The new Tanuki Kuon sweatshirt is soft. Criminally soft. So soft that every time you slip it on, you immediately feel ready for being relaxed. So soft that after a few wears with a tee or button-up on underneath, you start skipping the middle man and just wearing it on its own. This cotton blend take is exactly that absurdly cosy.
But comfort is not the only thing that stands out about this sweatshirt. Dyed with natural indigo and pure indigo, the salt and pepper look will become more apparent with wear. Tanuki calls this heavy loopback sweat fabric "Hayate" which translates into something like tempest or gale as it has a very dramatic texture. This is a substantial fabric and feels very sturdy yet is very comfortable to wear.
Like all the Tanuki fabrics, this material is entirely made in Japan – spinning, rope dyeing, knitting, and processing are all done in a small Japanese mill. You can expect great fades. This beauty is finished with chunky blue side seams and black ribs at the neck, cuffs and hem.
In the shoulder, there is the embroidered Tanuki 二 (Ni) logo, two parallel lines in Japanese Kanji representing the number 2. The lower line represents the past, tradition, the standard, peace. The upper line represents the future, change, strength. The red and blue colours of their logo refer to Japan's flag, honouring their roots as denim artisans.
The Tanuki brand was established in 2016 in Okayama Prefecture. It comprises a small group of great artisans who are passionate about denim and boast more than 30 years' experience in other brands in the industry. If there is something that characterizes Tanuki garments in addition to its modern cuts, it is the quality and variety of its fabrics, with prime importance given to the best cottons, natural indigo and the application of different types of tension on the shuttle looms when producing the fabrics.
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