Spring/Summer 18 Interview with Kishimoto from Japan Blue Jeans
Two weeks ago, Momotaro Jeans took care of the official kick-off of the Robin Denim SS18 series and last week, Karl Thoennessen, founder of Rogue Territory, gave us insight in their upcoming collection. For the third chapter of the Robin Denim SS18 series, we interviewed Kishimoto, managing director of Japan Blue Jeans. Kishimoto is responsible for every collection at Japan Blue and he is also involved in the development of new fabrics. We sent him the same five question as we sent to the other brands and you will find his answers below.
Photo Courtesy of Japan Blue Jeans
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What can we expect from Japan Blue Jeans considering the first collection of 2018?
For the SS18 collection, we focused on a more relaxed style. Leading in this collection is the Hi-Tapered fit which will be available in four different fabrics. The 14 oz. JB0606, the 14.8 oz. JB0601, the 16.5 oz. JB0612 and the 18 oz. JB0626. When you are looking for a new pair of jeans, I can recommend the JB0606.
Besides the jeans, we focused on fabric textures. The SS18 collection includes many different fabrics like, Sashiko, striped and quilted fabrics, which we used to create jackets. It also includes shorts made from Sashiko and Jacquard fabrics. We used very technical weaving processes to create an outstanding SS18 collection.
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Where does the initial inspiration for the upcoming collection come from?
The main influences for our SS18 collection come from military and traditional Japanese styles. For the collection, we focused on both styles, because I believe they complement each other. We will release a collection of modern military garments, including pants, shorts and jackets, all inspired by vintage military garments. We modified the vintage garments to a modern collection made of incredible fabrics and available in good fits.
Photo Courtesy of Japan Blue Jeans
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Can you describe the process behind the upcoming collection?
I wanted to produce a military style for the upcoming spring/ summer season and since we are a Japanese jeans maker, we tried to mix indigo with the military style.
For the military collection, we took inspiration from vintage military pieces and changed the silhouette and some details to a more JBJ taste. After the patterns had been finished, we designed a fabric which fitted best to the garment.
For the indigo collection, we worked the other way around. We started by creating some unique indigo fabrics like stripes, Jacquard and Sashiko. After the fabric had been finished we designed the garments. Because those fabrics already have a unique character, we kept the garments clean with little details.
- For denim brands, autumn/winter is usually the best season to sell, have you tried to change it with the new spring/ summer collection?
Our sales are almost flat throughout the year, so we just keep doing what we always do.
Our best sales months are April and May, the reason for this are the national holidays in Japan. Customers are looking for new clothes for the coming hot summer. Of course, the sales of raw jeans is slow in the summer, but we have many washed jeans, chino’s and cargo’s in our collection as well. Because of this, our sales are almost flat throughout the year.
Photo Courtesy of Japan Blue Jeans
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What do you think is the most promising item in the upcoming collection?
With our SS18 collection we focused on the street style that is very popular these days. Many people like sneakers and a comfy and relax style. Our challenge with SS18 was to produce jeans and garments that will fit seamlessly into this style.
My favorite bottom is the JB0606 because the Hi-Tapered fit is perfect for me. The JB0606 comes at a weight of 14 oz., perfect for every season. My favorite top of the SS18 collection is the JBJK2060 Sashiko bomber jacket and I am definitely going to wear this jacket coming spring. I can’t wait to create some nice honeycombs on my arms.
Photo Courtesy of Japan Blue Jeans
Photo Courtesy of Japan Blue Jeans