SL: Tell me a little about the properties you get from a resin being pressed into the jean.

Kiya It does three main things. Gives the denim a very flat look, creates a strong sheen, and makes the denim appear far darker than it actually is without the use of a sulfur top dye.

SL: I think soaking is one of those things that can kind of freak people out when they move into this segment of denim (obviously not the target market for this collaboration). Do you think that is true?

Kiya: We find most people who have no idea about this kind of denim have no problem with it. Many times in the store we're surprised at how easily people take in the fact that they have to now go home and soak their new jeans in water. It's not a strange thing, there was a time when ALL jeans had to be soaked before wearing.

SL: Absolutely, and that brings up a good point, which is (for lack of a better term) heritage manufacture. What role do you think the denim market has played in both exposing people to and reintroducing ideas about how garments are made?

Kiya: I think that the denim market has led the trend towards the way people look at vintage style production for garments.

The entire resurgence of vintage-style produced boots, dress shirts, chambray shirts, work shirts, belts, and more in my eyes has come from the popularity of vintage style jeans.

It's also that denim is something that people have been wearing their entire lives, from when they were little, so it's easier to relate to. Were we wearing chambray shirts, or pea coats, or boots as children? I mean, that'd be cool and all, but quite strange.