We’ve been working with Blue Owl since the early days of Naked & Famous Denim. Based in Seattle, they’ve been a longtime retail partner, friend and, like us, they appreciate a good piece of Japanese denim. Over the years we’ve worked together on several projects, and this latest collaboration started the same way most of them do: talking about fabric.
For our last collaboration, we took our classic 13.75oz Left Hand Twill Selvedge and reworked it with slubby yarns, giving one of our most popular fabrics a completely different texture and character. After seeing how well it was received, we decided to revisit the idea, this time in black.
The result is two exclusive fabrics built from the same starting point. Both are woven in Japan from 13.75oz left hand twill selvedge denim using the same black warp yarns, but each uses a different weft. Based on our classic Left Hand Twill Selvedge, this special version incorporates slubby yarns that give the denim a more irregular, textured surface. Blue Owl’s exclusive edition pairs the black warp with a black weft, while our exclusive version pairs it with a white weft.
Changing the weft gives each fabric its own character. Our Black Warp / White Weft version immediately highlights the slubby texture thanks to the contrast beneath the surface. Blue Owl’s Black Warp / Black Weft version has a deeper, more uniform appearance, with the matching black weft making the texture more subtle at first. Both fabrics will develop plenty of character with wear, but each takes its own path to get there.
Both versions share the same finishing details, including black non-reflective military-style hardware, black pocket bags, chain-stitched hems, and a 5oz natural vegetable-tanned leather patch. We also created a special collaboration pocket flasher that’s split across both releases. Place the two flashers side by side and the artwork comes together, with the Blue Owl mascot and our Tragic Blonde shaking hands.
The Black Warp / White Weft Selvedge releases Thursday, July 9th at 11AM ET, exclusively through Naked & Famous Denim in Montréal and NYC in Weird Guy, True Guy, Strong Guy, and Groovy Guy. Blue Owl’s Black Warp / Black Weft Selvedge releases the same day, exclusively through Blue Owl.
