Japanese Boutique Sells Jeans That Have Been Worn for at Least a Year

Photo: Onomichi Denim Project/Facebook

Denim aficionados know that jeans usually require breaking to look their best, but there’s an art to how to wear, wash and dry them to achieve that desired look. That’s what makes Onomichi Denim Project so special – they hand-pick the wearers from the local community and closely monitor their transformation over the course of one year. Wearers rotate through two pairs of jeans that they promise to wear almost every day for the entire period, and bring them to the shop every week, to be laundered at a special denim processing facility, which ensures that every pair retains the evidence of each wearer’s life and work.

Photo: Onomichi Denim Project/Facebook

Meridian Magazine reports that Onomichi Denim Project recruits wearers from various walks of life to achieve various patterns. For example, a pair of jeans worn by a fisherman has faded lines left by knee-high rubber boots, a factory worker’s will feature the marks of a year’s worth of iron powder penetrating the fabric, while a wild boar hunter’s jeans will have permanent traces of blood. Every pair is obviously unique.

Photo: Onomichi Denim Project/Facebook

But getting people to agree to wearing one or two pairs of jeans for an entire year was tough, in the beginning. Some were intrigued by the idea but were reluctant to wear jeans almost exclusively, especially in the hot summer months, while others simply wondered who in their right mind would want to buy used jeans at premium prices. But soon a local architect jumped at the opportunity, thinking it would be fun, and others joined the program as well, to help boost their city’s travel industry.