology, can really replace the artisan’s work that evokes warm feeling and emotional attachment.

“Monozukuri” is wonderful. Creating things by hand, and making denim by hand, is a wonderful and meaningful endeavour. I also want to mention that although I could not write them all down, there are great encounters with great products along the way, which always lead me to great encounters with great people.

Making denim has always been the center of my life and has helped me to journey up the spiraling stairs. And I am sure that I will keep following the never fading fascination of denim.

*Monozukuri: mono=“thing” and zukuri (tsukuru) =“making, manufacturing” The word has a very intentional meaning: it’s not just making things but having a spirit or pride of craftsmanship. Generally used to describe Japanese-style manufacturing processes.