Last week, I mused that if my freelance opportunities continued upward, 2025 might be the year I graduated from Gap jeans to Momotaro jeans. On visiting our favorite clothing recycle shop yesterday, my eagle-eyed wife made my dream happen early when she spotted a rare pair of used Momotaro in the racks. And they were my perfect fit, so it was impossible to pass them up at just a third of the price of buying them new.
Momotaro Jeans is one of Japan’s Original Denim Makers from Kurashiki
Momotaro Jeans is one of the better-known companies out of Kurashiki in Okayama Prefecture, where visitors can browse a few dozen shops along Kojima Jeans Street. I had an opportunity to visit Kojima a couple of years ago, and despite the large number of denim shops, it was clear that Momotaro was already a cut above the rest. The elegant shop designed with dark stained woods in a rough, traditional style (which I could not get permission to photograph) was staffed with fashionable young staff who clearly knew their stuff about Japanese denim. There was also an area where they were manufacturing custom-made jeans, for which there is apparently quite a long waiting list these days.
I didn’t buy a pair of Momotaro that day, but I also didn’t leave Kojima Jeans Street empty-handed. I had an interview at another shop called Blue Sakura and envied the stylish denim jacket the manager was wearing so much that I ended up buying one on my way out. But after running my fingers along the soft, thick denim of Momotaro jeans and admiring the craftsmanship behind the stitching and rivets, I knew one day I would have to have a pair.
Momotaro Jeans Copper Label from a Recycled Clothing Store
And so my wife magically pulled one out of the recycled clothing racks like Momotaro emerging from the peach himself, and I was beside myself with joy. At home, I did a little research about my find and discovered this was one of Momotaro’s “Copper Label” jeans, which seems to be out of production. The current lineup has been simplified to Standard, Classic, and Exclusive types.
The Copper Label line features a thick leather patch attached with four rivets rather than stitched on, and a beautiful indigo-dyed insert around the back of the waist with the Momotaro mon (crest) dyed into it. The cloth label sewn into the pocket contains images of the characters from Momotaro.
The stitching is thick and varies in color: orange around the waistline, yellow for the belt loops and crotch reinforcement, and pink along the inseams. Two curved lines are stitched into the right pocket which symbolize the shape of a peach.
The cloth is imported from Zimbabwe but dyed with natural indigo using the traditional aizome method into a beautiful shade of blue that is typical of Japanese denim. Natural indigo is more difficult to care for than chemically dyed denim, but it is a natural insect repellent (and snakes, from what I heard from locals in the Amami Islands) and fades naturally to even more gorgeous lighter shades of blue. These jeans are said to last three years, but the reality is, with care, you can enjoy them easily for over 10 years.
The Exquisite Fit and Feel of Japanese-made Denim
And the feel? Call it the psychological appeal, but sliding into these jeans, I felt like they were made for me. The weight of the denim screams quality and the fit is perfect in that it doesn’t impede my movement, but I don’t feel like my skinny toothpick legs are lost in them either. I love the versatility in that I can wear them with my Beastie Boys t-shirt or dressed up with a sports coat. They look great alongside my Japan-made canvas bag too.
Would I buy Momotaro Jeans new? If I had a consistent income level that allowed it, in a heartbeat. When you average out the cost of a pair of Momotaro over their lifespan compared to an inferior pair of jeans, the annual cost isn’t much different anyway. And you can feel good about supporting a relatively small business among the giants in the fight against the fast fashion trend.