Narrator: It takes between one to two months
for Hisao Manabe to dye these threads a deep indigo blue.
Denim made from these threads will maintain this rich color,
and so will Manabe's nails for three weeks.
That's because Manabe uses real indigo
instead of the synthetic dyes
most jeans are made with today.
A pair of Momotaro jeans dyed with natural indigo
can cost over $2,000.
But using real indigo is just one element
that can raise the price of Japanese denim.
Each stage of production requires meticulous attention.
So what exactly makes Japanese denim different?
And is that enough to make it so expensive?
In basic terms, Japanese denim
refers to denim made in Japan.
But today, it often implies selvage denim.
The name comes from the way fabric is woven
on these old shuttle looms.
They weave fabric with a sealed, or self-finished, edge,
hence the name selvage.
It means the end of the fabric won't fray or unravel.
You'll notice a pair of selvage jeans by the cuff.
There's typically a colored line along the outseam.
Narrator: This type of denim is made here in Kojima, Japan.
Narrator: Momotaro is one of Kojima's
most well-known denim brands.
But before Momotaro makes denim,
it must first dye the threads.
The company's most expensive jeans
are hand-dyed with natural indigo.
Natural indigo comes from the leaves
of the Indigofera plant.
Dyeing fabric with natural indigo
has been a valued art form in Japan for centuries.
Narrator: Manabe dyes 60 rolls of cotton over several days.
He wrings each roll out and hangs it up to dry
before dyeing another.
Narrator: Manabe must dye each roll
a total of about 30 times.
Otherwise, the color won't be a dark enough blue.
Dyeing jeans this way doesn't only take longer;
it also costs more.
A kilogram of some synthetic indigo
can cost between $4 and $5.
Depending on the quality,
natural indigo might cost 10 times that.
Narrator: That one bale is only enough
to dye about 15 pairs of jeans.
Although using natural dye raises the cost of production,
it has unique effects on jeans
that can't be produced by synthetic dyes.
Narrator: Today, cheaper synthetic dyes
have mostly replaced natural ones,
so jeans still made with natural dyes
are often considered a premium product.
Which is partly why Momotaro's kintin,
or gold-label jeans, are worth over $2,000.
The increased price of this pair
is a nod to the extra effort, skill, and money
needed to dye the threads by hand
and get the color just right.
Not all Japanese denim or Momotaro jeans
are made with natural indigo,
but even so, the price remains high,
around $200 to $300 for a pair like this.
And that goes back to the way Japanese denim is woven.
Before Toyota made cars, it made looms like this.
Originally introduced in the 1920s,
these Toyoda looms are no longer made today.
And although they look and sound
like they're working fast ...
weaving fabric this way takes five times longer
than weaving on modern projectile looms.
Narrator: Despite the looms being automated,
an experienced Momotaro technician
has to keep a close eye on them as they run.
He checks to see each loom is working smoothly
and that all the threads are aligned correctly.
Even so, it's possible something will go wrong.
Narrator: On top of weaving slowly,
the looms produce fabric less than a yard wide.
That's about half the width of non-selvage denim,
so producers need more fabric
to make a pair of selvage jeans.
This is yet another factor
that increases the cost of production
and ultimately the final price of the jeans.
Selvage shuttle looms are also less precise
than projectile looms.
But variations in the fabric make each yard unique.
And, ironically, that's what gives these jeans
one of their biggest appeals.
While most other jeans have a smooth surface,
Japanese denim is a little bit rougher.
Narrator: While most Momotaro jeans
are made on the automated looms,
the most expensive gold-label jeans
are produced with an even slower, more traditional method:
by hand, with an antique loom.
It takes one hour for Kazuki Ikeda
to weave just 10 centimeters of fabric.
While this process raises the price,
the extra effort gives the jeans
a distinctly different feel.
Narrator: And for denim enthusiasts,
traveling from Thailand to Tokyo is worth the trip
to buy Momotaro's most expensive pair.
Narrator: After the fabric is woven by hand
or selvage shuttle loom, it heads to the sewing room.
According to Heddels, on average,
most other types of denim weigh between 11 and 14 ounces,
while most denim from Japan weighs 20 ounces.
A heavier fabric makes Naomi Takebayashi's job
more challenging.
Narrator: Another cornerstone of Japanese denim
is the artisanal nature
of the way the jeans are finally formed.
At Momotaro, all the stitching is done by hand.
The same goes for adding each copper rivet.
The final look and feel of a finished pair
largely depend on Takebayashi's dedication to detail.
Because selvage looms are less precise,
the fabric will naturally have several imperfections.
But if Momotaro's retail stores
find anything wrong with a pair of jeans,
they mark it with a small sticker
and send it here, to the quality control room.
Takebayashi sifts through the flagged jeans
using a tweezer to repair each marked spot.
Momotaro is one of around 40 denim makers in Kojima,
considered the birthplace of denim in Japan.
While Japanese denim from this city
has found a luxury category to call its own,
the denim industry hasn't been prominent
in Kojima for very long.
Narrator: In the decades since,
Japanese denim has reached far outside Japan.
Today, it's considered one of the finest
types of denim in the world.