One denim jean
Ex-Evisu and Levi’s designer Mark Westmoreland has produced a jean for the denim heads. A combination of vintage features from Levi’s, Lee, Boss of the Road, Stronghold and Wrangler; an exclusive 100 pairs of ‘One’ jeans will only be available from five retailers worldwide, including oki-ni.
The One denim jean was created over a year ago – the end product of a prototype that took Westmoreland four years to produce, in conjunction with the Shiotoni brothers of Japan.
Created to fulfill a simple, practical need to produce an exemplary jean, irrespective of label, that pools the collective knowledge of jean makers worldwide - denim’s greatest hits all in one jean.
The US cotton used to produce the One jean is dyed and woven near Hiroshima at a family run mill. This 14oz denim is loop dyed and comes in its unsanforized loom state so you should expect up to 10% shrinkage after washing - but the jean has been cut to accommodate this.
Details
•Rivets are ‘washer & burr’ – an authentic piece of denim hardware – identified by the cotton threads poking through the middle.
•‘X’ stitched bar tacks on the back pockets are inspired by Lee.
•Pocket bags are 9 oz denim, inspired by Levi’s first jean, the Nevada.
•The fly is one continuous piece, inspired by Boss of the Road denim.
•To keep things as pure as possible, all sewing has been done by a single stitch machine, using cotton threads, with the exception of the belt loops which are from a twin needle.
• The waistband is one continuous stitch, tracking around the patch to the waistband – a Japanese standard.
•The back seam and yoke have been hand finished to produce a ‘french seam’ – a technically brilliant finish that’s rarely found in bulky fabrics.
•Arcuate stitching spells M W – the initials of designer Mark Westmoreland. •Slight knotting might appear in the selvage – a sign of the loom used to weave the denim being re-set.
•The heart shaped fly button has been produced by a reproduction company based on a old railway jacket button (that was originally used by Carhartt). Although only intended for the 20 pairs given away by the designer, it was loved so much by everyone who saw it that in the end it ended up on every pair. The unusual back was a suggestion by the factory.
•And finally, all jeans are sold in an old U.S Mint coin bag, with a Japanese one yen in the pocket.
After finishing at the factory, the jeans are sent back to the UK for their unique finishing touches.
A cotton ‘One’ label is attached – hand sewn by the designer, some have stars, some have arrows, some are plain. Next, the leather patch (made from either cow, sheep or ostrich) is hand branded with vintage irons by the designer in the kitchen of his family home. 12 different qualities of patch will be branded from 1 – 10; 20 pairs of hair on horse (10 in black and 10 in white) have been given away as presents by the designer and the remaining 100 are available for sale.
As well as the label and leather branding, the bartack on the back patch pocket has also been finished by hand. The red cotton thread it’s made from wont core dye so after it’s been sewn on (by an old ‘Union Made’ that produces a specific amount of stitches) it’s painted by hand with indigo dye.
Once customers have bought a pair of jeans we’ll be in touch to ask which type of leather patch and which number they’d want ( as long as no one else has already ordered it), ensuring each pair is a completely unique one off.
Produced with passion and integrity, these are robust jean that should be admired for the skill and craftsmanship that’s gone into their production but also worn, loved and lived in.
