Out of the blue
Japan’s bespoke Haruhito Jeans come with local tradition and a sleepover
The very personal service of a Japanese bespoke jeans brand
The first pair of made-in-japan jeans was created in Okayama in 1963 by Canton, in partnership with Oishi and Maruo Clothing. Since then, the western region has become a go-to area for quality denim; many of Europe’s leading brands, including Chanel, Prada and Dior, buy their denim from the local Kuroki Mills. In the small harbour town of Kojima, looking out over the Seto Inland Sea, you will find companies such as Hangloose, which specialises in ageing jeans using a variety of sanders and washing techniques to bring out that perfect used look, or Sunami Sewing Machines, whose fourth-generation president Tatsuya Sunami travels the region and beyond to fix and customise the tools of the trade used by small manufacturers who can’t afford to employ their own engineers. He also has a weakness for collecting old sewing machines;
a visit to his warehouse on the outskirts of Kojima tells the history of the denim trade in the hundreds of old Pegasus, Ace, Brother and Toyota machines, all waiting to be overhauled or used for spare parts.
A bit further east, in the castle town of Himeji, Kentaro Konishi, the young founder of Haruhito Jeans, has turned his father’s old garage into a cosy but highly efficient bespoke jeans workshop. Haruhito was the first name of Konishi’s father. ‘My father was a big inspiration for me. He was a racing driver until he was 30 and then made a living from restoring super cars until he died,’ says Konishi, who has made it a policy to produce only 200 pairs a year. ‘What I like about my work is the interaction with my customers,’ he says. ‘I love chatting with them while they decide on what kind of jeans they want and we pick the colours of the fabric, backing, rivets and thread. My jeans are just an excuse for meeting people.’
One of Konishi’s fans is Hiroshi Terasaka, who runs the Sawvih café and gallery in Kamakura, near Tokyo. Terasaka has known Konishi for a couple of years and hosted a Haruhito pop-up last year. ‘I’ve been wanting to order a pair of Haruhito since I first met Konishi and, after having spent two full days with him, I knew just what I wanted.’ Terasaka’s jeans are super wide, in dark indigo denim, with the right front pocket seam finished with a cool metal grey thread as opposed to the black thread used everywhere else. ‘I love wearing these jeans and knowing there is only one pair exactly like these anywhere in the world. I also always remember the fun times I spent with Konishi when I put them on,’ Terasaka says.
Early on, Konishi knew he wasn’t meant to follow the traditional Japanese trajectory from schoolboy to company employee. ‘I really didn’t see the point of going to school. I couldn’t sit still or concentrate. So I just stopped going in my second year of middle school.’ At 23, after seven years’ working in fashion retail with a speciality in jeans, he started a three-year course at the Chugoku Design College in Okayama, the only college in Japan with a specific denim programme. Just months into the course, he felt confident enough to start selling his own jeans, but didn’t know how to connect with customers. ‘I was going quite a bit to the Yebisu Ya Pro club in Okayama. One evening I got talking with one of the bartenders and told him about my jeans.’ One thing led to another, and soon Konishi was taking orders for his bespoke jeans in a corner of the club. ‘I’d do anything to please the clubbers, so I ended up with a long list of complicated special orders that was a real pain to sort out and make.’
‘I want to take bespoke further, inviting customers to be a part of the making’
In 2014, he formally set up Haruhito as a brand. He only sells directly to his customers, either at the atelier in Himeji or at one of the roadshow pop-ups he does around Japan. He doesn’t have a website, but posts information on upcoming showcases on Instagram.
Later this year, he is planning to move the atelier to his grandparents’ home nearer Okayama proper. The old Japanese house has recently been fully renovated and besides the spacious atelier in what used to be a lean-to, there will be a showroom displaying the full Haruhito line and also a separate guest room for patrons to stay while Konishi tailors their jeans. ‘I want to take bespoke a step further by inviting customers to be a part of the making process,’ he says. He will continue to do the bulk of the sewing, but customers will have the option of stitching some of the simpler seams. In the true spirit of Japanese hospitality, he is also planning to take guests out for dinner at his favourite local restaurant.
For now, customers pick from six basic silhouettes or one of his more fashionable pleated jeans. He offers an impressive line of 30 different kinds of denim; five different buttons and rivets; and the option of adding D-rings for keys (handmade by a jeweller-friend in Tokyo) to the belt loops. ‘But I am more and more into monotone colours and simple shapes. If I give customers too many options, I might end up having to make a pair of jeans I don’t really think is cool,’ he says.
And cool they are. It’s not just the superior Kuroki fabric and the impeccable stitching. It’s the little details. Like the backing of all rivets with a thin piece of leather for added strength, or the thick, madeto-order leather-and-wax-seal back-pocket tag that customers are invited to cut off at their preferred length. Konishi even promises to repair any pair of jeans as long as he is alive. So you might never need to buy another pair of jeans again. * @haruhito_jeans_official