By Robin | June 06, 2019

Review of the BENZAK BDD-711 heavy slub 16 oz. jeans

Brand: Benzak Denim Developers
Product name: BDD-711 heavy slub 16 oz. RHT
Fit: Regular fit/ Tapered legs
Materials: 16 oz. heavy slub Japanese selvedge denim
Made in: Japan
Price: €299 (€247,10 excluding VAT)

General information

Benzak Denim Developers (BDD) is an Amsterdam based denim brand who launched their first collection in September 2013. From there, BDD steadily grew into one of the most popular denim brands in Europe. It all started with a few pairs of ‘Made in Japan’ jeans, representing owner Lennaert Nijgh’s passion for Japanese denim and craftsmanship, combined with contemporary European fits. Every detail of the jeans have their own purpose and are developed without compromise on quality or design.

As an addition to the ‘Made in Japan’ line, BDD also offers a ‘European made’ collection. This line is made in Portugal and has the same high level of quality as the Made in Japan line. The European collection also has a wider array of product types, including denim jackets and t-shirts. As the garments are made in Portugal, the European line provides a more entry-level price point.

Some of you may know that BDD are currently celebrating their fifth anniversary in the denim business. We caught up with Lennaert to reflect on his experience in the industry so far and you can re-cap on that here. But today we’re going to focus on a specific pair of jeans from the brand, the BDD-711 heavy slub 16 oz. RHT…

Photo courtesy of Koen Kuik.

The Fit

The BDD-711 can be described as a regular fit with a tapered leg. It has a deeper rise, a slightly dropped crotch and roomy thighs. The BDD-711 is perfect for guys with muscular thighs or for someone who wants a bit more room in the top block, but still want to maintain a slimmer silhouette below the knee.

I’ve been wearing the BDD-711 for the last 7 months and I found that the fit works really well for me. It provides extra room up-top and gives me space to move freely. Since I like to wear a slim fit jean, the tapered leg gives the appearance I’m looking for. After a few weeks of wear, there are some pretty cool horizontal whiskers appearing already.

The Manufacturing

Manufacture of the BDD-711 takes place at one of Japans’ best denim mills: Japan Blue Group in Kojima, Japan. Seasoned denim makers, Japan Blue Group have helped BDD execute a carefully constructed and extremely high quality pair of jeans. This not only includes the manufacture and production of the jeans themselves, but also the weaving and dying process of the heavy slub fabric. This just goes to show that ‘Made in Japan’ is not just a fancy marketing term of tokenistic endorsement, it really does reflect quality, collaboration and craftsmanship.

As we have come to expect from the brand, the construction of the BDD-711 is solid, durable and visually pleasing. The jeans are cut, sewn and finished with an eye for detail, which reflects in the appearance as well as in the fit of the jeans.

Photo courtesy of Koen Kuik.

The Details

The BDD-711 has many interesting details, some of which are practical whilst others are simply aesthetic. In our humble opinion, BENZAK have found the perfect balance of having many great details without being flashy or obvious. Some of the details are typical for BDD, while others derive from the heritage of Japanese denim. Take the waistband for example; it has been manually attached and made of a single piece of denim which fits naturally around the hips. The jean also features hidden rivets on the back pockets, a beautiful redline selvedge and nicely hemmed leg openings.

The BDD-711 also comes with the brand’s latest hardware. After using the same hardware for almost five years, BDD came up with a new set of beautiful hardware. The branded buttons and rivets are made of 100% brass, which provide strength and durability (as well as looking great!).

We’ve focused on three key features below which really appealed to us when we first saw the BDD-711;

Heavy Chambray pocket bags – The pocket bags are made from an 8 oz. heavy chambray. The chambray fabric is much stronger than more commonly used pocketing fabric, in order to prevent the pockets from falling apart. The depth of the pocket bags are perfect, so that important items like your keys or phone fit perfectly without you needing to dig around.

Back pockets – Typical for BENZAK’s ‘Made in Japan’ jeans is that the back pockets are stitched with three different yarn colors and in different thicknesses. This creates a 3D effect and the arcuate stitching represents the horns of the longhorn bull, a nod to the brand’s logo.

Hidden 6th pocket – The hidden 6th pocket is one of BENZAK’s signature details that can be found in all of their jeans. The 6th pocket has been placed on the left-hand side and is striking but subtle. It is called ‘hidden’ because when wearing a belt, the 6th pocket will not be visible.

Photo courtesy of Koen Kuik.

The Materials

The BDD-711 is made of a 100% cotton sanforized right hand twill fabric and comes in at a substantial 16 oz. The fabric is woven from a blend of different US cottons to guarantee a long staple. The fabric is sanforized, which means that there will be minor shrinkage after the first wash. As the heaviest fabric offered by the brand, the heavy slub has a rugged and rough feel. However, due to the open weave, they do not feel suffocating and are breathable straight out of the box.

The fabric also features a redline selvedge and is woven with slubby yarns. The irregular and open structure of the fabric provides extra comfort and a very interesting high-low contrast fading after wash/ wear. The slubby yarns create an even deeper fading contrast, making this fabric a winner. Compared to other fabrics, BENZAK’s ‘heavy slub’ fades pretty fast and is exceptionally beautiful, making the results definitely worth the investment.

Last but not least, as with all selvedge fabrics from BENZAK’s ‘Made in Japan’ line, the fabric is woven on a vintage Toyoda shuttle loom in Kojima, Okayama.

Photo courtesy of Koen Kuik.

Conclusion

Everything considered, the BDD-711 is an amazing pair of jeans. Made with a Japanese eye for detail, the quality and construction is unparalleled.

The jean provides enough room in the top block which allow you to walk, cycle, and dance freely. On the legs, it tapers down into a slim hem, providing a contemporary silhouette. In conclusion, we felt that the fit is a perfect combination of old fashioned comfort and a contemporary fit, which will suit most European body types.

Priced at €299 for people within Europe and €247.10 for orders from outside of the EU, the BDD-711 has earned it’s place as a premium Japanese jean which deserves a spot at the top. Sure it’s a lot of money and in our opinion, there are only a few pairs of jeans worth that kind of investment, but this is most definitely one of them.

Head over to benzakdenimdevelopers.com for more information, photos or to order your next pair of high quality selvedge denim!

Photo courtesy of Koen Kuik.