Resolute Jeans by Hayashi-san
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I was shocked to see there is no Resolute thread on here ???
So I start this one and do a little introduction to the brand.You cannot write about Resolute without introducing you to the man behind the brand: Yoshiyuki Hayashi.
After graduating from Kinki University, he started working in sales and planning of jeans. Afterwards, in 1988 he started working for the Osaka5 brand Denime where he was the designer of the jeans. He was responsible for jeans until he left Denime to establish his own brand: Resolute. This happened in May 2010.
His belief is that “standard things should be valued” and he regards his jeans as “tools”.He does not hide the fact that is inspiration is from Levi’s jeans with the 1960s jeans as his favorite. So here we have a man with over 30 years’ experience of jeans making and his “only” goal is create the perfect, timeless jeans.
Resolute jeans are entirely made in Japan, namely in the Bingo province which is an old denotation for the area of today’s eastern part of Hiroshima prefecture.The denim is woven by the famous Shinya Mills in Ibara (Okayama).
The sewing takes place at Niimi Sewing Centre. Where the spinning and dyeing of the yarns is done, I do not know. The cotton for Resolute jeans is sourced from the US, Egypt and other countries. Hayashi-san does not care too much for long stable cotton as he prefers the shorter staples to get that fluffy and hairy denim.
There are 4 models available from Resolute and that is all what the brand wants to offer.
710 – Resolute’s main model. The 710 is Hayashi-san’s interpretation of a late 60s Levi’s 501. Slim with a decent taper. 13.75oz denim. It features typical 60s details: paper patch, no hidden rivets, rounded rivets, double chainstitched waistband.
711 – Resolute’s XX model. The “worker”. Based on a kids version of the Levi’s 501 from the 50s. Hayashi-san thinks the proportions of the kids model matches the Japanese build better. The rise is lower than typical 50s jeans and lower than the rise of the 710. Full leg with only a gradual taper. 13.5oz denim which is darker than the 710 denim.
712 – Based on the Levi’s 505 model. Features a zip-fly and the typical 60s details. More room in the thighs than the 710 and a stronger taper. The rise is also lower on this model compared to the 710. This denim is the sanforized version of the 710 denim. It has also been singed but the fluff will appear when you wash it.
713 – This is the low rise version of the 710, all other details and the denim are the same
Just in line with only offering 4 core models, the branding itself is also quite subtle. No arcs or tabs, no bright colored threads used (mainly orange and a bit lemon on the 711). The buttons and rivets are branded though, of course. Another neat detail are the pocket bags which are also made of selvedge fabric and the selvedge is still visible when you turn out your pockets inside out.
Hayashi-san advises to wash jeans regularly and the use of the dryer is also no problem for him. That’s probably why you don’t find many high-contrast pair of Resolute jeans but rather natural looking, washed out jeans.
The Onomichi Denim Project started in 2013 and Hayashi-san was one of the masterminds behind it. So how does it work? Wearers rotate through two pairs of jeans that they promise to wear almost daily for a year. Every week, the jeans are laundered at a special denim processing facility to retain evidence of each participant's life and work. These jeans were sponsored/sold by Resolute and over hundreds of residents of Onomichi took part. At the end of a year, everything is washed according to color, hang-dried or tumbled, checked for individuality, tagged with detailed descriptions, and displayed on a long platform, gallery-style, in the minimalist boutique. This is similar to APC’s “Butler Jeans” and I think Nudie offers something similar.
This project is still going strong and evolved. Now they offer their own ODP jeans, t-shirts, hats, etc. in their online shop. The worn jeans can still be bought in the B&M shop in Onomichi.
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And some pictures of my pairs
My 710
My 711
And a nice picture from HAL from Sufu
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A very interesting topic, and the designer himself with an interesting biography, after reading your article. It's strange that I haven't heard about this brand before..