The Tanuki ZDT (Zetto Draft Tapered) jeans are made with the Tanuki´s perfect all-season fabric. An unsanforized 14.5oz midweight slubby indigo 100% texas cotton fabric extra-low tension woven. It is inspired by the original low tension Japanese denim fabrics. Up until a few years ago, three shuttle looms had the capability to manufacture the fabric. However, after the catastrophic rains in Japan in 2018, two of them are now destroyed, so there is only a single shuttle loom in the world that can weave this fantastic denim. Once the last loom stops working, we will never see this fabric again.
With loose yarn coils and the shuttle looming machine set for a maximum rattle, this fabric pushes the limits in terms of slub and character, making it the Tanuki´s slubbiest fabric. The loose yarn makes the material unstable and prone to shedding indigo, resulting in fast fades. This fabric produces moderate contrast fades with an artisanal vintage feel and strong patina.
The cut is a modern street style draft tapered fit, with a high-rise, strong taper, loose-fit at thighs and ankle-length fit to ensure a perfect silhouette for sneakerheads.
Near the back pocket, there is a stitched Tanuki logo. Their 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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