By Robin | February 22, 2022

The Eleven Projects: Samurai Jeans x Oldblue Company

The legendary Japanese denim label Samurai Jeans and the Indonesian powerhouse Oldblue Company have teamed up for a unique and limited collaboration. The two giants from the East, both possessing strong and recognizable identities, have joined forces to release a pair of jeans carrying both brands’ signatures as well as some details which are exclusively designed for the collaboration.

The two heavyweights went beyond the obvious and made a thoughtful masterpiece, which has been made in a limited number of 500 pairs. The jeans were offered as pre-order and are now available through the recently launched website samurai-projects.com for €300. Read along to find out all details or go straight to the website to order the Samurai Jeans x Oldblue Co. masterpiece!

 

 

The Background

This unique collaboration is part of Samurai’s new concept entitled ‘the Eleven Projects’. Traditionally, Samurai Jeans haven’t released collaborative products with other brands, but with the launch of this new concept the brand wants to convey and show the world all that is good about Samurai’s denim. And the new direction has a key underlying mission, by teaming up with brands from all over the world, Samurai Jeans intend to expand and explore all possibilities and potentials for Japanese denim and the culture behind it.

Since Samurai’s inception, the brand has continuously tested and modified their products in order to improve and innovate. The brand conquered the denim scene by their unwavering belief in creating things, and yet they feel that they have to do more to truly convey the full beauty and power of Samurai denim to the world. With the introduction of the Eleven Projects, Samurai Jeans will release a series of limited collaborations in order to reach all four corners of the denim world. The Eleven Projects dedicated website is the place for denim heads to lay their hands on a very limited item as well as an invitation for brands to pitch a unique proposition – so reason enough to follow the website!

This is Samurai Jeans ‘The Eleven Projects’, and the recently released Samurai Jeans x Oldblue Co. collaboration. This is denim history.

 

 

The Team Up 

Samurai Jeans was founded in 1998 in Osaka, Japan, by the flamboyant denim head Tohru Nogami, who created the brand from his passion for denim and his vision on the future of the industry. Under his supervision, Samurai Jeans grew into one of the biggest players in the Japanese denim industry, utilizing age-old traditional Japanese craftsmanship. Taking inspiration from vintage clothing, and legendary Samurai warrior battles, Samurai Jeans developed a strong identity, with a very Japanese sense of feel. The brand offers a wide range of denim fabrics, varying in color, weave and weight, but became especially known for their heavier fabrics, ensuring beautiful fades through wear.

Ask a denim head to name one Indonesian denim brand and you’ll have a 90% chance the person will say ‘Oldblue’, and that’s hardly surprising. Founded in 2010 in Jakarta, Indonesia, Ahmad Hadiwijaya a.k.a. Jax and Randy Wilmar started the brand during the Indonesian ‘denim boom’ phenomenon. Visualizing their common love for vintage denim and American workwear, the two took inspiration from American vintage workwear, especially from the 1890’s to the 1950’s. Together, Jax and Randy steadily built a denim empire which quickly became the leader in the Indonesian denim scene but also has great appeal to the international denim heads by their unique and dedicated vintage style.

These two titans, with both their own style and legacy, came together to co-design and co-produce a collaboration jean which does justice to both entities, and beyond.

 

 

The Jeans 

The Samurai Jeans x Oldblue Company collaboration jeans are made in Samurai’s facilities in Osaka, Japan, and are made with the attention to detail and the utmost of care that we have come to expect from the Japanese brand. Every production stage, from weaving the fabric to cutting and sewing was done in-house by the skilled and seasoned team of Samurai Jeans, leaving nothing to chance.

The jeans come in a slim straight fit which is similar to Samurai’s popular S710XX19ozII fit, allowing for comfort in the top block and a slight taper through the legs. The fit gives that bit of extra space on the legs making the heavyweight fabric comfortably wearable. As to the fabric, the two decided to use the Samurai signature ‘Cho-Kiwami’ selvedge denim, which weighs in at 21 oz. per square yard. The fabric is constructed with extra long staple cotton composition (40% Pima cotton, 60% Egyptian cotton) and woven using a high twist yarn and tight weave for durability. The fabric features a beautiful red selvedge with silver lamé, representing the edge of a samurai’s blade.

Unique to this collaboration is the addition of Oldblue Original 21 oz. ‘Beast’ denim, which can be found on the coin pocket and the right back pocket. In order to eliminate most of its shrinkage, the unsanforized denim was one-washed after the jeans were manufactured.

 

 

The Details 

With this kind of collaboration, we were expecting great details throughout and no stone left unturned. You’ll be glad to know that Samurai and Oldblue didn’t disappoint in any way.

The collaboration jeans feature a thoughtful mix of signature details from both brands as well as some exclusive details for this release. In celebration of the unique collaboration, the two designed an exclusive and striking arcuate. Furthermore, the jeans also carry a sheepskin leather patch with exclusive collaboration artwork and a custom collaboration woven label.

Here’s a breakdown of the details in full;

  • Slim / straight fit –  similar to the Samurai S710XX19ozII
  • 21 oz. Cho-Kiwami selvedge
  • Oldblue Original 21 oz. denim on the coin pocket and the right back pocket
  • Exclusive design arcuate
  • 100% cotton right hand twill denim fabric –  #3.6 warp thread / #3.6 weft thread
  • One-wash unsanforized denim
  • Exclusive collaboration woven label
  • Peek-a-boo selvedge on the coin pocket
  • Oldblue tag on right front pocket bag
  • Samurai ‘21oz’ tag on left front pocket bag
  • Oldblue black tab /  Samurai navy tab /  hidden rivets /  button fly
  • Sheepskin leather patch with exclusive collaboration artwork
  • Cotton thread sewing / Oldblue steel button / Samurai gold & steel button
  • Mix of Oldblue and Samurai Jeans copper rivets
  • Cotton pocketing with jacquard woven text
  • Limited to 500 pairs
  • Made in Osaka, Japan

The Samurai Jeans x Oldblue Company Collaboration jeans are limited to 500 pairs worldwide and are available at samurai-projects.com for €300. Head over to Samurai’s collaboration-dedicated website to get yourself a pair of these rare future collectibles!