Studio D'Artisan "Kyoto Aqua Indigo" Selvedge Jeans (Regular Straight)

D1926

• 15oz. Unsanforized "Kyoto Aqua Indigo" Selvedge denim 
• 100% Cotton
• One Wash
• Regular Straight fit
• Ecru cotton thread construction
• 4 Button fly featuring Original Studio D'Artisan metal buttons
• Engraved copper male/female rivets
• Herringbone pocket bags
• Fifth pocket Selvedge detail
• Original "Kyoto Aqua Indigo" cowhide leather waistband patch
• Center belt loop offset
• SDA original back pocket stitch
  

Indigo dyeing has a history in Japan stretching back over 1,200 years, but few chapters of that story are as poignant as the one behind Kyoto Aqua Indigo dyeing. Once cultivated abundantly in Kyoto, the pale, refined variety known as "Kyo-Mizu-Ai" was prized above all others for its crystalline color, earning the title of Japan's finest indigo. Dyed clothing achieved through this plant carried the name "Kyo Asagi," a luminous light blue of extraordinary delicacy. As synthetic dyes spread and domestic indigo cultivation declined, Kyo-Mizu-Ai quietly disappeared, believed to be lost entirely around 100 years ago.

It was only recently that this rare white-flowering variety of indigo, "Shirobanakojoko", was discovered to have survived, preserved by a master dyer in Tokushima who had safeguarded the seeds across generations. The plant has since returned to Kyoto soil, and with it, the revival of a dyeing tradition that was once thought to be gone forever. Grown entirely without pesticides using the same hydroponic rice paddy method that gave it the name "water indigo", this cotton requires meticulous hand-dyeing by skilled artisans whose sensitivity ensures each piece achieves the even, refined tone so characteristic of the original.

Made in Okayama, Japan