SS18 Interview with Tatsushi and Keita from Momotaro Jeans
With the AW17 collections just on the shelves, SS18 seems to be far away. We still need to prepare ourselves for the cold winter months and yet we start talking about the new spring and summer collections. For us, customers, SS18 is far away indeed, but for the designers, SS18 is beyond that now. Brands are used to work at least one season ahead so they have probably already finished the AW18 collection.
We have put together five questions and with those questions we want to give you an exclusive insight and a little sneak peek in the upcoming spring/ summer collection. Each Monday, for the next six weeks, we will feature a different brand while following the same questions.
This week, Tatsushi Tabuchi and Keita Hinamoto, together responsible for the overseas Momotaro Jeans collection, will take care of the official kick-off of the Robin Denim SS18 series.
Photo Courtesy of Momotaro Jeans
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What can we expect from Momotaro Jeans considering the first collection of 2018?
Momotaro is born out of the textile supplier Collect and therefore we will always challenge to invent new great fabrics. For every new collection, we try to create new fabrics that are an addition to the ones we already have. For SS18 we will launch three cool fabrics, all available in the 0306 (tight tapered), 0405 (high tapered) and 0605 (Natural tapered) fits.
Below, I will introduce our three new fabrics;
The first fabric is a 12 oz. denim fabric made of 100% Zimbabwean cotton. This indigo fabric comes in the same color as our signature deep blue color and is especially created for the spring and summer. Because the 12 oz. fabric is lighter, the price is also lower.
We also created a 14 oz. Zimbabwean cotton high tension denim. The surface of this fabric is flatter than our regular denim and it will not show any cotton fibers at the surface. We recommend this fabric to beginners who want to try Japanese denim. The price of this denim is also lower than our regular denim.
The third new fabric is the 16 oz. US cotton texture denim. This fabric features a slubby texture that you will notice at first sight. We used US cotton because our signature 100% cotton is not suitable to create slub denim because of the long staples.
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Where does the initial inspiration for the upcoming collection come from?
New ideas always start in conversations with denim heads like you. We gather a lot of information just by reaching out and listening to our fans and customers. We visit all our retailers in Europe and listen to their vision and advices, because they are in close contact with the consumers. For each new collection, we also sit down with people who have a large reach and knowledge of the denim market. On top of that, famous denim bloggers, like for example Robin Denim, are involved in this process.
Photo Courtesy of Momotaro Jeans
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Can you describe the process behind the upcoming collection?
The process behind the overseas SS18 collection started in March 2017, led by Tatsushi Tabuchi and Keita Hinamoto. We started collecting as much info as we could by listening to the denim community. After having collected the information, we tried to create a clear direction for the SS18 collection. We interpreted the information from our point of view and converted it into products while taking advantage of traditional Japanese technology. The SS18 collection will be released from February to March next year.
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For denim brands, autumn / winter is usually the best season to sell, have you tried to change it with the new spring / summer collection?
True, especially in the summer months, most people don’t want to wear and buy 15.5 oz. or even heavier jeans. Of course, there are a few, but most denim heads are looking for a lighter pair of jeans. With this in mind, we created a very light 12 oz. fabric, perfectly suitable for the summer. Although it is a very light fabric, you can still enjoy fading a pair of jeans when it’s hot outside. We believe that beginners and denim fans will be satisfied with this new fabric.
Photo Courtesy of Momotaro Jeans
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What do you think is the most promising item in the upcoming collection?
For SS18 it is the first collection that we will release tops exclusively made for the overseas market. During the process, we have been focussing on popular fits, preferences and trends in Europe. Next spring, we will release three types of denim jackets, all made from 100% Zimbabwean cotton. We created two 18 oz. denim jackets, one with an indigo x natural cotton fabric while the other features an indigo x black fabric. The third jacket comes at a weight of 13 oz. and is made of a double indigo fabric.
We are planning to release shirts and tees in the future. Hopefully, these tops will help Momotaro Jeans grow in Europe and become as popular as it is in Japan.
Photo Courtesy of Momotaro Jeans
Photo Courtesy of Momotaro Jeans
Photo Courtesy of Momotaro Jeans
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