Meet Our Makers

‘Denim’ and ‘Japan’ are often mentioned within the same breath, and this isn’t just a coincidence. Japan adopted denim decades ago and elevated the popular fabric to a quality the world had never seen before. With such attention to detail – almost bordering on an obsession – Japan changed denim forever and added numerous chapters to the fabrics storied history.

Taking a closer look at where denim related activities are clustered in Japan, one prefecture stands out above all the rest. Sure, high quality denim is made all over Japan, but in the Okayama prefecture, specifically Kojima, there are more brands, mills and denim stores than anywhere else in Japan. With over 200 denim companies in Kojima alone, the small city is the epicenter of the Japanese denim industry and is central to leading in developments in high quality selvedge denim worldwide. 

With no other location in the world being so dedicated to denim, we decided to have our manufacturing in Kojima before we even thought about the name of the brand. We strongly believe that denim from Japan is unmatched in terms of quality, craftsmanship and authenticity, which are core principles in the philosophy of Realign.

Realign. superior denim, well-made in japan.

Japan Blue Company

Speaking about the greats in the Japanese denim industry isn’t possible without mentioning Japan Blue Company. The Kojima-based company was established in 1992 as a fabric mill and soon became one of the leaders of Japanese denim as we know it today. Over the years the company grew from a fabric supplier into a denim powerhouse, mastering all processes in the denim supply chain. With an impeccable reputation and decades of experience, Japan Blue are responsible for a number of important developments within the industry and have played an integral role in elevating Japanese denim to new heights. 

We entrusted the entire manufacturing of our products to Japan Blue simply because they share our vision on craftsmanship and authenticity. All of our jeans are made in small batches and are cut and sewn by the hands of experienced craftsmen (and women), who have been making denim for decades. We are perfectionists (and not the best at handing over control!) but with Japan Blue as our manufacturer, we know that Realign jeans are of the highest quality possible.To get down to the specifics, all Realign jeans are made in-house at Japan Blue, with hardware and labels made by renowned third parties in and around Kojima, with overnight from Japan Blue. There’s no knowledge like local knowledge, which is why we feel confident in entrusting Japan Blue to source our hardware and labels.

Collect Mills 

Collect Mills is the fabric division of Japan Blue and is located in and around Kojima. Collect Mills was the very first activity of Japan Blue and they started to weave denim in 1992. Over the years, the mill has continued to steadily grow into one of Japan’s major selvedge denim mills, supplying denim to some of the most popular denim brands in the world. Despite growth and popularity, their love for pure and authentic selvedge denim remains the same as it ever was, informing daily decisions as well as the strategic direction of the company. 

In addition to weaving a substantial part of their selvedge denim offering themselves, Collect Mills also constitutes somewhat of a marketplace for smaller independent Japanese denim brands, by offering some of their most sought-after and limited denim fabrics for purchase and production. The fabric collection of Collect Mills is varied and substantial to say the least, with many different casts, colors, sources of origin, weights and weaves. It is hard, if not impossible, to equal. With Collect Mills as our fabric supplier, it ensures that Realign has continuous access to authentic, irregular and slubby Japanese selvedge denim of the highest quality, from day one.

'We couldn’t be more proud to make our jeans in Kojima, Japan'.