917 TYPE 3

917 TYPE 3

The Type II denim jacket played a major role in the counterculture movement of the 1960s and 1970s. It became a fashion symbol for subcultures such as rock fans, hippies and punks. The jacket represented freedom, individuality and rebellion against tradition. Many musicians and rock bands chose to wear the Levis 557 jacket, making it one of the symbols of rock music. From psychedelic rock in the 1960s to punk rock in the 1970s, the influence of this jacket in the music industry cannot be overstated. It has become an important element for musicians to show their personality and fashion attitude.

The Type III denim jacket began in 1961 (1961-1966) as a modified version of TYPE II, with the batch number 557XX.
In terms of appearance, the differences from TYPE II are as follows:
1. The chest pocket has become pointed
2. There are two V-shaped seams under the chest pocket
3. The cuffs and chest pockets are reinforced with seams instead of rivets
4. The back of the model has a 3-piece structure
In 1961, the Type III jacket launched the wool blended lining version 559XX
It has the same style as 557XX, with a warm lining inside

What is so good about denim fabrics produced in Japan?

Japan insists on using old-fashioned looms. The texture woven by old-fashioned looms is incomparable to modern machines. Insisting on using old-fashioned machines is a tribute to the ancient cultural product of denim. Now the new looms do not use shuttles, but use wind pressure or water pressure to send weft yarns. They cannot use coarse yarns. High-speed looms pull the warp yarns very hard, so the denim fabrics are very smooth and flat, and cannot reproduce the individual vitality of the cotton thread itself. Using old-fashioned looms, craftsmen can manually control the speed of the machine, so the loosely woven cotton can more vividly reflect the individuality of the cotton thread itself and the bumps and grooves of the cotton thread.

We customized denim fabric produced in Okayama, Japan, at JAPAN BLUE. It uses American cotton yarn, and the weaving process is in the style of the 50s. The fabric has a strong texture, a golden thickness of 14.5oz, and a specially customized pink ear.
Yamachu Textile was in charge of planning, starting with the selection of cotton. First, we found our ideal among the cotton collected from all over the world, and then weaving began. Through highly computerized weaving technology, in order to reproduce the retro expression, the uneven shape of the thread we pursued is randomly repeated. It is easy to produce the line evenly. On the other hand, in order to make the thickness of the thread strong and weak, close to retro, as we pursued, it is difficult to maintain high quality while naturally expressing unevenness. The value of the so-called irregular thread is only required for jeans.

Using the old loom TOYODA GL-9, a total of 9 G-type automatic looms "GL-g" (produced in 1980) produced by Toyota Automatic Loom Co., Ltd. were started at the former logistics warehouse opposite the head office. Because it is an old model, there are no new replacement parts, so there are also two abandoned looms for parts. This is a loom that requires frequent maintenance by skilled craftsmen. The old power loom is indispensable for expressing retro. The shuttle with the weft thread goes back and forth at both ends of the fabric like sewing the warp thread, so that it has a selwich (ear) to prevent the ends of the fabric from being entangled. Compared with the current mainstream innovative loom, its production efficiency is less than 3/1. Because the innovative loom is a loom that rotates at high speed, it is necessary to tighten the tension of the thread very strongly. Although the surface of the woven fabric is even and beautiful, it is difficult to express the personality of the fabric with a flat expression. On the other hand, the old power loom can be fine-tuned by the tension method of the warp thread and the weaving speed of the skilled craftsmen. According to this, the original feel of the thread and the unevenness, as well as the uneven weaving method, give rise to various personalities in the texture. The old Japanese power loom is not a machine that can be controlled by a button, but a tool of skilled craftsmen.