Notes on Japanese Craftmanship

While continuing a strong emphasis on American workwear, we have shifted slightly to explore the detailing and quality of our friends across the Pacific. Being able to work with and carry a handful of Japanese brands, who we firmly believe to align closely with our strong standard for quality and design, we have been able to appreciate how much Americana workwear has been translated through the perspectives and unique character of Japanese designs. The very looms that have been built years ago in American have mostly found their ways to Japan to continue the storied tradition of hand-loomed selvedge denim. While it is sad to see most of these machines leave our lands here in the US, we have been happy to see how much care and tradition the Japanese artisans have put into maintaining and progressing the traditions of premium denim fabrics we see today, used in the iterations of 90%+ of todays jeans from US and Japanese brands alike. These machines are very old and finicky and take a master of his trade to create the beautiful and unique characteristics of selvedge denim. Countless antique machines are utilized to create the jeans we offer to you in store here at Timber Trade. We are happy that our Japanese brothers and sisters care as much as we do about everything denim and they are some of the most gracious and courteous people we have the pleasure of working with.

An immensely popular brand of denim we carry is Momotaro from the shores of Okayama, Japan, the epicenter of the selvedge denim world as we know it. They offer premium fabrics in beautiful fits that offer both durability and texture that is appreciated across the world. Momotaro is one of the top names in Japanese denim. The attention to detail and masterful craftsmanship sets these jeans apart from a lot of brands around the world. We took them on as a brand in the shop because of their reputation within our niche community. Their jeans exceeding our expectations and continue to be a brand that our customers can count on for years and years.

We are also proud to offer Chup Socks who develop artisanal socks that are a huge success in the cooler months because of their immensely unique patterning and color varieties that are not seen anywhere else in the world. Their unique style and designs are fun and a favorite within the denim community because the quality is second to none. The socks are made on antique machines that are not operable during the hotter months in Japan so they are becoming increasingly more desirable because production of a single sock takes a considerable amount of time and material. Given the considerable maintenance requirements of the machines and the unavailability of parts, Chup socks will be harder and harder to find once these antique machines are worn beyond repair.

With headlining a couple of our Japanese brands carried at the shop, we hope to educate you, our clients, on the indispensable benefits Japanese craftsmanship bring to the denim world. We are doubling-down on our commitment to style and quality by expanding our world of artisanship to another country that values the time and commitment it takes to make something the right way. Durability, function, and style play vital roles in our fight to preserve the traditions of quality workwear that will become staples in your closet, but also legacies of our generation.

Notes on Workwear

Our small shop in Denver is a collection of menswear from the US, Japan, Canada, and Western Europe that offer designs full of character and unending style. We have staples for your closet that are both functional enough for work, and stylish enough for nights out in the city. We offer top-shelf whiskey to anybody wanting good conversation, fit advise for anybody wanting a good pair of jeans, and service that is not pushy, sale-sy, or dishonest. We want you to feel the comfort of a friend who wants you to be satisfied spending your time and money with us. We value conversation, friendships, and our service to you.

The golden age of American heritage; the era in which classic menswear took its design from military and work uniforms and turned them into everyday staples. Quality was uncompromising because there was no time to tinker with their clothing while on the farm, oil rigs, cranes over skyscrapers, and the battlefield. There were only so many hours in the day. Corn needed husking, buildings needed brick laid, and wars need to be won. Quality was a standard because it needed to be as tough as the people who wore them. Wear and tear meant to repair. As the adage goes, “buy a few things, but make them good things”.

We cannot recreate the past. These times have gone and gave way to mass manufacturing, lead by fashion that is fleeting. I hate to use the term, “men’s fashion” because this does not give the proper title for something that is meant to last and survive. We can add new variations of the same designs: make them slimmer, adjust buttons and rivets, move a pocket here and there, and add branding. These are all of the things we have added to these timeless pieces that make them stand out from one another but the intention is the same for all of the brands we carry and represent. Ones old and new are carrying the same weight as their predecessors in perpetuating the American ideals of classic design, durability, and most of all, function. New countries like Japan, Canada, and parts of Europe are taking on our devotion to detail.

At our shop, we work hard to find brands that exemplify the ideals that encaptured our grandparent’s generation of pride and responsibility to their crafts. The men’s clothing we carry is made with some of the finest fabrics, hand-loomed on antique machines that are some of the last in the world. No new parts are being made, nothing but their own engineering to fix a broken loom. Textures and tones of denim that aren’t found anywhere else that exemplifies the uniqueness of the artisan who makes them. We represent these craftsmen and women who devote themselves to a craft centuries old because we care about sending these ideals on to the next generation who can, themselves, give them their own spin and perspective. We aren’t reinventing the wheel- we are just keeping it turning.