Hello, I'm Fukukawa, the person who plans, manufactures, and sells Danjo Denim products.

In 2017, I moved from Ibaraki Prefecture to Kojima, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, with the desire to create my ideal denim jacket, and have continued to make denim products ever since.

Well, there are many denim brands out there, but I've never heard of a brand that specializes in denim jackets. At least, I haven't heard of one. If there was, I probably wouldn't have started my own business.

I have summarized my own thoughts on why there have been no denim jacket brands until now, based on what I noticed after actually creating a denim jacket brand.

Let's get started.

table of contents

1. Why there were no denim jacket brands

• 1-1. Reason 1 : "Jeans sell better than denim."
• 1-2. Reason 2: "There are many winding stitching processes"
• 1-3. Reason 3: "It's seasonal"

2. The Fate of Denim Jacket Brands

• 2-1. Fate ① "Difficult to expand"
• 2-2. Fate 2: "Technology transfer is difficult"

3. The future of DANJO DENIM as a denim jacket brand

1. Why there were no denim jacket brands

1-1. Reason 1: " Jeans sell better than denim "

When you think of denim, the first thing that comes to mind is jeans or jeans. When you go to an apparel store, jeans are the only thing they have, and denim jackets are usually put in a corner. That's how much larger the market is for jeans. If you think about it, there are people who wear jeans all the time, but there are probably very few people who wear denim jackets every day. With so many fans, sales are high, so if an apparel store is selling denim items, jeans are usually the main item. Of course, denim jackets will also be available as an item, but since they are difficult to sell in large quantities, they naturally take a secondary position.

1-2. Reason 2: "There are many winding stitching processes"

A rolled seam is a type of sewing technique that is characteristic of jeans and denim jackets. Denim jackets, in particular, are an item that uses a rolled seam quite often. Rolled seams require a slightly more technical skill to sew than straight stitches or overcoats. Rolled seams also require a specialized sewing machine. In other words, to sew a large number of denim jackets, you need a seamstress who can mass-produce rolled seams and a rolled seam sewing machine. However, as mentioned in reason 1, denim jackets are not typically an item with larger production lots than jeans. Having two or three rolled seam sewing machines for small production lots and then employing two or three valuable seamstresses who can rolled seams is a high risk in terms of business stability.

1-3. Reason 3: "It's seasonal"

You don't see many people wearing denim jackets in the summer. I'm probably the only one who does that. When it comes to jeans, you do see people wearing jeans with a T-shirt. My understanding is that jeans can be expected to sell at a certain level throughout the year, while denim jackets are affected by the seasons. However, when you sew on a small scale like mine, denim jackets actually sell well even in the summer. It's strange, though.

2. The fate of denim jacket brands

We also considered the fate of surviving as a denim jacket brand.

2-1. Fate ① "Difficult to expand"

This is self-evident. It's a market with few fans, so it's difficult to expand. And denim jackets are made of durable fabric, and they're not worn every day, so there isn't much demand for replacements.

2-2. Fate ② "Technology transfer is difficult"

The hem stitching is a bottleneck when sewing denim jackets, but even in sewing factories there are not many craftsmen who are entrusted with this task. There are not many hem stitching machines in factories, so the number of people who can gain experience in this field is limited. Because there are few replacement workers, it is common to hear that in an emergency the president of the sewing factory takes charge of the hem stitching. In terms of stability, it is not very desirable for production to depend on the skills of a few individuals. If the hurdles of the hem stitching process could be lowered through the evolution of AI and robots, this problem could be solved...

3. The future of DANJO DENIM as a denim jacket brand

Now, Danjo Denim was launched as a denim jacket brand, and I'm also thinking about my future direction. Denim jackets are a niche item, but when you consider the overseas market, it's by no means a small market. I'm not expecting to expand the overall denim jacket market, but I want people overseas to know about my products and buy and wear them. I won't increase the number of styles too much, but I'll offer more sizes than just S, M, and L, so that they suit the body types of people overseas. This is the kind of development I'm thinking about.

What are my thoughts on why I couldn't find a denim jacket brand? If my starting point had been to make money from an apparel brand, I probably wouldn't have tried to start one. However, after trying it, I realized that the lack of competition is honestly helpful for a beginner entrepreneur, and the fact that it's difficult to expand the business scale means it's just the right size for an individual or a small group to run, so it may have been suitable for someone like me who likes to do things on my own. I am truly grateful that I discovered denim jackets in high school, and that I was able to fall in love with them and become passionate about them.