Japanese denim manufacturer Kaihara Corporation has launched a world-first limited-edition range of jeans and other items – from denim made into a sail and exposed to sea breezes on a cruise ship.
Based in Fukuyama in the Hiroshima prefecture, Kaihara sent its denim on a cruise on the Seto Inland Sea. The material took on special tinge that the company says will not easily fade because such substances as magnesium and sodium in the wind combine with indigo in the materials.
After the denim had travelled more than 700km in 40 days, calling at 14 ports, the denim sail was used to make more than 10 items, ranging from jeans, T-shirts and bags to shoes.
With Kaihara’s new version of “slow fashion”, customers can go on a denim-sail cruise, and also visit its factory to see how distressed effects are applied to denim fabrics.
Kaihara’s legacy goes back to the era of sailing ships, being founded as an indigo kasuri-weaving business in 1893.
