Levi’s Taps Kaihara Denim Mills for ‘Made in Japan’ Collection
Levi’s new collection is made with one of the most coveted fabrics in the jeanswear world: Japanese denim.
The brand’s Fall/Winter 2023 “Made in Japan” (MIJ) collection offers silhouettes and washes synonymous with Japanese craftsmanship. Levi’s continued its partnership with Kaihara Denim Mills, using the Hiroshima mill’s premium selvedge denim for the men’s and women’s collection.
More from Sourcing Journal
Made in Japan denim is becoming a larger focus for Levi’s. The product serves as the brand’s more premium line after it discontinued Made & Crafted.
The collection reveals unique textures and character. Men’s jeans styles are a dark and rigid MIJ 1980s 501 and a medium, worn-in MIJ 511. Women’s jeans include the MIJ column, the MIJ HR boyfriend, and the MIJ barrel, each in a worn-in medium wash. The MIJ Classic Type II jacket for women and the MIJ Classic Type III jacket are “clean, moody, and artfully crafted tops that can be styled with an array of fits,” Levi’s stated.
Select styles—the women’s barrel jean and the men’s 501 and jacket—are offered with a unique arrow patchwork textile in various denim shades. Each garment includes collection-exclusive details like the Made in Japan backpatch, an inner label inspired by the Hinomaru (the flag of Japan), and an indigo tab.
The collection, available now on Levi’s website, app and in select stores, comes together in a campaign shot on the streets of Tokyo.
Japan’s history in denim manufacturing began during the WWII-era of rationing machinery. During this time Japanese craftspeople began producing garments by hand on old shuttle looms. As U.S. pop culture exploded in the 1950s, Levi’s said the Japanese “continued building on the American style of denim-manufacturing and applying their traditions of intricate craftsmanship and constant refinement of techniques over time.”
“Through highly refined techniques and extraordinary attention to detail, Japan has earned the reputation as one of the most advanced denim makers on the planet,” said Paul O’Neill, Levis Strauss & Co. design director.
Earlier this year Levi’s teamed with Japanese streetwear and denim afficionado Nigo on a “Made in Japan” capsule collection for the 501’s 150th anniversary. The collection spotlighted the A Bathing Ape Founder and Kenzo creative director’s favorite archive piece, the Hickory Stripe 501 jean.
