A Legendary Raw Denim Is Going Away, Plus More News About Japanese Denim
I could as well have called this the “Japanese denim issue.”
One brand known for made-to-order jeans and an unusually broad range of fabrics is bringing back Japanese selvedge.
Another—that I often call the heavyweight champ of Japanese denim—is saying goodbye to one of its most iconic fabrics.
And then there’s a quick update from my own brand that might clarify what I mean when I say that it starts with “Made in Europe.”
In This Issue of the DH Weekly
- SOSOBROTHERS is bringing back Japanese selvedge
- The end of Iron Heart’s Ultra Heavy Raw (UHR)
- Things Worth Your Attention
- Building My Brand – Starting a new chapter for Weirloom
- From the Archive – My A–Z Guide to Japanese Denim Brands
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SOSOBROTHERS Returns to Japanese Selvedge
Japanese denim was part of the Swedish made-to-order jeans maker’s story from the beginning. But as the brand grew, the range expanded in new directions, and Japanese selvedge slowly disappeared from the lineup.
Now it’s back in the mix. But this isn’t simply about adding new fabrics—it’s about reconnecting with one of the influences that shaped the brand in the first place.
I spoke with founder Johan Blom about why Japanese denim matters so much, what’s changed this time around, and why this return is about more than just a fabric drop.
An Ode to Iron Heart’s Ultra Heavy Raw Selvedge
UHR has always stood apart from the rest of Iron Heart’s denims. It’s not sanforized. It isn’t one-washed. It’s loomstate, shrink-to-fit; selvedge in its purest form. After more than 15 years in the lineup, Iron Heart has announced that this latest restock will be the final one.
The story behind UHR is almost as interesting as the denim itself. Haraki-san was experimenting with a new fabric when a mistake in his calculations resulted in something completely different from what he had planned.
It’s woven at a tiny family-run mill in Japan with just two looms capable of producing this denim. Limited production has always been part of the story, and this is the last chapter.
Iron Heart has been dropping it in different fits since April. Now the final fit arrived, and many sizes are already gone—the 634 straight is already sold out (on Iron Heart’s own site), but there’s still some stock left in other fits.
I’ve worn the UHR myself. I got it in the 888 fit when the denim was last available. At the time, I remember thinking it was almost too much denim—and honestly, I still think the red selvedge ID is a little too fat for my taste 😅
But that’s also part of what makes UHR special. It has a personality of its own. It was never designed to be an easy, middle-of-the-road denim, and I think that’s why it’s earned such a legendary reputation.
If you’ve ever wanted to experience UHR for yourself, this is your last chance.
Things Worth Your Attention
There’s been no shortage of new releases and restocks lately, but I may have gone a little overboard in the last couple of issues. So I’m trying something simpler here: one product, one reason to buy it.
- Gustin’s Double Black heavyweight denim – A 21 oz. double-black selvedge with a dense heavyweight weave.
- Samurai’s Kanoko Aimadara selvedge – A brown selvedge collection inspired by historical military denim.
- Momotaro’s Botanical Dye Series – Naturally dyed selvedge denim in moss khaki and bamboo charcoal.
- SOSOBROTHERS’s Indigo Hickory Stripe Denim – A workwear-inspired drop built around 10 oz. hickory stripe denim.
- KATO’s New Raw Denims – Two new raw options: one grey-black and one indigo.
- White’s Boots x Franklin & Poe – A low-oxford collaboration built on White’s Northwest last.
I’m curious what you think about this format. Are roundups like this one useful? Would you rather see more or less of it? Let me know—I’m always trying to make the Weekly more valuable for you.
Building a Denim Brand
The behind-the-scenes of working on Weirloom.
Making Room for Weirloom in the Weekly
Weirloom grew directly out of everything I’ve learned through Denimhunters. But I’ve been treating it as something completely separate—as if I needed to apologise every time I mentioned it.
The DH Weekly is where I share what I’m working on, and while Denimhunters is obviously a huge part of that, it’s not the only thing I do.
Over the past year, a big part of my story and life has been building my own jeans brand. Going forward, I want to share more of what happens behind the scenes. Like a journal of building a jeans brand.
I won’t bore you with every little detail, but if I’m going to realise the plans I have for Weirloom, there will be plenty of interesting moments along the way—the exciting ones, the frustrating ones, and probably a few that don’t go according to plan.
I Can’t Build This Brand Alone
My friend and mentor Henrik Brund has told me several times that I need someone to help with sales for Weirloom. It looks like I might’ve found that person.
This goes back to something I’ve been thinking about since I started the brand. One of the biggest decisions I’ve had to make with Weirloom is whether to build a direct-to-consumer brand or try to get the jeans into shops. Because those are two very different models.
With wholesale, the shops that sell your products need to make money, which means you need to add a margin. But don’t be fooled; selling direct-to-consumer isn’t without costs either. You need to invest in marketing, so-called “customer acquisition,” shipping, and everything else that comes with building a brand.
In the end, I decided that wholesale was the right path for Weirloom. Not because I want to be everywhere, but because I believe the right stores can introduce the brand to people who would never discover it through my own channels.
Since my first trade show in January, it’s been blatantly clear to me that I really do need someone to help with wholesale.
I love working on the product, telling the story, building the brand. Sales is a different skill set. And if Weirloom is going to become what I believe it can become, I need help from someone who knows sales.
So when I was approached by someone with two decades of experience doing wholesale at serious scale—who had already bought a pair of the First Edition jeans and shares my vision for what Weirloom can become—it felt like the perfect match.
We’re still in the getting-to-know-each-other phase, but it feels like one of those moments where the pieces start coming together.
Weirloom Doesn’t Stop with “Made in Europe”
I’ve said many times that “it starts with Made in Europe”. I guess the image above explains what I mean about that.
From the Archive: My Guide to Japanese Brands
When I introduced this section of the Weekly, the idea was to bring back some of the stories that were published way before I started this column slash newsletter. But it also works for something else: pieces that aren’t necessarily years old, but are worth revisiting because they help tell the story.
That’s the case with my guide to Japanese denim brands. I published it in April, but I thought it was worth including again in this issue.
The guide covers all the Japanese denim brands you should know, from the big names that helped shape the scene to smaller labels doing interesting things with fabrics, fits, and construction.
If you’re looking to understand the Japanese denim landscape—or just wondering where to start—this is my guide for just that.
The post We Knew It Was the End, But Saying Goodbye Isn’t Easy appeared first on Denimhunters.
DENIM and PATCHES sourced this post originally published on this site