The vintage boom that began in the early 1990s made vintage jeans extremely valuable. This era saw the establishment of a vintage jeans culture where items with beautiful fading, selvedge "atari" (aging marks), and other signs of age were considered cool.
Throughout the long history of jeans, the ones we consider the best were only made for a little over a decade, from the 1940s to the 1950s. Their greatest appeal lies in the presence created by their aging and, above all, the exceptional comfort that only those who wear them can truly understand. We believed that if we could reproduce these jeans, which we consider to be the best, protect their quality, and continue to produce them, we could become the world's best jeans manufacturer.
In 1993, when we first started, we began by dismantling vintage denim, analyzing the fabric down to each individual thread, and thoroughly researching the sewing mechanisms. We commuted almost weekly to Kojima, which was already the largest production area for jeans, searching for a factory that could make our ideal jeans. What we discovered was the fact that the factory equipment at the time (when we started) made it impossible to produce jeans like those made 50 years earlier.
Almost no power looms for making selvedge denim were in operation, and there were no sewing machines or craftsmen capable of sewing thick fabric like jeans with cotton thread. In fact, even the stock of cotton sewing thread was limited to only white and black. This meant that old machines had been phased out as production efficiency became prioritized over time. We had to rebuild everything from scratch, from the selvedge fabric, cotton thread, and sewing machines to accessories like buttons, all of which are now commonly used.
Gradually, our passion was conveyed, and we met people who were willing to cooperate and take a chance on our baseless big dream. This circle slowly grew. Step by step, we cleared challenges, and finally, in 1995, we were able to create a pair of jeans that we were truly satisfied with.
Twenty years have passed since then. Our exclusive partner factory has continued to produce only Fullcount's standard line, maintaining the same quality as back then. The craftsmen's reliable skills have been passed down, and we diligently maintain our inspection system to ensure quality. Through coordination with pattern makers, we make fine adjustments to continuously produce the same items while also evolving them. These fine adjustments are not for updating the design but are essential for producing the same items consistently over many years.
The denim that produces the superb comfort Fullcount values most is, of course, made using power looms, specifically heavy-duty power looms that are particularly suited for denim. This weaving mill, established in 1951, now operates over 100 power looms, but Fullcount has secured several of them for 20 years, continuously weaving the same denim on the same power looms. These old power looms, where the texture of the denim changes with temperature and humidity, rely on the intuition of skilled craftsmen who operate them. Furthermore, it is crucial to keep these power looms running consistently, whether demand is low or high, to ensure that the quality does not change when weaving denim with different specifications.
We are proud that these commitments are strengths unique to Fullcount as a jeans manufacturer.
The ideal jeans were only made for a little over a decade.
We are confident that the jeans Fullcount has perfected offer a superior comfort that surpasses even those. To our customers who have continued to wear Fullcount jeans for over 20 years and those who aspire to wear them, and as long as there are factories and craftsmen who believe in us and continue to produce fabric without fail, we will continue to make jeans.
That is why we continue to make the same jeans without interruption.
