Natural Indigo Jeans

The yarns are then seperated from the ropes and set out along a warp bobbin so that all different yarns from different batches are mixed together. This explains streaky aspects of the fabric, with streaks ranging from deep indigo purple through indigo blue to indigo green. This depth of color cannot be achieved with chemical indigo.

The shuttle loom

Then the denim is woven on the Vintage shuttle looms. These old machines can only make cloth about 29" wide, whereas modern projectile looms can make fabric 70" or even wider. Wider is cheaper but not necessarily stronger or better.

Denim produced on these old rickety shuttle looms has selvage edges. It comes from the phrase "self-edge" which refers to the edge being finished by the loom instead of sewn together after weaving. Selvage is the term commonly used to refer to denim that has been produced on a shuttle loom. Since the amount of fabric produced from a shuttle loom is significantly narrower than a

projectile (wide) loom, the cotton consumption is higher and the time required is greater.

Shuttle loom in action

This one is owned by the Okamoto Textile Company down in Ibaraichi in Okayama prefecture - typical of the smaller textile companies (total number of employees: 10!). They do their own rope-dying and have 9 or 10 shuttle looms.

Over the years these Selvage Natural Indigo jeans will change color and develop their own character as the uneven ring spun yarns are brought to life. Natural Indigo plant color slowly fades

over the time. As you'd expect all this makes for a true authentic jean, but also pretty expensive one too.

"Madison River" Lean Low Ride Boot

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