“How to Read Jeans—What No One Ever Tells You”

Good evening. I’m Matsushima from cantáte.

 

Do you know how to tell good denim apart?

──Oh, isn’t that just a matter of the details?

For example, at the opening of the back pocket, shouldn’t a hidden bartack be better than a bartack (kan-dome)? And ideally, wouldn’t a “hidden bartack + hidden rivet” be even better?

Yes, that’s correct.

Exactly right.

But such “right answers” are surprisingly little known. Details around construction are especially difficult to notice unless someone points them out, and even when you know about them, it is harder still to understand how they function in an actual garment.

Today, I’d like to talk a little about the “accumulation” we value in making cantáte jeans.

Good denim has a sound reason behind it. Clothes that look good have always been built through accumulation. That’s the story.

 

There are various theories, but the 1950s and ’60s are known as “the golden age of denim.”

There was a time when sturdy, tough jeans were needed. As mass production advanced, it is said that a pair could be sewn in 10 to 15 minutes. There are even stories of blue lint smoke rising from chimneys and ventilation fans.

In other words, every denim detail was born from “efficiency” or “rationality.” Not a single design element is unnecessary; everything is a “form with meaning.”

 

For example…

• The crotch and fly-extension stitching

  Because this area is subjected to tremendous force, it is sewn with a heavier thread.

• The coin pocket uses the selvage edge

  That means the grain direction is reversed relative to the body. It’s a structure similar to a reverse weave in sweatshirts.
  Furthermore, using the edge of selvage fabric eliminates the need for overlocking or other fray-prevention finishing, reducing the process by one step—an efficiency gain.

• The single-stroke stitching on the back pocket

  Of course, sewing it in a single stroke is faster and easier.

• The upper and middle belt loops

  Chain stitching is fast to sew because it doesn’t require changing the thread, but it comes undone easily. So the center was raised, allowing the loop to wear through before the thread could break. It’s a measure designed to prevent damage.

• The “offset” of the center back loop

  To avoid thick seams, it is deliberately sewn slightly offset, so the needle won’t break or the stitching fail.

• Yoke stitch width

  Normally, the 1/4 gauge—meaning a width of 0.65 mm—is standard, but cantáte deliberately uses 0.72 mm.
  It’s a difference of just 0.07 mm, but it makes a definite difference in the way the stitching looks, its shading, and the overall character.
  This “0.72 mm gauge” is a special sewing machine found only at the legendary factory that used to sew the “King of Denim.”

• The three-fold hem and stitch width (1 cm fold + 8 mm stitching)

  The stitch count (＝fineness) is of course important, but the width is just as important.
  An accumulation of purposeful measurements leads to an appearance that feels natural and looks good.

• The stitching direction at the pocket opening

  Sewing from the inside (the pocketing side), rather than from the outside—that is the original specification. It also tightens the bobbin-thread side visible on the outside, increasing durability. Efficiency and function in balance.

• The “banzai” attachment

  Is marking the positions of five belt loops a hassle? Then let’s temporarily secure them together with the stitching along the top of the waistband—a distinctly American rationalism.

• V-shaped and U-shaped stitching

  It’s a detail born of the simple idea that marking the top button’s position later would be a hassle, so why not indicate it in advance with stitching?
  But there was another reason, too: chain stitching cannot be backstitched by design. So this was also a way to keep it from coming undone.
  Born from efficiency, rationality, and structural constraints, V-shaped stitching is now one of the details loved as a symbol of vintage character.

  It’s my favorite detail of all.

• Whether the chain stitching with the waistband tape is sewn all the way to the edge

  You can’t tell just by looking at the outside. But look inside, and you’ll know immediately.
  If the waistband is sewn with chain stitching, the proper thing is to sew it firmly all the way to the edge of the waistband.
  And yet jeans are casually sold with the sewing stopped partway through, with only vaguely “authentic-looking” V-shaped or U-shaped stitching added.

  Why are such imitations allowed to pass?
  The reason is obvious: sewing all the way to the edge is a hassle. It takes time and effort, and without motivation on the part of the person doing it, it simply won’t be done.
  But even more seriously, the people making them and the factories checking them are producing them without anyone knowing “how they should truly be.”
  Efficiency comes first, and no one cares.
  That’s why jeans that are merely “the real thing” are confidently sold everywhere.

  To distinguish good jeans, look at whether someone cared. That alone will reveal most of what you need to know.

 

If you’ve read this far, you must be starting to understand “how to tell good denim apart”!

A good appearance doesn’t happen by accident.

When you take your time, spare no effort, and give every detail a clear purpose, the final result is the kind of piece that simply “looks good.”

cantáte jeans are the result of that kind of accumulation.

The next time you pick up a pair of jeans, be sure to look at the inside, too.

Because “clothing with meaning” tells its story not only on the outside, but on the inside as well.

 

Lastly, I tried taking a photo of a sample showing one year of wear and aging.

We’ll also have the actual piece at cliché, so please do come by, feel it, and take a look.

 

cantáte Matsushima Shin