There is nothing quite like a great pair of jeans… especially when they are made in Canada using highly renowned Japanese selvedge denim.  Jean enthusiasts all over the world nerd out over this fabric on denim appreciation websites.  We caught up with Naked & Famousfounder, and a self-proclaimed “denim geek,” Brandon Svarc during his recent visit to Holt Renfrew to learn more about the brand and this magic fabric.

TB: What was the initial concept behind your company?

BS: Basically I go to Japan and I find the craziest, the rarest, and the most fun denim fabric we can get our hands on. We bring everything to Montreal where we’re from and then we do all of our cuts locally. We keep everything raw, simple and clean, and stripped down to the basics. The idea is to be the opposite of all the bullshit, the opposite of Hollywood and glamour and sex and celebrity brands. And because we keep everything simple, we are able to offer the most expensive denim but for really reasonable prices.

TB: And the story behind the name?

BS: People always ask “Why the name and why the naked lady pop art logo?”  It’s not just because I thought it would be funny to put a naked lady on all our jeans, even though I do think it is really funny.

TB: Do you have her tattoo?

BS: Only on my bum. No, just kidding. I have no tattoos. Maybe somebody has it, who knows?

Naked & Famous “Skinny Guy”

TB: I know! Wouldn’t that be crazy?

BS: It would be quite hilarious. So, the reason behind the logo: it’s pop art satire; Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol and early 1950s American pop artists. They made this kind of art to make fun of society, to satirize obsessing with the ideal blond figure. They pulled this image from romance comic books from 1940s.

TB: She kind of looks like Betty from Archie.

BS: Exactly! Betty from Archie was inspired by the romance comic book genre and pulp books. So, this to us is the equivalent of the ideal blond celebrity. And we think that’s ridiculous. But what we think is most ridiculous is people buying a product because they see a celebrity wearing it. And that’s exactly what we want to make fun of.

Naked & Famous Chambray Shirt

TB: So what happens if a celebrity wears your jeans?

BS: It’s a big misconception when people say, “What happens when you see a celebrity wearing your jeans? Are you going to be upset?” No, because I know they bought it! We will never give a pair of jeans away to a celebrity for free.

TB: So, what makes Japanese selvedge fabric so amazing?

BS: You have three hours? I can tell you my favourite reasons why Japanese denim is the best and why it’s the most expensive in the world:

1)   All denim is made from two different directions of yarn: warp yarn, which are running vertically and weft yarns, which are the un-dyed yarns. This is why your jeans are blue on the outside and white on the inside;

2)   Selvedge denim is this old school fabric made on old looms called shuttle looms. These are the type of looms used back in the day by Levi’s so, to me, this is the only type of denim that’s very special, that is not mass-produced. On each pass, it seals the edge of the fabric, making this a self-edge, hence ‘selvedge denim’;

3)   The last reason is the most special because it’s the nerdiest—and we love things that are nerdy. It’s the water. [The manufacturer] is in an area called Okayama (“oka” means hill and “yama” means mountain), so they are in a mountainous area and not only is there this fresh, very clean water but it has a specific mineral content and a PH balance that’s different than anywhere else in the world.

Shuttle Looms, Ibara, Japan

TB: So how many different fabrics do you have?

BS: We have more than fifty different fabrics in the collection.

TB:  How do you keep the retail price so low?

BS: I’m so glad you asked that. We are still using really expensive denim, but what percentage of duty do you think we pay when we import the denim into Canada from Japan?

TB: I don’t know. 20%?

BS: None. There is no duty on fabric but 18% on finished goods. The jeans are sewn in Canada so we only import the fabric. Also, all of our jeans are raw. We don’t do any of these expensive gimmicks like distressing and all that stuff. We don’t do any advertising.

Naked & Famous Bow Ties

TB: So, you have shirts, jeans, jackets….

BS: We also have handmade leather goods like belts, wallets, cardholders and all kinds of stuff, always made in Canada. Next year, we’ll be making a denim chair!

Interview Anya Georgijevic