To be a blue jeans “CLASSIC”

The texture and beautiful color fading of the “CLASSIC” series is just like vintage denim. No, that is not an exaggeration. The foundation for this claim lies in the fabric's manufacturing process. The greatest difference between modern mass-market denim and vintage denim is the type of loom used to weave the fabric. In today’s world of advanced efficiency, high-speed, innovated looms have become the mainstream. But in earlier times, before modern technologies had developed, denim was woven using vintage shuttle looms. These vintage shuttle looms weave fabric at just one-third to one-fifth the speed of modern innovated looms. While innovated looms produce fabric with a flat surface, fabric woven on vintage shuttle looms has pronounced unevenness and imperfections. It is precisely this imperfect feel created by non-perfected technology that generates the outstanding texture of true jeans.

These vintage shuttle looms, which will never be newly manufactured again, are gradually disappearing due to aging-induced breakdowns and the lack of technicians who can maintain them. However, MOMOTARO JEANS has secured rare vintage shuttle looms and employs artisans within the company who are thoroughly familiar with their operation and repair. We continue to uphold the “vintage” production methods even today, and constantly pursue product quality. Vintage shuttle looms are like classic cars from half a century ago, in a manner of speaking. Operating them properly today requires tremendous technical skills and effort, and their true performance depends entirely on how well the operator can draw out their potential. Shigeru Uchida, who oversees operations at MOMOTARO JEANS’ in-house factory while also working as a weaving artisan, is a man who has spent half his lifetime with these vintage shuttle looms. Stepping out of the factory filled with the thunderous clatter of looms where conversation is nearly impossible, Uchida speaks slowly, reflecting on his profession:

“When I thought about getting a trade to make a living for the rest of my life, the most familiar thing to me growing up in Okayama was the local companies that made canvas. That’s where I started, and I’ve spent over 50 years repairing weaving machines ever since. It’s been about 14 years now since I started working with denim. It all began when I was approached by Hisao Manabe, the former president of MOMOTARO JEANS, who asked me to look for a few units of the GL-9 loom from Toyoda Automatic Loom Works in Nishiwaki, Hyogo. That loom was the most suitable for weaving denim. It was my first time working with it, but from there, I modified it extensively, including installing a weft winding device and adding a brake motor to stop the loom immediately in case of thread issues. These looms are nearly 50 years old now, but I take pride in the fact that not once has there been a single complaint about the fabric they produce.

It’s the same with vintage cars. Parts for repairing old machines are gradually disappearing. We’re running nine GL-9 looms in-house now, but when a major part breaks, even ordering from a metalworks shop doesn’t help, so we’ve had to buy two more looms just to use for parts. These looms are from the era when the Toyota company name was still spelled ‘Toyoda,’ and even Toyota doesn’t have a single working loom anymore. Their staff come to visit us multiple times a year to observe the looms. These days, there are high-speed looms like rapier looms and air-jet looms, but denim woven on those feels fluffy. Without the force of a shuttle loom, you can’t get the uneven texture found in fabrics like those of MOMOTARO JEANS. There’s a metal part called a reed cap attached to the reed, which packs the weft into the warp with full force, creating that uneven look. When the loom is working properly, it runs with a steady rhythm, but you can instantly detect a problem from any irregular sound. You can also feel the tightness of the weave by touching the fabric.

No one teaches you how to handle old looms, so I had to study and build up my knowledge on my own. It’s really just the satisfaction of getting a broken loom running again with hard that has kept me doing this for 50 years now. It would be easier to just leave it and go home, but I feel like if I ran away, that would be the end of it.”

Shigeru Uchida

Weaving Artisan, JAPAN BLUE
Uchida was born in 1946 in Hayashi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture. He began working with weaving and looms at a young age, spending 28 years in canvas production and 13 years weaving tatami mat edging before joining JAPAN BLUE, the company behind MOMOTARO JEANS. Thus far, he has worked with denim and vintage shuttle looms, developing some of the most advanced skills and expertise in handling these machines in Japan.

Within MOMOTARO JEANS’ lineup, only the CLASSIC series has the distinctive two white lines placed on the right back pocket of pants and the left sleeve of jackets. This motif, once used in the Shutsujin Label before its rebranding, is inspired by the Japanese folktale of Momotaro that gave the company its name. Its roots lie in the design of the flag carried by Momotaro and his companions as they head out to defeat the ogres in the story. Over time, the tone and balance of the lines have been updated, and they continue to be the motif that symbolizes the history and quality of MOMOTARO JEANS. The CLASSIC series inherits many details from before the rebranding, such as fabric from the former Shutsujin Label known for its impactful fading and a leather patch once used in the Dotan Label. In this way, the CLASSIC series truly symbolizes MOMOTARO JEANS’ history.

“At MOMOTARO JEANS, these two lines have been used as a symbol since the company’s early days. Back then, I was still a university student not yet working for the company, but what got me hooked on MOMOTARO JEANS was the 0905SP model from the Shutsujin Label, which featured those two lines. I remember being oddly drawn to the way the white lines stood out against the heavy fabric. I wore those jeans for over ten years, and the fading has come a long way. The lines on the right pocket, where I often kept my wallet, have worn down with the fabric from abrasion. Now that I’m working on the merchandising of the brand and have been involved in its rebranding, it’s deeply moving to look back.

As part of the rebranding, the staff spent a lot of time discussing whether or not we should keep the two lines. Some of us thought that in order to make the brand more refined, we might need to remove even the two lines. But we realized that the people who have supported MOMOTARO JEANS all this time probably believed in those two lines. To remove them would be to deny our own history. That’s why, after long discussions, we decided to keep this symbol. That said, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve moved away from my era of enjoying bold, statement clothing and now prefer things that look more subdued and that I can wear for a long time. Creating products that more people can love for a long time is what MOMOTARO JEANS aims to do going forward, and so we decided to update the balance.

Specifically, the color that was previously pure white has been recolored to a grayish tone that stands out yet naturally complements the ‘特濃-TOKUNO BLUE” color. The previous line balance of 2.5 (top line): 1.5 (space): 1.5 (bottom line) has been changed to 2.3 (top): 1.3 (space): 1.3 (bottom). You might not notice the difference unless you’re told, but if you own a product from the old Shutsujin Label, please try comparing them. We went through multiple rounds of mixing paints, remaking screens, and reprinting until we reached this balance. The result is a look that feels quite fresh.

When I joined the company, the former president once told me that the two lines were also a play on the words ‘two lines’ (nihon in Japanese) and ‘Japan’ (Nihon). That’s why they were sometimes called the ‘Japan lines.’ I realized anew that it is easy to remove elements, but deciding what to keep is truly important. The CLASSIC series has a strong vintage character, but it’s not at all a reproduction line. We will continue to pursue quality and artisanship. If these two lines come to hold even more meaning for people, nothing would make us happier.”

Yasuhiro Ibuki

Merchandising, JAPAN BLUE
Ibuki was born in 1987 in Hyogo Prefecture. A pair of jeans he encountered during his student days led him to knock on the door of JAPAN BLUE, the company behind MOMOTARO JEANS. His love of denim grew deeper, and he now works on product planning for the entire MOMOTARO JEANS lineup.