Ask Giles and/or Alex Anything

[jordanscollected]

@Giles
There will be a small resurgence anyhow, as the former White oak looms, then purchased by the now defunct Vidalia Mills, have been acquired by Mount Vernon Mills in Trion, GA. They targeted early 2026 to start production.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mount-vernon-mills-acquires-historic-191445794.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAGyUZoFZeDeVTugS1e846v--L2fmtIDYySxplYCR5ph3nJMIZ0l1YSsLLdpDpxyqTnQBRXdlaFPRFe4tfEETE6BPa2hJzdRzvRZbstrGYTS6sxC1UOTF0OqLpwa67WjUPVq7YdoiAxl2tAv5ymymBQWbVJaID-gAtnAoNvaAxD_q

[Giles]

That is great news. Thank you

[Bridger]

@Giles said in Ask Giles and/or Alex Anything:

Japan is cool, (and sorry Donnie) US ain't

I won't get into this for fear of the mods deleting my post.

However, I wonder if demand for Tellason, Freenote Cloth or Schaeffer's Garment Hotel would go down if they could source quality denim from outside of Japan.

As for Japanese TVs. This is what Gemini tells me.

Do they make TVs in Japan anymore?

The short answer is barely. While Japanese brands like Sony and Panasonic still lead the world in high-end TV design, the era of "Made in Japan" mass-market televisions is effectively over as of 2026.

[goosehd]

Mod here and thank you.

[Giles]

Mod here and I pushed the limits....

[goosehd]

@Giles …but you’re you and I wouldn’t expect anything less.

[Chap]

@Giles said in Ask Giles and/or Alex Anything:

I felt so too. But his questioning did make me think and try and articulate the issues we face, so it did me a load of good

Your answer was very professional and polite... (did you at least type it with your middle fingers?)

[NickD]

It’s nearly as bad as the swathes of FB posters complaining that the sizes don’t go large enough for them and don’t match the (massively vanity sized) US clothing sizing.

[Bridger]

Here's what Gemini has to say about the matter.

Japan Selvedge Denim: 10-Year Production Volume Trends

The overall trend has been a decrease in raw yardage but a significant increase in market value, as Japan shifted from "mass-premium" to "ultra-artisan" niche production.

Period	Production Volume Trend	Key Market Drivers
2016–2019	Peak Stability	High global demand for "heritage" wear. Mills like Kaihara were running at near-maximum capacity for brands like Uniqlo and Levi's.
2020–2021	Sharp Decline (-30%)	Pandemic lockdowns closed factories in Kojima and Ibara. Supply chain disruptions led to a massive backlog in shuttle loom parts.
2022–2024	The "Quality" Pivot	Volume began to recover but stabilized at ~15% lower than 2016 levels. Mills shifted focus to "Small Batch/High Margin" fabrics (Natural Indigo, high-slub).
2025–2026	Niche Growth	Currently, volume is steady. Demand from luxury houses (LVMH, Kering) has replaced some of the "mid-tier" volume lost to Chinese mills.

---

Why Volume Isn't Increasing

You might wonder why Japan doesn't just make more. The "bottleneck" is the Shuttle Loom:

1. Speed: A vintage Toyoda G9 shuttle loom is roughly 5x slower than a modern projectile loom.
2. Scarcity: There are a finite number of these machines left in the world. Japan owns the largest "fleet," but they require constant, specialized maintenance by aging mechanics.
3. Width: Selvedge denim is typically woven at 29-31 inches wide, compared to 60+ inches for modern denim, meaning you need twice the yardage for a single pair of jeans.

---

Summary

Over the last 10 years, Japan has effectively "de-bulked." They are making slightly less fabric than they were in 2016, but the fabric they are making is more complex, heavier, and significantly more expensive.

[Giles]

Pretty good state-of-the-nation......

[nytimes_gaiden]

The irony with Vidalia Mills is it seemed like a big competitor for them in the boutique denim space was just all the deadstock made in USA Cone Mill still lingering around rag houses (which really shows to Giles point the vast disrepency in size orders from Levis v the smaller companies)
Vidalia needed some of the big boys to buy their product to make their business sustainable. Now the small brands utilizing made in USA denim will have the last of the cone mill, and last of vidalia mills to pick from before deciding to take a chance on Vernon.

What I am getting at, I think, is it would be great if Levis and Lee etc replaced some of their Japanese selvedge inventory with the forthcoming Made in USA stock (they spend a lot on marketing, maybe they can make it cool again). Maybe a pipe dream but this would help to prop up and keep that American industry viable and sustainable and help preserve the smaller Japanese brands like IH by freeing up and returning the Japanese capacity to them.

[Giles]

That would be fantastic, and "right".......

[sabergirl]

I think the only thing missing here in your response is you telling this guy to fuck off and buy Levis then. I’m only half kidding.

[ZackB]

@jordanscollected I’ve driven by that denim mall a few times. My wife grew up in the Trion area, small world haha. Thanks for the link.