AI-003 - 16oz Natural Indigo "Hank Dyed" Selvedge Denim - Regular Straight

Synthetic indigo arrives as a powder and behaves predictably. Natural indigo does nothing of the sort. The dye here comes from Polygonum tinctorium, the Japanese indigo plant, whose leaves are harvested, dried, and composted into sukumo before being fermented in a vat that has to be fed and watched like a living thing, because that is what it is. Pure Blue Japan dyes the yarn for this denim by hank, hand-dipping skeins into those vats again and again rather than running them through a rope dyeing machine. Each dip lays down another layer, and because the yarn hangs loose rather than packed into a rope, the indigo reaches the core instead of sitting on the outside. That changes how the fabric behaves from the first wear to the last. The color varies subtly across the surface in a way machine dyeing cannot replicate, and the fades come slowly, moving through shades of blue over years instead of stripping back to white in a season.

The weaving matches the dyeing. Vintage shuttle looms run the 16oz fabric at low tension, which keeps the yarn relaxed and the cloth full of character, and it also produces the pronounced leg twist that comes with denim woven this way. That same low tension means the waist will relax roughly half an inch with wear. The AI-003 is the regular straight cut, a medium rise running straight through the leg with a firm taper below the knee. Details are pure PBJ: a button fly with custom buttons, hidden rivets, raised belt loops, a deerskin leather patch, a selvedge coin pocket, chainstitch construction throughout, and the embroidered PBJ logo on the right rear pocket. The jeans come pre-rinsed from the factory, so very little shrink is left in them.

• 16oz natural indigo selvedge denim
• Hank-dyed natural indigo warp, unbleached white weft
• Woven at low tension on vintage shuttle looms
• Button fly with custom PBJ buttons
• Hidden rivets
• Raised belt loops
• Deerskin leather patch
• Selvedge coin pocket
• Chainstitch construction
• PBJ embroidered logo on rear right pocket
• One wash, minimal shrinkage expected
• Style No. AI-003
• Made in Japan

A variance of +/-.5 is within tolerance. 

Fit Notes: Shop owner Tommy is wearing a 34 in these. He snagged his normal size, forgetting that the 003 runs a little tight on him in that size. He would likely buy the size 35. We recommend sizing up once in these by nature, and going up once more if you're looking for a roomy leg fit. If you like the true straight leg fit, once should be enough. Tommy is 5'9,' 160lbs with a 33-34" waist. 

*The regular straight from Pure Blue Japan sits at a medium-high rise with generous room through the top block and thigh and falls straight from knee to hem for a classic yet modern straight silhouette.*