Opinion: Japanese Denim, a marketing stunt

[adero]

Japanese Denim equals high quality or equals a myth?
I found this interesting article on denimhunter.dk
(full story here: Opinion Piece: Japanese Denim)

Personally I think the author got more than a valid point.
Here it goes:

"The debate of Japanese denim quickly becomes heated among denim enthusiasts. In my opinion, the subject ought to be seen in a broader perspective. “Japanese denim” has become the finest endorsement a pair of jeans can have, but the general consensus that Japanese denim automatically is of the highest quality is a misinterpretation. With this article I will attempt to demystify Japanese denim and the of legend of what today is an industry like so much else.
The main argument of this article is that the omnipresent myth that the Japanese imported old American machinery for mass denim production, which apparently still lives on, is nothing but a marketing stunt."


" The support of this argument is based on numerous valid sources and common sense, and the article will take you through a little history on denim weaving.
Denim as it’s manufactured today is a result of English and American cultural history, and yes, it is generally accepted that the word “denim” originates from the French city of Nîmes. The first known American book on denim describing various weaving methods dates from 1792, and in an advertisement from 1864 a wholesale outlet in the US offers ten different types of denim.
There have been numerous weaving mills in the US over the last centuries. The undisputedly best known is Cone Mills, which opened in 1896 in North Carolina and today it’s one of the world’s largest mills that manufactures denim for brands like Levi’s Vintage Clothing at its White Oak plant. For comparison, contemporary Japanese weaving history also stretches more than 100 years back in time, nonetheless, only in the beginning of the 1970s did Kurabo, one of the most famous and leading Japanese weaving mills, set up denim production in Japan. Today the company produces Japanese denim for more than 200 jean manufacturers from around the world.
In 1972, Kurabo initiated a collaboration with the Japanese denim brand Big John, which to many Europeans is quite unknown brand. Additionally, like most of the early Japanese denim brand, before Big John established the cooperation with Kurabo they got their denim from Cone Mills. Another well known Japanese weaving mill, Kaihara, did not begin their production of selvage denim before 1994."

[Dunnymonster]

I agree that there is an element of marketing that still makes people believe that Japanese Denim is superior to all others, and in many cases it is quite valid, in the main most of the smaller Japanese Denim brands do in fact produce very high quality products. However that is not to say that other countries are not equally capable, I mean the USA should in theory have the monopoly on quality denim given its long heritage in that country. I am sure there are mass market factories in Japan which manufacture denim that is no higher in quality than those in China and Turkey for example, the conotation that something is made in Japan does tend to suggest it has been made to the highest standards. Its no different to Italian clothing, the label saying " Made in Italy" carries a lot of weight even if the end product turns out to be nothing special.
I still believe the Japanese produce Denim which is hard to beat, but that said they produce a whole range of products ( cars and consumer electronics for example come to mind ) which set very high standards, something which is more to do with Japanese work ethic and culture than anything else I feel.

[getcaned]

it's analogous to the champagne debate; do people simply assume something is better because of how we're inculcated by the media and history.

i think japanese denim is the same as all other denim, there's very good and very bad.

[BASS]

Japanese denim is unarguably the ultimate!

Why?

Because i said so.