Tanuki YUHT Natural Indigo “Yurai” High Tapered Jeans

The Yurai fabric is a sight to behold. After developing a rope-dyeing method for a natural indigo fabric, which results in rich and intense shades of blue and contrasts which makes it very unique, the Tanuki crew wanted to take things further. They created a cobalt blue weft with natural indigo. They created this vibrant blue by dipping the yarn into natural indigo with shorter exposures to oxygen which results in a lighter blue.

The colour reminds us of the Tanuki blue that runs through all their products: YURAI means source. The denim is rich in slub and fuzziness on the surface and thanks to the loose weave, the cobalt blue peaks through the surface, which adds depths to the denim. The electric blue fades will be very unique. The banana and light beige stitching adds just the right amount of contrast to this fabric.

The fabric is woven with a low-tension technique that feels more breathable than a standard 16.5oz fabric. It has a beautiful slubby texture with a fantastic hand feel. Its irregular appearance belies the surprisingly smooth comfort for the wearer.

The jeans are made with all the superior-quality Tanuki details such as copper buttons, embroidered logo back pocket detail and the iconic Tanuki custom vegetable-tanned deerskin leather patch. Tanuki has included a Japanese extra-durable herringbone cotton-lined fabric in front pockets and an electric blue and white selvedge ID.

The cut is a modern high-tapered fit. The taper is pretty aggressive so that it gives a slim-fitting silhouette while allowing for a lot of space at the thighs with a high rise.

Near the back pocket, there is the embroidered Tanuki 二 (Ni) logo, two parallel lines in Japanese Kanji representing the number 2. The lower line represents the past, tradition, the standard, peace. The upper line represents the future, change, strength. The red and blue colours of their logo refer to Japan’s flag, honouring their roots as denim artisans.

The Tanuki brand was established in 2016 in Okayama Prefecture. It comprises a small group of great artisans who are passionate about denim and boast more than 30 years’ experience in other brands in the industry. If there is something that characterizes Tanuki garments in addition to its modern cuts, it is the quality and variety of its fabrics, with prime importance given to the best cottons, natural indigo and the application of different types of tension on the shuttle looms when producing the fabrics.

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