Drop Ibara Slim Rinse Denim

We’re working with our partner in Okayama, Japan to wrap up production on the Drop Denim Ibara Slim Rinse. The factory we’ve teamed up with is a family-owned outfit that’s been making top drawer jeans for denim-head brands and powerhouse runway labels for decades. Here’s a look behind the scenes at production. We can’t wait for these jeans to launch, hopefully in about a month. [video]

Heading to LA Things are moving along! The next step in our process was to travel down to LA to meet with our denim developer. A denim developer is an expert in all things denim. They schedule fittings and work with fit models to make sure the fit is just right, and they determine where we should be adjusting the pattern to make the jeans more balanced. Our denim developer works with top labels in and around LA, so we were excited to get to work with her on this project. Another expert we collaborated with is one of Los Angeles’ best fit models. Fit models have commonly shaped bodies that fit specific sizes perfectly. It’s their job to know all the different fits for their size on the market, and to help offer feedback on things like thigh width, pocket length, overall comfort, and anything else that could be improved before the final product is made. The Slim-Tapered Fit Working with the developer and fit model helped us nail down the perfect...

After examining lots of samples, we’re excited to share that we’ve made our denim selection. We first narrowed it down to four midweight fabrics, all from revered Japanese mills: a 13.5-ounce indigo with a medium slub, a 14.2-ounce natural indigo with a light slub, a 15-ounce indigo with a light slub, and a 15-ounce indigo with a medium slub. While all were of outstanding quality, it was ultimately the fourth option—from Yoshiwa Mills—that went to the front of the pack in terms of character and break-in potential. For denim enthusiasts, this Yoshiwa fabric is a once-in-a-lifetime find, with a low tension, open-face construction, medium slub, and warp yarn variance that bring out a jeweled color contrast and micro pebblestone texture. While this fabric has tons of structure in a single rinse, it’s breathable and turns incredibly soft and buttery when worn in and washed down. Made of US-grown cotton, the yarn is spun in Japan and woven on a conventional selvage loom at a...