The world of Japanese denim is quite diverse. We’ve gotten used to American vintage workwear being, and still is, the starting point from which many Japanese denim manufacturers draw inspiration. Yes, as it’s not hard to guess, more often than not it will be jeans and jackets inspired by vintage Levi’s items. We have already seen many times different variations, arches, patches, tabs and other details that would have references to the 40s or 50s.
However, there are always some people who don’t want to follow the beaten path. Vintage denim, of course, was not limited to just Levi’s or Lee. When jeans were being used as utilitarian workwear, there were plenty of smaller manufacturers with their own specialties of making things and their own details. The names of many of these vintage brands history will no longer remember. It is in these small, local and now almost forgotten brands that Masaki Egawa, creator of Trophy Clothing, draws his inspiration from
The brand was created in 2005. Masaki Egawa himself, in addition to vintage clothing, is passionate about retro Indian motorcycles and is one of the active members of the TOKYO INDIANS MC moto association, which also includes the creators and designers of such brands as Neighborhood, Tenderloin, Rough and Rugged.
The general concept of the brand is based on a combination of details and construction of vintage and little known to the general public things, using authentic equipment and production methods. At the same time, the items themselves should be durable, functional and comfortable. However, the brand is definitely not a strict canonical repro in the spirit of the Osaka Five. Trophy Clothing produces clothes that will fit in well with both the style of a person with a passion for vintage and a person with a passion for street fashion.
Thus, Trophy Clothing’s motto “Satisfaction Guaranteed” implies the creation of things comfortable and practical, which at the same time inherit the spirit and style of vintage. And this applies to jeans themselves, as well as shirts, jackets and accessories. Here, the tribute to tradition is not just an end in itself, but the desire to combine traditional forms and functionality of things.
Summarizing all of the above we can summarize the peculiarities of Trophy Clothing brand’s items
– Originality of things, unlike other Japanese brands producing jeans.
– Inspired by retro-style of small little-known bygone Western brands.
– Practicality and comfort
– Unique fabrics
– Great attention to small details
Let’s look at the features of Trophy Clothing jeans on the example of the classic model 1605. We would like to draw your attention to the fact that this is an older version of this model of jeans. The Denimio x Trophy Clothing collaboration is the closest to the old version 1605. Therefore, if you liked the review of the jeans, we recommend you to pay attention to the collaboration version of this model.
TRPDM1605 14.5oz TROPHY CLOTHING × Denimio COLLAB DIRT DENIM REGULAR STRAIGHT
Below will be presented both photos of new jeans, as well as photos of jeans that have had continuous wear for about 2 years.
Let’s move directly to the hero of our review:)
Model 1605 is the flagship of Trophy Clothing and comes in a very nice and textured Dirty Denim 14.5OZ. The model was designed as a functional and comfortable jeans for bikers and all those who care about functionality and comfort.
Fit and Size
The fit of the 1605 is based on the 50’s style, with a straight, classic pant style. It feels a little more roomy than the modern 501 style.
These jeans are not extremely wide, which makes them comfortable and versatile, this style will always provide the right comfort when riding a motorcycle:) Below are photos with an example of the style of these jeans.
As you can see above, Trophy Clothing 1605 pairs perfectly with the Tanuki hoodie🙂
If you love type II, type II jackets and a pair of heavy work-style clogs, these jeans will look great on you too.
Below are the actual measurements of the pair in our review:
Trophy Clothing 1605 OW- 33
Waist – 41.5cm (can be worn up to 43cm without effort)
Font Rise – 28.5cm
Back Rise – 38.5cm
Thigh – 32.5cm
Knee – 23.5cm
Hem – 22cm
Inseam – 85cm (note that the collaboration model has an inseam of 88cm)
Fabric
The pride of any authentic Japanese brand is the fabric (denim) itself. This is what is put the most effort into and what the manufacturers tend to emphasize the most. These jeans are made of so-called dirt denim 14.5OZ. As Trophy Clothing themselves state, this denim is meant to resemble a rough road, before it was covered with asphalt.
This denim is woven on the oldest Japanese Toyoda G-3 shuttle loom. In fact, this machine is the same age as the antique state machine Drapper. However, Toyoda G-3 was used for production of working clothes fabric, while Japanese manufacturers started to experiment with denim on such equipment comparatively recently.
The distinctive features of the denim woven at G-3 include the trademark texture, which has a natural heterogeneity that looks very expressive. However, this denim should hardly be called slubby. The weft and warp peek through evenly, which makes the denim very expressive.
The inhomogeneity formed by the spindle yarns and the characteristic longitudinal and transverse “waves”, which is a specialty of G-3, are noticeable.
As for fading, it develops in this denim relatively quickly and smoothly. You are unlikely to see contrasting honeycombs and wiskers here. This denim fades evenly. This makes the texture even more pronounced. You can see one of the examples below.
From the underside you can also see that the texture also has a beautiful longitudinal and transverse heterogeneity. There are two colors of threads woven into the selvedge: yellow and black. This choice of thread colors is not accidental, as this is the color combination of the checkered flag used in motorcycle competitions.
We look at the inside seam and… we don’t see any overlock treatment here. It is worth noting that the vast majority of Japanese jeans have their roots in vintage Levi’s and this detail is characteristic and unchanged, but Trophy Clothing has gone the other way. Here a blindstitching seam is used. Perhaps this decision is dictated by the emphasis on the utility and practicality of the jeans.
Details
The patch is made of deerskin leather. The leather is quite soft. The patch itself is unusually small.
The seams will eventually get fading and look very showy.
The back pockets have a classic pentagonal shape. Inside the back pockets there is a lining for reinforcement, and the lining takes up 3/4 of the entire volume. It is stitched with a very impressive and beautiful chain stitch.
The black label with 1605 is not just a model name. It is the number of the building where Trophy Clothing’s office is located.
The pocket lining works very well, the pockets have not been ripped anywhere in 2 years. Usually carry keys and other small metal objects in there.
The pleats are wide enough, you can use a variety of straps. There is a convex core, this piece gets fading very quickly and gets a nice vintage look.
Very interesting design of front pockets inspired by vintage workwear. These are wide voluminous pockets arranged diagonally. This detail is very different from the classic 501 style jeans. These pockets are very comfortable to use, as the cut allows your hand to pass freely, even when the jeans fit tightly.
Over time, this detail gets a nice showy fading too. Note that the coin pocket of these jeans is very wide and has only one rivet.
The jeans fasten with 5 metal donut buttons.
As a nice bonus, there is a brass bell-shaped key ring on a chain.
Brief impressions and conclusions
The Trophy Clothing 1605 jeans model is a very carefully designed and executed product. If you would like to get something that is really different from many other brands, then we highly recommend you to take a look at this brand.
– Comfortable, classic fit that goes well with a variety of clothing and footwear styles
– Gorgeous denim with a distinct texture, created on a vintage Toyoda G-3 loom
– Beautiful fading, which further emphasizes the texture of the denim
– Very unusual and distinctive detailing of the jeans, which is not found in other manufacturers.
Happy shopping at Denimio:)
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