Evisu Private Stock

It’s denim month here at Robot HQ! Finally. But what is there to say about denim which hasn’t already been said? Not much, but I’m gonna have a go. This week we’re looking at the kind of denim that requires at least 3 months wages to pay for, like a good engagement ring. I remember quite clearly the first pair of Evisu I bought. It was an eye-watering amount of money but I was so happy with them. The painted seagull logo on the back pockets was everything I’d dreamed it would be. I would lie awake at night fearing that it would wear off and no-one would be able to tell how expensive my jeans had been. They were also the first pair of selvedge jeans I owned; in fact it was through Evisu that I learned what selvedge denim was. In short it was a turning point in my own personal relationship with jeans, a rubicon if you will. In the decades since then Evisu has fallen in and out of favour like any great brand but in the current climate where denim appreciation is at an all time high I find myself returning to the brand with both a new found respect for its artistry and quality and a misty eyed nostalgia for a younger version of myself. 

Evisu Private Stock is a small capsule collection of jeans that exemplify everything Evisu do best. Hand crafted in Japan using only the finest quality Japanese selvedge denim each pair is made in the traditional vintage way on original shuttle looms. This produces a looser weave and rougher texture, allowing the wearing and washing of the jeans to develop its own unique look and feel. The unmistakable indigo colour is achieved by loop dying, where the yarns are dipped up to 30 times, giving the deep Evisu denim tones. All the denim weighs in between 12.2oz to 13.5oz. Evisu uses specific thread thickness and colour according to part of the jeans, a faithful nod to the way the original workwear garments were constructed. Up to 9 different threads may be used on a pair of jeans, varying in tone between yellow and black. The buttons on each pair of Evisu jeans are known as ‘victory studs’. This button design was originally conceived during World War II. The reef pattern symbolises victory and the dent in the middle is not for aesthetic purposes but a rather more practical reason – it saved on resources. The middle part was taken out and used to make bullets. I could go on but I’ve strayed deep into ‘denim nerd’ territory. Check out my picks from the private stock collection below and shop the collection here.