Make your original jeans in the renown jeans town, Kojima City
Kojima in Kurashiki City Okayama Prefecture is a worldwide well-known town for the birthplace of Japanese high-quality jeans. One of their veteran brands, Betty Smith, has opened their studio to the public so people can experience being part of the process of making jeans. Here, you can select your favorite buttons, rivets and leather patches to use while making an all-original pair of jeans exclusive at the patented Betty Smith studio.
Choose your best jeans from various options
The jeans making activity took place at the studio situated inside the Jeans Museum & Village; Japan’s one-and-only jeans-themed themepark complex, run by Betty Smith. First, we went into their store to choose plain pants which no small parts yet attached. We tried on some interesting jeans in order to select our favorite one from among the wide variety. The choices included standard indigo-blue jeans, striped pants, and denim skirts for women. A wide range of sizes from XS to XXL means you can easily find the size that fits you best.
Sometimes it’s hard to choose, so find the one that fits your taste.
After the hemming is set, participants now select the small appointments that go on the jeans. First, we picked out buttons and rivets from countless choices; standard gold or silver ones, bright and unique colors-red, blue and yellow, or Betty Smith’s character image. We then decided just where to place these appointments on the actual jeans to create the final image we wanted. Next, we chose a leather patch label to go on behind the belt. Here again, it took time to choose from the many options, including pop styles and American designs.
Kicking the pedal up fiercely to attach buttons and rivets!
We used an authentic vintage hammering machine to attach the selected buttons and rivets to the pants.
First, an instructor showed how to do this. After making sure the position of a button was correct from the front and side, we stepped on the machine’s pedal to attach it. The trick is to press on the pedal until it's about halfway down, and then kick it up forcefully all the way. The stronger you kick up the pedal, the better it will fit. The rivets were attached with the same procedure in six places, and all was done! The leather patches were sewn on by a staff member to complete the original jeans.
Learn about the history of jeans at the adjacent museum
It took about 30 minutes for the staff to attach the leather patches, so we had a nice time exploring the adjacent museum and the sewing factory. The museum has two buildings where you can learn about the history of jeans, how they originated in the USA, and then their subsequent development in Japan. You can also enjoy shopping at Betty's Shop for either standard products or their selected goods. The factory outlet shop sells their jeans at cheaper prices. Your day can be all about jeans!
