COTTLE: Now Available at Denimio
Denimio, one of the major denim web stores in Japan, is known for offering high-quality denim for reasonable prices. The company is carrying the most highly sought-after Japanese brands and is doing a great job collaborating with brands from the country that is often referred to as the ‘denim heaven on earth’.
Next to working with the greatest, Denimio is also scouting smaller up-and-coming denim brands, in order to offer them on a global (online) stage. Until now, we have only seen a fraction of the beautiful Japanese denim brands which are in existence, made available on the overseas market. The most important reason for this is the difference in market, while another factor is a different approach in marketing. This can make it difficult for Japanese brands to step into the overseas market and be successful. But fortunately Denimio has us covered! Since 2009 the site has helped Japanese brands raise their profile overseas and make their product available on a global scale.
As of December 22nd Denimio is offering another great Japanese denim brand by the name of COTTLE. The brand, which incorporates age-old textile traditions into their manufacturing processes, has been making a name for itself in Japan for the past few years. Thanks to Denimio, COTTLE is now ready to showcase their beautiful fabrics and cutting edge designs with the rest of the world.
COTTLE: Authentic Japanese Denim and High Quality Basics
COTTLE was established in 2015 and is built on the rich heritage of the Japanese textile industry. Not only are the brand incorporating Japanese traditions into their designs but they are also renovating a 120 year old textile factory in Kojima, which is now utilized as a gallery shop and workshop. It is here that COTTLE provide information about their products to clients and turn their ideas into a denim reality.
The vision behind the brand is firmly rooted in the heritage of Japanese denim, with collections that are inspired by traditional Japanese clothing as well as age-old Japanese manufacturing traditions. Producing denim garments while following traditional production methods comes with boundaries, but the brand have embraced those limitations, making it a cornerstone of their philosophy. COTTLE are adopting a very Japanese sense of season, aesthetics and culture, for the products they producing. In turn, they are trying to make elevated basic items which have a distinctly Japanese feel and heritage. The hope is that the customer will come to select these high quality basics for everyday wear. The brand intends to create garments that are loved and worn for many years, whose true beauty is revealed as you wear it, and will be a faithful companion for years to come.The fabrics speak for themselves but the small but significant production details are also noticeable.
COTTLE: Fabric Comes First
The production of Cottle starts with the basic beauty of materials and fabrics, combined with the desire to create elevated basic items. The brands’ slogan of ’Uniform for living, made in Japan’ perfectly summaries COTTLE, as these are the two key principles which guide the production of COTTLE garments. But instead of trends, designs or seasonal leanings, it is the fabric that determines the collection. Once several fabrics have been carefully selected, the garments are then designed to match the fabric characteristics. From there, the manufacturing processes are similar to that of other brands; the designs will be transformed into patterns and the patterns will be given to the craftsmen who will create the garments by using many different types of traditional sewing machines.
COTTLE: The Jeans
The approach of Cottle takes time, from the selection of the fabrics to garment design and production. It is and intuitive and organic process which can’t be rushed. For example, from the very first moment that COTTLE decided to produce jeans until the moment they actually started sewing the first batch of five pocket jeans in Kojima, took over 2 years. This alone reflects the slow hand production that COTTLE prides themselves on. These are considered and carefully curated garments.
When the brand were sourcing the perfect fabric for a five pocket jeans, they realized it was the best to weave it themselves. So, they started to look for yarn, ending up with a hand-dyed loosely twisted cotton thread and a linen thread. This allowed them to weave a textured ‘neppy’ fabric, with a soft hand-feel and carrying COTTLE’s unique selvedge ID. Even for the pocket bags, they sourced a special fabric named ‘Bizen Ichigo’ which is a high-density cotton fabric that is normally used for students’ clothes in Japan.
When the fabric was finally woven, the brand started searching for the perfect fit for both the Japanese customer and the overseas market. After a period of development, they decided to offer two strong silhouettes for their first collection; a straight and a slim straight. When the silhouettes were finalized, they added exclusive details to the designs including branded buttons and a vegetable tanned leather patch. Finally, the patterns and fabrics were handed over to seasoned craftsmen and after a process of two years the first pair of COTTLE jeans were born.
COTTLE: Available to Japan and the World
As we mentioned, COTTLE will now be made available for the first time at Denimio. Both jean fits will be offered and free worldwide shipping is included. If you want to learn more about this up-and-coming Japanese denim brand or to view their collection, go to their website (which is in Japanese and English).
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