ONI Denim: Why these rare, textured jeans are so sought out

In 2024, something noticed by the shop team and creative department alike was the heightened interest in darker denim. Over the year, lighter washes seemed to get rapidly replaced for one wash jeans and jackets, with many embracing the darker indigo colour. Over the summer, we saw one wash jeans flying out, especially the ONI 222’s and 200’s, and this is for good reason! ONI are the absolute masters of updating classic cuts with detailed and contemporary fabrics. The elusive brand, founded by denim master Mr. Oishi, has built their identity around embracing imperfection, and puts this into practice by using vintage, low tension looms that allow an incredible amount of control over the weaves. Characterised by texture, weight, and a detailed production process, we’ve chosen a few of our favourite styles to break down exactly why they’re so special!

Kihannen & Kasuri
The perfect examples of ONI’s embrace of imperfection are their Kihannen and Kasuri denim. Both styles are irregular weaves, meaning the warp and weft interchange in an unpredictable and uneven way, leading to an almost feathery appearance to the fabric. Kihannen is the older of the two styles, being one of ONI’s classics, but tragically the looms it was made on were all destroyed in a fire. Because the machines that weave the fabric on are so integral to each style, the destruction of these Kihannen looms have rendered the denim impossible to produce ever again, making the remaining stock incredibly sought after.
To replace Kihannen, ONI found a new method of irregular weaving which increased the visible texture of the jean, leading to the new Kasuri fabric. Kasuri takes the variation of the Kihannen, and dials it to 11, which produces some truly personal fades, and an amazingly unique pair of jeans.

Crushed Concrete & Asphalt
ONI’s name is derived from their background in heavyweight denim, with their catchphrase being “Slubby as the Devil” in reference to these thick, textured jeans. Though their output has become more varied over the years, these heavier pairs are still central to the brands output, and perhaps the most exciting of these variants are the Crushed Concrete and Asphalt styles. Sitting at 15oz and 20oz respectively, these styles are produced by leaving the exposed threads that appear during the weaving process bare, which achieves a speckled and bobbly texture. CCD and Asphalt both fade in fascinating ways because of their texture, lending themselves to heavy wear on account of their weight. If you’re after a pair you can really beat up and that will still look great afterwards, these are the ones to go for.

Ishikawadai
Last but definitely not least, Ishikawadai denim is some of ONI’s best. Taking its name from the early 1950’s machines they’re spun on, these jeans take a frustratingly long time to produce compared to modern standards. This slow production process has its benefits though, with the cotton boasting increased integrity, and the fabric displaying a remarkable, almost hand spun appearance. From our hands on experience with Ishikawadai, we’ve also noticed that the denim fades much faster than almost any other denim we stock, so if you’re looking for a pair of jeans that will get some nice fades quickly, this is up there with the best.
We’re proud to be the only stockist of ONI in the UK here at SON OF A STAG, so we’d really encourage you to come down to the shop or check out the full collection online to get a feel for why these jeans are so sought after.