SL: How receptive was Dry Bones to doing something a little out the norm. I've spoken to people that make shoes and what they can get out of their factories is always of interest to me. Did they jump at the chance? Did they go, "Oh, no, too difficult?"

Kiya: They were very excited, they're one of the easier companies to work with. The guys that own and manage Dry Bones seriously seem like they're only out to have fun, they take everything very lightly. Dry Bones, as with most Japanese denim companies, are thrilled at the fact that their work is even being sold in America after all these years, so they'll do almost anything to get an exclusive product out to the western world. This jean wasn't that much of a stretch for them, the art on the patch was very much their style, and so was the fit. It's something they ended up liking very much.

SL: What I really loved about the jean were the details, the reinforced front pocket, the lined back pockets. Are these things that came out of conversations on SF?

Kiya: The lined rear pockets and reinforced front pockets were my things that I wanted added to the jean.

SL: They are really the things that one wants in pants. Another thing, on the back pocket, I know you've catered to cyclists before, does this affect how you think about size and spec to the back pocket?

Kiya: With these pockets we wanted them to be a slight bit smaller than your usual pocket, so they're very slightly less deep than your classic 5-pocket jean rear pocket.

We normally try and keep pocket sizes and shapes to the standard classic style, as it's one of the ways to quickly ruin a good jean by trying to do too much with the pocket shape.

SL: Indeed. I guess I'd like to get a sense of the design thoughts that really changed from sample to commercial product. If there is anything that can be revealed?

Kiya: We changed the denim a few times until finally settling on a heavier weight denim that was woven for the project. We also changed the pocket size, gave it a tad more room in the thighs, and made the length long enough so that it would still have a decent length to it even after shrinking.

SL: In some ways, I feel you were on the vanguard of the high-end production collaboration. There are quite a few shops going that route now, be it with Grenson or Red Wing. While not totally the same, I'd love your thoughts on this development.

Kiya: Here's the difference. We tell a story. There's a full story behind every part of the product. With other collaborations, is there really a story or is it more, "We designed this with XXX company"? Which is why we have jeans like the Flat Head SE05BSP or the Real Japan Blues 105BSP—there is no story behind those, they're not collaborations. They're merely jeans that I designed for the companies in Japan and they might even be for sale in stores in Japan depending on the agreement between Self Edge and the company we designed them for.

SL: What are some things you'd like to do with Self Edge in the near future?

Kiya: Oh god…this is where I can go off, seriously.

SL: If you have the inclination and time, I have the space.

Kiya: Some things I’m working on for 2009 are a Triple Works Overdyed collaboration, which is a jean designed by Diesel. Triple Works is owned by Works Inc, the company that owns Iron Heart. It'll be a straight leg jean and a jacket, made of 17oz denim, super tough with a great black overdye over indigo selvedge denim. That's the SEXTW07.

Then we're doing our tenth collaboration, and our most ambitious project so far, which is the SEXTXRR10, It's a collaboration with Toyo Enterprises, which owns Buzz Rickson and Sugar Cane. It's not a five-pocket jean, the details and fabric will be completely different than anything we've done. It's being designed by me, and a mysterious third party.

Then there's the Marlon Brando jean, which is the first officially licensed Marlon Brando jean ever made; we're essentially reproducing the jean he wore in The Wild One. Flat Head will be producing it, and it's part reproduction part inspired by The Wild One.

SL: That is really exciting. My background is in material culture, and I studied 18th century American furniture in graduate school, so I love the process of looking at old stuff to tell a story.

Kiya: Yeah, that's what fascinates me, is the fact that there's a story behind it all, it's not just that the material itself will last and that there's quality hidden deep within the garment, but that there's this intangible story and history behind a product. You're buying an idea first and a pair of jeans second.