Sugar&Co Gentle Pants: Where Japanese Denim Meets Tailored Ease

Do you remember the thrill of discovering a new denim brand for the first time—that rush when you first explore a collection, feeling the amazing fabrics, noticing unique details, and instantly wanting to bring every piece home with you? That exact excitement is what hit us the moment we discovered Sugar&Co.

After carefully building a solid foundation in Japan, Sugar&Co made the move to attend some of the largest trade shows in Europe. Fast forward to one year after their European debut and the brand is gaining momentum, with a growing number of top European retailers already stocking their collections. We were there to see their first appearance in Europe, and the moment we stepped into their booth, one thing became obvious: this promising Osaka‑based denim brand was going places. We needed to know more about the brand.

“Become More Delicious”

Established by Shinya Takahashi in 2020, Sugar&Co was built on a solid foundation of decades of experience in the denim industry. The brand balances its identity by respecting denim’s legacy while expressing denim in a new way. Instead of offering just another five-pocket pair of jeans or type III jacket, Sugar&Co goes beyond ‘normal’, creating incredible new designs in amazing custom fabrics.

Sugar&Co’s slogan, “Become More Delicious”, may sound playful, but it hits the nail on the head. By staying true to traditional Japanese manufacturing processes, the brand creates garments that last, with each piece becoming more “delicious” with wear. The same philosophy applies to the fabrics: many of their fabrics are woven exclusively for Sugar&Co and truly come to life through everyday use and aging.
We recently published an in-depth Q&A with Shinya, in which he shares insights into his experience in the denim industry prior to founding Sugar&Co and discusses how and why he decided to start his own brand. You can read part one here and part two here.

Gentle Pants in Indigo

Last year, to celebrate their fifth anniversary, Sugar&Co released their Gentle Pants, a unique design combining the best of Japanese denim with a tailored ease. Sugar&Co’s Gentle Pants are the perfect realization of the brand’s philosophy of blending tailored refinement with the character of Japanese selvedge denim. The pants are designed in a relaxed silhouette with an elastic waistband and are made to fit seamlessly and feel comfortable from day one.

Because slacks, which have their roots in formalwear, use patterns that differ entirely from jeans, it is technically challenging to use selvedge denim along the outseam. Where slacks normally rely on curved shaping and wide fabric layouts, selvedge construction requires straight alignment within narrow loom widths. In order to create a well-balanced pant, the brand needed to redesign the entire silhouette using entirely different sewing specifications. This unusual combination of a slacks pattern with loomstate denim, along with the technical challenges the brand overcame, make the Gentle Pants a true masterpiece—and we haven’t even mentioned the details yet.

The Fabric

The Gentle Pants in indigo are made from an exclusive 12 oz. kibata (loomstate) denim, custom-woven for Sugar&Co in the historic Bitchū–Bingo region. Bitchū–Bingo straddles divide between Okayama and Hiroshima. It is a historic textile region that is especially well known for producing beautifully textured loomstate denim. Sugar&Co drew on the technical expertise of the local weavers, developing a denim fabric for all‑season comfort with a vintage‑inspired texture from the very first wear.

To achieve this, yarns have been spun from Supima cotton, a top-grade and extra‑long‑staple fiber. Once the irregular yarns were spun, they were rope‑dyed in pure indigo (prized for its fading properties) and then woven at extremely low tension on antique shuttle looms. The result is a fabric featuring irregularities in texture and a soft and supple hand-feel—a denim that looks and feels natural and authentic and brims with the kind of character and depth that made Japanese selvedge denim a star on the world stage.

Kibata denim, also known as loomstate or unsanforized denim, is used in its natural form. It normally has not undergone any post-weaving treatments, such as washing, sanforization, or shrink processing.
However, due to the three-dimensional pattern of the Gentle Pants, elements like the front pleat and center crease can be prone to slight twisting, potentially affecting the overall balance of the garment. To address this, Sugar&Co worked closely with the fabric mill to develop a specialized finishing process. This treatment minimizes twisting and excessive shrinkage while preserving the denim’s natural texture, irregularity, and subtle hairiness. The result is a fabric that maintains its original character and aging potential, while allowing the pants to hold its elegant silhouette.

After construction, the pants are washed as a complete garment to manage natural shrinkage and twisting. This one-wash treatment reveals the fabric’s natural character and texture, giving you an early taste of what’s to come as the denim ages and fades.  

The Details

The Gentle Pants are made for everyday functionality and have a minimalistic semi-formal design. They have been stitched with ton-sur-ton dark stitching and feature construction details which are typical for slacks, like slant pockets on the front and button-fastening welt pockets on the back. Instead of a button fly and top-button – typical for selvedge jeans – the Gentle Pants feature a high-quality zipper and a Sugar&Co tack button closure which is very easy to use. The tack button has been custom developed for the brand and carries a strong sense of vintage character.

Furthermore, the waistband has been made with a white canvas facing in which the pocking is seamlessly integrated, perfectly fitting in the clean finishing of the pants. Instead of a leather patch, Sugar&Co’s Gentle Pants feature two white branded woven labels placed discreetly just above the right back pocket and at the side of the right front pocket.

A Sugar&Co Masterpiece

The Gentle Pants embody five years of Sugar&Co development—a perfect blend of denim heritage and tailored refinement and construction. They are made from premium materials that provide all‑day comfort and durability. The elastic waistband offers flexibility, and multiple pockets add practicality, while a minimalist aesthetic keeps the design clean and versatile.

Sugar&Co has perfected the art of creating unique designs, premium custom fabrics, well-balanced silhouettes, and clean, stylish details. Each garment is crafted for functionality and durability, and all these elements come together perfectly in the Gentle Pants.

Sugar&Co’s Gentle Pants in their 12 oz. original selvedge denim are available through the brands’ webstore for €258. Head over to their website to find more photos and details and to lay your hands on this unique garment!

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