ONI has been our holy grail brand from the very beginning, and we've finally been able to build a relationship with the brand and owner Masao Oishi. The brand is as old school and secretive as it appears. They use traditional construction methods to create low-tension, irregular, slubby denim that has a cult following. Their selvedge tickles the ancient part of our brain that makes us love denim so much. ONI does one thing and they do it to perfection. We can't wait to explore their wonderful world of fabric and fits with you guys.
Oni has given us yet another special edition denim called Ishikawadai. Why is it called that, you ask? Well, the Ishikawadai Seisakujo is a ring-spinning machine dating all the way back to 1953. This machine, named for its company, works at about a third of the rate of a modern machine. Like many of the fabrics we love, this creates heavily textured cotton due to the less-altered nature of the textile in its raw form. It also takes on indigo in a unique way highlighting the characteristics of the textile. This denim accomplishes its goal by instantly feeling like vintage goods. It will only accumulate more of that nostalgia as it ages. They've dyed this wonderful fabric with their iconic green-cast "secret" indigo. The lighter weight, 15oz lends to this time of year especially seeing that it's woven in the same low-tension manner as their heavier-weight denims.
To move onto the real elephant in the room, we think this is the first heavily used-looking wash ONI has ever produced. At least in the time we've been following them, we've never seen it. Oishi-san was looking to give the people what they wanted, as is his tradition, and so he produced one of the most beautiful washes on the market. This pair accomplishes two things: 1. If you want a pair that wears like vintage straight away, you've got it. 2. If you want to see what the standard Ishikawadai will eventually look like, you've got it. We see this being one of those pairs people wish they hadn't passed up as it's a first.
- 15oz Ring Spun Ishikawadai Indigo Selvedge
- 100% Cotton
- Heavy, Used Wash Wash Treatment
- Copper Hardware
- Hidden Back Pocket Rivets
- Raised Belt Loops
- Pink (Sakura) Selvedge Ticker
- Peak-a-boo Coin Pocket Selvedge
- Veg Tan w/Special Green Print Leather Patch
- Made in Japan
| Size |
Waist |
Rise |
Thigh |
Knee |
Inseam |
Leg Opening |
| 29 |
28" |
10.75" |
10.9" |
7.9" |
34" |
6.4" |
| 30 |
29.5" |
11" |
11.25" |
8.1" |
34" |
6.5" |
| 31 |
30" |
11.15" |
11.65" |
8.25" |
34" |
6.75" |
| 32 |
30.75" |
11.25" |
11.85" |
8.5" |
34" |
6.9" |
| 33 |
31.5" |
11.25" |
12.1" |
8.75" |
34" |
7.2" |
| 34 |
33" |
11.35" |
12.5" |
8.75" |
34" |
7.2" |
| 36 |
34.5" |
11.75" |
13" |
8.9" |
34.5" |
7.35" |
| 38 |
36.75" |
12" |
13.5" |
9.15" |
34.5" |
7.6" |
| 40 |
37.5" |
12" |
14" |
9.4" |
34.5" |
7.75" |
A variance of +/-.5" is within tolerance.
Fit Notes: Shop owner Tommy is wearing a size 34 in these, and it was just barely big enough to fit his waist. ***Please pay special attention to the size chart***. This was done in a style that is already a little trimmer than what you're used to seeing from us as of late, and the heavily used wash process really shrank them down. We don't believe the factory adjusted for this and went with the original sizing of the denim, so they're going to fit much smaller than normal. We would recommend sizing up at least twice from what you normally wear. Tommy is 5'10," 165lbs, with a 32-33" waist.
