Good evening. I’m Matsushima from cantáte.

Do you know how to tell good denim apart?

“Oh, isn’t that just a matter of detail?”

For example, at the opening of the back pocket, isn’t a hidden bar tack better than a regular bar tack (kando-me)? And ideally, wouldn’t a “hidden bar tack + hidden rivet” be even better?

Yes, that’s correct.

Exactly right.

But those “right answers” are surprisingly little known. Sewing details in particular are hard to notice unless someone points them out, and even when you know about them, it is even harder to understand how they function in an actual garment.

Today, I’d like to talk a little about the “layers of thought” we value in making cantáte jeans.

Good denim has a proper reason behind it. Clothes that look effortlessly good always have layers of thought behind them. That’s the story.

There are various theories, but the 1950s and ’60s are called the “golden age of denim.”

It was an era when sturdy, tough jeans were needed. As mass production advanced, it is said that one pair could be sewn in 10 to 15 minutes. There are even stories of blue thread-lint smoke rising from chimneys and ventilation fans.

In other words, every denim detail was born from efficiency or rationality. There isn’t a single unnecessary design element; everything is a “meaningful form.”

For example…

• Crotch and fly-extension stitching

  Because this area is subjected to tremendous force, it is sewn with a thicker thread.

• The coin pocket uses the selvedge edge

  That means the grain direction is reversed from the main body. It’s a structure similar to reverse weave in sweatshirts.
  Furthermore, using the edge of selvedge fabric eliminates the need for overlock or other fray-prevention finishing, reducing one step in the process.

• One-stroke stitching on the back pocket

  Of course, sewing it in one continuous stroke is faster and easier.

• Middle and upper belt loops

  Chain stitching is fast because the thread does not need to be changed, but it comes undone easily. So the center is raised, allowing the loop to wear through before the thread breaks. It is a measure designed to prevent damage.

• The “offset” of the center back loop

  To avoid thick seams, it is sewn with a slight offset on purpose, so the needle won’t break or the sewing fail.

• Yoke stitch width

  Normally, a 1/4 gauge—that is, a width of 0.65 mm—is standard, but cantate deliberately uses 0.72 mm.
  It is a difference of only 0.07 mm, but it creates a definite difference in the way the stitching looks, its shading, and the overall character.
  This “0.72 mm gauge” is a special sewing machine found only at the legendary factory that sewed those “kings of denim.”

• Three-fold hem and stitch width (1 cm fold + 8 mm stitching)

  The stitch “count” (or fineness) is of course important, but the “width” is just as important.
  An accumulation of meaningful dimensions leads to a natural, good-looking appearance.

• Direction of the pocket-opening stitching

  Sewing from the inside, or the pocketing side, rather than the outside: that is the original specification. It also tightens the bobbin-thread side visible on the outside and increases durability. Efficiency and function in harmony.

• Banzai attachment

  Marking the positions of five belt loops is a hassle? Then temporarily secure them together with the waistband’s top-edge stitching—a distinctly American kind of rationalism.

• V-shaped and U-shaped stitching

  Since marking the top button’s position later was a hassle, they simply marked it in advance with stitching—this detail was born from that straightforward practicality.
  But there was another reason too: chain stitching cannot be backstitched by design. So this was also a way to keep it from coming undone.
  Born from efficiency, rationality, and structural constraints, V-shaped stitching is now one of the details beloved as a symbol of vintage character.

  It’s my absolute favorite detail.

• Whether the chain stitching with the waistband extension is sewn all the way to the edge

  You can’t tell just by looking at the outside. But look inside, and you’ll know immediately.
  If the waistband is sewn with chain stitching, it is only natural that it should be sewn firmly all the way to the edge of the waistband.
  Yet jeans are casually sold with the sewing stopped partway and only V-shaped or U-shaped stitching added to make them look vaguely “the real thing.”

  Why do such imitations get a free pass?
  The reason is obvious: sewing all the way to the edge is a hassle. It takes time and effort, and it absolutely won’t be done without motivation on the part of the person doing it.
  But even more serious is the fact that the people making them and the factories checking them produce them without anyone knowing what they should truly be like.
  Efficiency comes first, and no one cares.
  That’s why jeans that are merely “the real thing” are confidently sold everywhere.

  To tell good jeans apart, look at whether someone cared. That alone reveals most of what you need to know.

If you’ve read this far, you must be starting to understand how to tell good denim apart!

Good looks don’t happen by accident.

Only things made with time, without cutting corners, and with genuine meaning in every detail ultimately look “effortlessly good.”

cantáte’s jeans are the result of this kind of accumulation.

The next time you pick up a pair of jeans, be sure to look at the inside too.

Because a “meaningful garment” tells its story not only on the outside, but on the inside as well.

Finally, I took a photo of a sample showing one year of wear and aging.

We’re also leaving the actual item at cliché, so please feel free to touch it and take a look.

cliché OFFICIAL INSTAGRAM.

cantáte Matsushima Shin